II 
Calendar No. 529 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2950 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the 
Coastal Program of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service, to work with willing partners and provide sup-
port to efforts to assess, protect, restore, and enhance 
important coastal landscapes that provide fish and wild-
life habitat on which certain Federal trust species de-
pend, 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 ‘‘Coastal Habitat Con-
servation Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to legislatively authorize 
the Coastal Program of the Service in effect as of the date 
of the enactment of this Act to conduct collaborative land-
scape-level planning and on-the-ground coastal habitat as-
sessment, coastal habitat protection, coastal habitat res-
toration, and coastal habitat enhancement projects in pri-
ority coastal landscapes to conserve and recover Federal 
trust species. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COASTAL ECOSYSTEM.—The term ‘‘coastal 
ecosystem’’ means a biological community of orga-
nisms interacting with each other and their habitats 
in a coastal landscape. 
(2) 
COASTAL
HABITAT
ASSESSMENT.—The 
term ‘‘coastal habitat assessment’’ means the proc-
ess of evaluating the physical, chemical, and biologi-
cal function of a coastal site to determine the value 
of the site to fish and wildlife. 
(3) COASTAL
HABITAT
ENHANCEMENT.—The 
term ‘‘coastal habitat enhancement’’ means the ma-
nipulation of the physical, chemical, or biological 
characteristics of a coastal ecosystem to increase or 
decrease specific biological functions that make the 
ecosystem valuable to fish and wildlife. 
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(4) COASTAL HABITAT PLANNING.—The term 
‘‘coastal habitat planning’’ means the process of de-
veloping a comprehensive plan that— 
(A) characterizes a coastal ecosystem; 
(B) sets protection, restoration, or en-
hancement goals and identifies the priorities of 
those goals; 
(C) describes conservation strategies and 
methodologies; 
(D) establishes a timetable for implementa-
tion of the plan; and 
(E) identifies roles of participants and 
stakeholders. 
(5) COASTAL HABITAT PROTECTION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘coastal 
habitat protection’’ means a long-term action to 
safeguard habitat of value to fish and wildlife 
in a coastal ecosystem. 
(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘coastal habi-
tat protection’’ includes activities to support es-
tablishment of a conservation easement or fee 
title acquisition by Federal and non-Federal 
partners. 
(6) COASTAL
HABITAT
RESTORATION.—The 
term ‘‘coastal habitat restoration’’ means the manip-
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ulation of the physical, chemical, or biological char-
acteristics of a coastal ecosystem with the goal of re-
turning, to the maximum extent practicable, the full 
natural biological functions to lost or degraded na-
tive habitat. 
(7) COASTAL LANDSCAPE.—The term ‘‘coastal 
landscape’’ means a portion of a coastal ecosystem 
within or adjacent to a coastal State that contains 
various habitat types, including— 
(A) a fresh or saltwater wetland in a coast-
al watershed; 
(B) a coastal river, stream, or waterway; 
(C) a coastal bay or estuary; 
(D) a seagrass bed, reef, or other near-
shore marine habitat; 
(E) a beach or dune system; 
(F) a mangrove forest; and 
(G) an associated coastal upland. 
(8) 
COASTAL
STATE.—The 
term 
‘‘coastal 
State’’ means— 
(A) a State in, or bordering on, the Atlan-
tic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mex-
ico, the Long Island Sound, or 1 or more of the 
Great Lakes; 
(B) the District of Columbia; 
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(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 
(D) Guam; 
(E) American Samoa; 
(F) the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands; 
(G) the Federated States of Micronesia; 
(H) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; 
(I) the Republic of Palau; and 
(J) the United States Virgin Islands. 
(9) FEDERAL
TRUST
SPECIES.—The term 
‘‘Federal trust species’’ means migratory birds, 
threatened species or endangered species listed 
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), interjurisdictional fish, and 
marine mammals for which the Secretary has man-
agement authority. 
(10) FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘‘fi-
nancial assistance’’ means Federal funding provided 
to Federal, State, local, or Tribal governments, non-
governmental institutions, nonprofit organizations, 
and private individuals and entities through a grant 
or cooperative agreement. 
(11) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of the Interior. 
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(12) SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Service’’ means the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 
(13) 
TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—The 
term 
‘‘technical assistance’’ means a collaboration, facili-
tation, or consulting action relating to a coastal 
habitat planning, coastal habitat assessment, coastal 
habitat protection, coastal habitat restoration, or 
coastal habitat enhancement project or initiative in 
which the Service contributes scientific knowledge, 
skills, and expertise to the project or initiative. 
SEC. 4. COASTAL PROGRAM. 
The Secretary shall carry out the Coastal Program 
within the Service to— 
(1) identify the leading threats to priority 
coastal landscapes and conservation actions to ad-
dress those threats in partnership with Federal, 
State, local, and Tribal governments, nongovern-
mental institutions, nonprofit organizations, and pri-
vate individuals and entities; 
(2) provide technical assistance and financial 
assistance through partnerships with Federal, State, 
local, and Tribal governments, nongovernmental in-
stitutions, nonprofit organizations, and private indi-
viduals and entities to conduct voluntary coastal 
habitat planning, coastal habitat assessment, coastal 
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habitat protection, coastal habitat restoration, and 
coastal habitat enhancement projects on public land 
or private land; 
(3) ensure the health and resilience of coastal 
ecosystems through adaptive management proce-
dures based on the best available science; 
(4) build the capacity of Federal, State, local, 
and Tribal governments, nongovernmental institu-
tions, nonprofit organizations, and private individ-
uals and entities to carry out environmental con-
servation and stewardship measures; 
(5) assist in the development and implementa-
tion of monitoring protocols to ensure the success of 
coastal ecosystem restoration and coastal ecosystem 
enhancement measures; and 
(6) collaborate and share information with part-
ners and the public relating to best management 
practices for the conservation, restoration, and en-
hancement of coastal ecosystems. 
SEC. 5. REPORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 
the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Service, 
shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and 
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and 
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the Committees on Appropriations and Environment and 
Public Works of the Senate, and make available to the 
public on the website of the Service, a report on the Coast-
al Program carried out under this Act. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Each report submitted under 
subsection (a) shall assess on regional and nationwide 
bases— 
(1) Coastal Program work on coastal eco-
systems; 
(2) progress made by the Coastal Program to-
ward identifying the leading threats to priority 
coastal landscapes and conservation actions to ad-
dress those threats; and 
(3) prospects for, and success of, protecting, re-
storing, and enhancing coastal ecosystems. 
(c) INCLUSIONS.—Each report submitted under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) quantitative information on coastal land-
scapes protected, restored, or enhanced; 
(2) funds appropriated to the Coastal Program 
that have been expended or leveraged; 
(3) a description of adaptive management prac-
tices implemented; and 
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(4) a description of emerging challenges or data 
gaps that hinder the ability of the Coastal Program 
to achieve the purpose of this Act. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $16,957,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 
2028. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 24, 
2024. 
Attest: 
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 
Clerk. 
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