IIA
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 437
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JUNE 19, 1997
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation
AN ACT
To reauthorize the National Sea Grant College Program
Act, 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 ‘‘National Sea Grant
College Program Reauthorization Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE
PROGRAM ACT.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the National Sea Grant Col-
lege Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1121 et seq.).
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO DEFINITIONS.
(a) SEA GRANT INSTITUTION.—Section 203 (33
U.S.C. 1122) is amended by adding at the end the follow-
ing new paragraph:
‘‘(16) The term ‘sea grant institution’ means—
‘‘(A) any sea grant college or sea grant re-
gional consortium, and
‘‘(B) any institution of higher education,
institute, laboratory, or State or local agency
conducting a sea grant program with amounts
provided under this Act.’’.
(b) FIELD RELATED
TO OCEAN, COASTAL, AND
GREAT LAKES RESOURCES.—Section 203(4) (33 U.S.C.
1122(4)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(4) The term ‘field related to ocean, coastal,
and Great Lakes resources’ means any discipline or
field, including marine affairs, resource manage-
ment, technology, education, or science, which is
concerned with or likely to improve the understand-
ing, assessment, development, utilization, or con-
servation of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes re-
sources.’’.
(c) SECRETARY.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 203(13) (33 U.S.C.
1122(13)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(13) The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary
of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.’’.
(2) CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—The Act is
amended—
(A) by striking section 203(15) (33 U.S.C.
1122(15));
(B) in section 209(b) (33 U.S.C. 1128(b)),
as amended by this Act, by striking ‘‘, the
Under Secretary,’’; and
(C) by striking ‘‘Under Secretary’’ every
other place it appears and inserting ‘‘Sec-
retary’’.
SEC. 4. CONSULTATIONS REGARDING LONG-RANGE PLAN-
NING 
GUIDELINES 
AND 
PRIORITIES 
AND
EVALUATION.
Section 204(a) (33 U.S.C. 1123(a)) is amended in
the last sentence by inserting after ‘‘The Secretary’’ the
following: ‘‘, in consultation with the sea grant institutions
and the panel established under section 209,’’.
SEC. 5. DUTIES OF DIRECTOR.
Section 204(c) (33 U.S.C. 1123(c)) is amended to
read as follows:
‘‘(c) DUTIES OF DIRECTOR.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall admin-
ister the National Sea Grant College Program sub-
ject to the supervision of the Secretary. In addition
to any other duty prescribed by law or assigned by
the Secretary, the Director shall—
‘‘(A) advise the Secretary with respect to
the expertise and capabilities which are avail-
able within or through the National Sea Grant
College Program, and provide (as directed by
the Secretary) those which are or could be of
use to other offices and activities within the Ad-
ministration;
‘‘(B) encourage other Federal depart-
ments, agencies, and instrumentalities to use
and take advantage of the expertise and capa-