H. R. 7776—1079 
‘‘(A) the date on which the Secretary has transferred 
all of the employees of the Administration from the facilities 
at the Norfolk Property; or 
‘‘(B) 8 years after the date of the enactment of this 
section. 
‘‘(b) CONSIDERATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As consideration for the conveyance of 
the Norfolk Property, the City shall pay to the United States 
an amount equal to not less than the fair market value of 
the Norfolk Property, as determined by the Secretary, based 
on the appraisal described in subsection (g), which may consist 
of cash payment, in-kind consideration as described in para-
graph (3), or a combination thereof. 
‘‘(2) SUFFICIENCY OF CONSIDERATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Consideration paid to the Secretary 
under paragraph (1) must be sufficient, as determined by 
the Secretary, to provide replacement space for and reloca-
tion of any personnel, furniture, fixtures, equipment, and 
personal property of any kind belonging to the Administra-
tion and located upon the Norfolk Property. 
‘‘(B) COMPLETION
PRIOR
TO
CONVEYANCE.—Any cash 
consideration must be paid in full and any in-kind consider-
ation must be complete, useable, and delivered to the satis-
faction of the Secretary at or prior to the time of the 
conveyance of the Norfolk Property. 
‘‘(3) IN-KIND CONSIDERATION.—In-kind consideration paid 
by the City under paragraph (1) may include the acquisition, 
construction, provision, improvement, maintenance, repair, or 
restoration (including environmental restoration), or combina-
tion thereof, of any facilities or infrastructure with proximity 
to the Norfolk Property that the Secretary considers acceptable. 
‘‘(4) TREATMENT OF CASH CONSIDERATION RECEIVED.—Any 
cash consideration received by the United States under para-
graph (1) shall be deposited in the special account in the 
Treasury under subparagraph (A) of section 572(b)(5) of title 
40, United States Code, and shall be available in accordance 
with subparagraph (B)(ii) of such section. 
‘‘(c) COSTS
OF CONVEYANCE.—All reasonable and necessary 
costs, including real estate transaction and environmental docu-
mentation costs, associated with the conveyance of the Norfolk 
Property to the City under this section may be shared equitably 
by the Secretary and the City, as determined by the Secretary, 
including by the City providing in-kind contributions for any or 
all of such costs. 
‘‘(d) PROCEEDS.—Any proceeds from a conveyance of the Norfolk 
Property under this section shall— 
‘‘(1) be credited as discretionary offsetting collections to 
the currently applicable appropriations accounts, or funds of 
the Administration; or 
‘‘(2) cover costs associated with the conveyance of the Nor-
folk Property and related relocation efforts, and shall be made 
available for such purposes only to the extent and in the 
amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts. 
‘‘(e) SURVEY.—The exact acreage and legal description of the 
Norfolk Property shall be determined by a survey or surveys satis-
factory to the Secretary.
H. R. 7776—1080 
‘‘(f) CONDITION; QUITCLAIM DEED.—The Norfolk Property shall 
be conveyed— 
‘‘(1) in an ‘as is, where is’ condition; and 
‘‘(2) via a quitclaim deed. 
‘‘(g) FAIR MARKET VALUE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The fair market value of the Norfolk 
Property shall be— 
‘‘(A) determined by an appraisal that— 
‘‘(i) is conducted by an independent appraiser 
selected by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(ii) meets the requirements of paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(B) adjusted, at the discretion of the Secretary, based 
on the factors described in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) APPRAISAL
REQUIREMENTS.—An appraisal conducted 
under paragraph (1)(A) shall be conducted in accordance with 
nationally recognized appraisal standards, including the Uni-
form Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. 
‘‘(3) FACTORS.—The factors described in this paragraph 
are— 
‘‘(A) matters of equity and fairness; 
‘‘(B) actions taken by the City regarding the Norfolk 
Property, including— 
‘‘(i) 
comprehensive 
waterfront 
planning, 
site 
development, and other redevelopment activities sup-
ported by the City in proximity to the Norfolk Property 
in furtherance of the flood management and control 
efforts of the City; 
‘‘(ii) in-kind contributions made to facilitate and 
support use of the Norfolk Property by governmental 
agencies; and 
‘‘(iii) maintenance expenses, capital improvements, 
or emergency expenditures necessary to ensure public 
safety and access to and from the Norfolk Property; 
and 
‘‘(C) such other factors as the Secretary determines 
appropriate. 
‘‘(h) COMPLIANCE
WITH
COMPREHENSIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL 
RESPONSE, COMPENSATION, AND LIABILITY ACT OF 1980.—In car-
rying out this section, the Secretary shall comply with section 
120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensa-
tion, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)). 
‘‘(i) ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The Secretary may 
require such additional terms and conditions in connection with 
the conveyance of the Norfolk Property as the Secretary determines 
appropriate to protect the interests of the United States. 
