I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6321 
To reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act 
of 2009 and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 15, 2016 
Mr. GRAYSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation 
System Act of 2009 and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coordinated Ocean 
Monitoring and Research Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
Section 12302 of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3601) is 
amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 12302. PURPOSES. 
‘‘The purposes of this subtitle are— 
‘‘(1) to establish and sustain a national inte-
grated System of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 
observing systems, comprised of Federal and non- 
Federal components coordinated at the national level 
by the Council and at the regional level by a network 
of Regional Coastal Observing Systems, and that in-
cludes in situ, remote, and other coastal and ocean 
observation and modeling capabilities, technologies, 
data management systems, communication systems, 
and product development systems, and is designed to 
address regional and national needs for ocean and 
coastal information, to gather specific data on key 
coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes variables, and to en-
sure timely and sustained dissemination and avail-
ability of these data— 
‘‘(A) to the public; 
‘‘(B) to support national defense, search 
and rescue operations, marine commerce, navi-
gation safety, weather, climate, and marine 
forecasting, energy siting and production, eco-
nomic development, ecosystem-based marine, 
coastal, and Great Lakes resource management, 
public safety, and public outreach and edu-
cation; 
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‘‘(C) to promote greater public awareness 
and stewardship of the Nation’s ocean, coastal, 
and Great Lakes resources and the general 
public welfare; 
‘‘(D) to provide easy access to ocean, 
coastal, and Great Lakes data and promote 
data sharing between Federal and non-Federal 
sources and promote public data sharing; 
‘‘(E) to enable advances in scientific un-
derstanding to support the sustainable use, con-
servation, management, and understanding of 
healthy ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes re-
sources; and 
‘‘(F) to monitor and model changes in 
ocean chemistry; 
‘‘(2) to improve the Nation’s capability to meas-
ure, track, observe, understand, and predict events 
related directly and indirectly to weather and climate 
change, natural climate variability, and interactions 
between the oceanic and atmospheric environments, 
including the Great Lakes; and 
‘‘(3) to authorize activities— 
‘‘(A) to promote basic and applied research 
to develop, test, and deploy innovations and im-
provements in coastal and ocean observation 
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technologies, including advanced observing tech-
nologies needed to address critical data gaps, 
modeling systems, other scientific and techno-
logical capabilities to improve the under-
standing of weather and climate, ocean-atmos-
phere dynamics, global climate change, and the 
physical, chemical, and biological dynamics of 
the ocean, coastal and Great Lakes environ-
ments; and 
‘‘(B) to conserve healthy and restore de-
graded coastal ecosystems.’’. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 12303 of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3602) is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘States, re-
gional organizations, universities, nongovernmental 
organizations, or the private sector.’’ and inserting 
‘‘the regional coastal observing systems, the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or 
the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee.’’; 
(2) by amending paragraph (6) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(6) REGIONAL
COASTAL
OBSERVING
SYS-
TEM.—The term ‘regional coastal observing system’ 
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means an organizational body that is certified or es-
tablished by contract or memorandum by the lead 
Federal agency designated in section 12304(c)(3) 
and coordinates State, Federal, local, tribal, and pri-
vate interests at a regional level with the responsi-
bility of engaging the private and public sectors in 
designing, operating, and improving regional coastal 
and ocean observing systems in order to ensure the 
provision of data and information that meet the 
needs of user groups from the respective regions.’’; 
and 
(3) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Administrator.’’. 
SEC. 4. INTEGRATED COASTAL AND OCEAN OBSERVATION 
SYSTEM. 
(a) SYSTEM ELEMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 12304(b) of the In-
tegrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act 
of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603(b)) is amended by striking 
paragraph (1) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to fulfill the pur-
poses of this subtitle, the System shall be national 
in scope and consist of— 
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‘‘(A) Federal assets to fulfill national and 
international observation missions and prior-
ities; 
‘‘(B) non-Federal assets, including a net-
work of regional coastal observing systems iden-
tified under subsection (c)(4), to fulfill regional 
and national observation missions and prior-
ities; 
‘‘(C) data management, communication, 
and modeling systems for the timely integration 
and dissemination of data and information 
products from the System; 
‘‘(D) a product development system to 
transform observations into products in a for-
mat that may be readily used and understood; 
and 
‘‘(E) a research and development program 
conducted under the guidance of the Council, 
consisting of— 
‘‘(i) basic and applied research and 
technology development— 
‘‘(I) to improve understanding of 
coastal and ocean systems and their 
relationships to human activities; and 
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‘‘(II) to ensure improvement of 
operational assets and products, in-
cluding related infrastructure, observ-
ing technologies, and information and 
data 
processing 
and 
management 
technologies; 
‘‘(ii) an advanced observing tech-
nology development program to fill gaps in 
technology; 
‘‘(iii) large scale computing resources 
and research to advance modeling of coast-
al and ocean processes; 
‘‘(iv) models to improve regional 
weather forecasting capabilities and re-
gional weather forecasting products; and 
‘‘(v) reviews of data collection proce-
dures across regions and programs to 
make recommendations for data collection 
standards across the System to meet na-
tional ocean observation, applied research, 
and weather forecasting needs.’’. 
(2) AVAILABILITY OF DATA.—Paragraph (3) of 
section 12304(b) of the Integrated Coastal and 
Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 
3603(b)) is amended by striking the period at the 
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end and inserting ‘‘for research and for use in the 
development of products to address societal needs.’’. 
(3) COORDINATION
OF
NON-FEDERAL
AS-
SETS.—Paragraph (4) of section 12304(b) of the In-
tegrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act 
of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603(b)) is amended— 
(A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
‘‘NON-FEDERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘COORDINA-
TION OF NON-FEDERAL’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, the regional coastal ob-
serving system,’’ after ‘‘Interagency Ocean Ob-
serving Committee’’. 
(b) POLICY OVERSIGHT, ADMINISTRATION, AND RE-
GIONAL COORDINATION.—Section 12304(c) of the Inte-
grated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 
2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603(c)) is amended by striking para-
graphs (2), (3), and (4), and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) INTERAGENCY OCEAN OBSERVATION COM-
MITTEE.— 
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Council shall 
establish or designate a committee which shall 
be known as the Interagency Ocean Observation 
Committee. 
‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Interagency Ocean 
Observation Committee shall— 
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‘‘(i) prepare annual and long-term 
plans for consideration and approval by the 
Council for the integrated design, oper-
ation, maintenance, enhancement, and ex-
pansion of the System to meet the objec-
tives of this chapter and the System Plan; 
‘‘(ii) develop and transmit to Con-
gress, along with the budget submitted by 
the President to Congress pursuant to sec-
tion 1105(a) of title 31, United States 
Code, an annual coordinated, comprehen-
sive budget— 
‘‘(I) to operate all elements of 
the System identified in subsection 
(b); and 
‘‘(II) to ensure continuity of data 
streams from Federal and non-Fed-
eral assets; 
‘‘(iii) establish requirements for obser-
vation data variables to be gathered by 
both Federal and non-Federal assets and 
identify, in consultation with regional in-
formation coordination entities, priorities 
for System observations; 
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‘‘(iv) establish and define protocols 
and standards for System data processing, 
management, 
collection, 
configuration 
standards, formats, and communication for 
new and existing assets throughout the In-
tegrated Ocean Observing System network; 
‘‘(v) develop contract requirements for 
each Regional Coastal Observing System— 
‘‘(I) to establish eligibility for in-
tegration into the System; 
‘‘(II) to ensure compliance with 
all applicable standards and protocols 
established by the Council; and 
‘‘(III) to ensure that regional ob-
servations are integrated into the Sys-
tem on a sustained basis; 
‘‘(vi) identify gaps in observation cov-
erage or needs for capital improvements of 
both Federal assets and non-Federal as-
sets; 
‘‘(vii) subject to the availability of ap-
propriations, establish through one or more 
participating Federal agencies, in consulta-
tion with the System advisory committee 
established under subsection (d), a com-
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petitive matching grant or other pro-
grams— 
‘‘(I) to promote intramural and 
extramural research and development 
of new, innovative, and emerging ob-
servation technologies including test-
ing and field trials; and 
‘‘(II) to facilitate the migration 
of new, innovative, and emerging sci-
entific and technological advances 
from research and development to 
operational deployment; 
‘‘(viii) periodically— 
‘‘(I) review the System Plan; and 
‘‘(II) submit to the Council such 
recommendations as the Interagency 
Ocean Observation Committee may 
have for improvements to the System 
Plan; 
‘‘(ix) ensure collaboration among Fed-
eral agencies participating in the activities 
of the Interagency Ocean Observation 
Committee; and 
‘‘(x) perform such additional duties as 
the Council may delegate. 
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‘‘(3) LEAD FEDERAL AGENCY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration shall function 
as the lead Federal agency for the implementa-
tion and administration of the System. 
‘‘(B) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—In car-
rying out this paragraph, the Administrator 
shall consult with the Council, the Interagency 
Ocean Observation Committee, other Federal 
agencies that maintain portions of the System, 
and the Regional Coastal Observing Systems. 
‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out 
this paragraph, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(i) establish and operate an Inte-
grated Ocean Observing System Program 
Office within the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration that— 
‘‘(I) utilizes, to the extent nec-
essary, personnel from member agen-
cies participating on the Interagency 
Ocean Observation Committee; and 
‘‘(II) oversees daily operations 
and coordination of the System; 
‘‘(ii) implement policies, protocols, 
and standards approved by the Council 
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and delegated by the Interagency Ocean 
Observation Committee; 
‘‘(iii) 
promulgate 
program 
guide-
lines— 
‘‘(I) to certify and integrate re-
gional associations into the System; 
and 
‘‘(II) to provide regional coastal 
and ocean observation data that meet 
the needs of user groups from the re-
spective regions; 
‘‘(iv) have the authority to enter into 
and oversee contracts, leases, grants, or co-
operative agreements with non-Federal as-
sets, including regional information coordi-
nation entities, to support the purposes of 
this chapter on such terms as the Adminis-
trator deems appropriate; 
‘‘(v) implement and maintain a merit- 
based, competitive funding process to sup-
port non-Federal assets, including the de-
velopment and maintenance of a network 
of Regional Coastal Observing Systems, 
and develop and implement a process for 
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the periodic review and evaluation of the 
regional associations; 
‘‘(vi) provide opportunities for com-
petitive contracts and grants for dem-
onstration projects to design, develop, inte-
grate, deploy, maintain, and support com-
ponents of the System; 
‘‘(vii) establish and maintain efficient 
and effective administrative procedures for 
the timely allocation of funds among con-
tractors, grantees, and non-Federal assets, 
including regional associations; 
‘‘(viii) develop and implement a proc-
ess for the periodic review and evaluation 
of the Regional Coastal Observing Sys-
tems; 
‘‘(ix) formulate an annual process by 
which gaps in observation coverage or 
needs for capital improvements of Federal 
assets and non-Federal assets of the Sys-
tem are— 
‘‘(I) identified by the regional as-
sociations described in the System 
Plan, the Administrator, or other 
members of the System; and 
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‘‘(II) submitted to the Inter-
agency Ocean Observing Committee; 
‘‘(x) develop and be responsible for a 
data management and communication sys-
tem, in accordance with standards and 
protocols established by the Interagency 
Ocean Observing Committee, by which all 
data collected by the System regarding 
ocean and coastal waters of the United 
States including the Great Lakes, are proc-
essed, stored, integrated, and made avail-
able to all end-user communities; 
‘‘(xi) not less frequently than once 
each year, submit to the Interagency 
Ocean Observing Observation Committee a 
report on the accomplishments, operational 
needs, and performance of the System to 
contribute to the annual and long-term 
plans prepared pursuant to paragraph 
(2)(B)(i); 
‘‘(xii) develop and periodically update 
a plan to efficiently integrate into the Sys-
tem new, innovative, or emerging tech-
nologies that have been demonstrated to be 
useful to the System and which will fulfill 
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the purposes of this chapter and the Sys-
tem Plan; and 
‘‘(xiii) work with users and Regional 
Associations to develop products to enable 
real-time data sharing for decision makers, 
including with respect to weather fore-
casting and modeling, search and rescue 
operations, corrosive seawater forecasts, 
water quality monitoring and communica-
tion, and harmful algal bloom forecasting. 
‘‘(4) REGIONAL
COASTAL
OBSERVING
SYS-
TEMS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—A Regional Coastal 
Observing System operated by a Regional Asso-
ciation described in the System Plan may not 
be certified or established under this subtitle 
unless it— 
‘‘(i) has been or shall be certified or 
established by contract or agreement by 
the Administrator; 
‘‘(ii) meets— 
‘‘(I) the certification standards 
and compliance procedure guidelines 
issued by the Administrator; and 
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