‘‘(j) TERMINATION.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary and Adminis-
trator of the Administration, is authorized to enter into a land 
lease with Mobile County, Alabama for a period of not less than 
40 years, on such terms and conditions as the Administration 
deems appropriate, for purposes of construction of a Gulf of Mexico 
Disaster Response Center facility, provided that the lease is at 
no cost to the government. The Administration may enter into 
agreements with State, local, or county governments for purposes 
of joint use, operations, and occupancy of such facility. 
‘‘(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
H. R. 7776—1081 
‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘Administration’ means 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
‘‘(2) CITY.—The term ‘City’ means the City of Norfolk, Vir-
ginia. 
‘‘(3) NORFOLK
PROPERTY.—The term ‘Norfolk Property’ 
means— 
‘‘(A) the real property under the administrative juris-
diction of the Administration, including land and improve-
ments thereon, located at 538 Front Street, Norfolk, Vir-
ginia, consisting of approximately 3.78 acres; and 
‘‘(B) the real property under the administrative juris-
diction of the Administration, including land and improve-
ments thereon, located at 439 W. York Street, Norfolk, 
Virginia, consisting of approximately 2.5231 acres. 
‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary 
of Commerce.’’. 
SEC. 5946. OTHER MATTERS. 
(a) BRENNAN REEF.— 
(1) DESIGNATION.—The reef described in paragraph (2) shall 
be known and designated as ‘‘Brennan Reef’’ in honor of the 
late Rear Admiral Richard T. Brennan of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration. 
(2) REEF DESCRIBED.—The reef referred to in paragraph 
(1) is— 
(A) between the San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands 
on the north side of the San Miguel Passage in the Channel 
Island National Marine Sanctuary; and 
(B) centered at 34 degrees, 03.12 minutes North and 
120 degrees, 15.95 minutes West. 
(3) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
reef described in paragraph (2) shall be deemed to be a reference 
to Brennan Reef. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON SALE OF SHARK FINS.— 
(1) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in paragraph (3), 
no person shall possess, acquire, receive, transport, offer for 
sale, sell, or purchase a shark fin or a product containing 
a shark fin. 
(2) PENALTY.—A violation of paragraph (1) shall be treated 
as an act prohibited by section 307 of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1857) 
and shall be penalized pursuant to section 308 of that Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1858). 
(3) EXCEPTIONS.—A person may possess a shark fin that 
was taken lawfully pursuant to a Federal, State, or territorial 
license or permit to take or land sharks if the shark fin was 
separated after the first point of landing in a manner consistent 
with the license or permit and is— 
(A) destroyed or disposed of immediately upon separa-
tion from the carcass; 
(B) used for noncommercial subsistence purposes in 
accordance with Federal, State, or territorial law; or 
(C) used solely for display or research purposes by 
a museum, college, or university pursuant to a Federal, 
State, or territorial permit to conduct noncommercial sci-
entific research.
H. R. 7776—1082 
(4) DOGFISH EXEMPTION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—It shall not be a violation of para-
graph (1) for a person to possess, acquire, receive, transport, 
offer for sale, sell, or purchase a shark fin of a smooth 
dogfish (Mustelus canis) or a spiny dogfish (Squalus 
acanthias). 
(B) REPORT.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 2027, 
the Secretary of Commerce shall review the exemption 
provided by subparagraph (A) and submit to Congress 
a report regarding such exemption that includes a 
recommendation to continue or terminate the exemp-
tion. 
(ii) FACTORS.—In carrying out clause (i), the Sec-
retary of Commerce shall analyze factors including— 
(I) the impact of continuation and termination 
of the exemption on the economic viability of 
dogfish fisheries; 
(II) the impact of continuation and termination 
of the exemption on ocean ecosystems; 
(III) the impact of the exemption on the 
enforcement of the prohibition described in para-
graph (1); and 
(IV) the impact of the exemption on shark 
conservation. 
(5) ENFORCEMENT.—This subsection, and any regulations 
issued pursuant thereto, shall be enforced by the Secretary 
of Commerce, who may use by agreement, with or without 
reimbursement, the personnel, services, equipment, and facili-
ties of another Federal agency or of a State agency or Indian 
Tribe for the purpose of enforcing this subsection. 
(6) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this subsection 
may be construed to preclude, deny, or limit any right of 
a State or territory to adopt or enforce any regulation or 
standard that is more stringent than a regulation or standard 
in effect under this subsection. 
(7) SEVERABILITY.—If any provision of this subsection, or 
the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held 
invalid, the validity of the remainder of the subsection and 
of the application of any such provision to other persons and 
circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 
(8) SHARK
FIN
DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term 
‘‘shark fin’’ means the unprocessed, dried, or otherwise proc-
essed detached fin or tail of a shark. 
SEC. 5947. ENHANCING TRANSPARENCY ON INTERNATIONAL AGREE-
MENTS AND NON-BINDING INSTRUMENTS. 
(a) SECTION 112B OF TITLE 1, UNITED STATES CODE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 112b of title 1, United States 
Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 112b. United States international agreements and non- 
binding instruments; transparency provisions 
‘‘(a)(1) Not less frequently than once each month, the Secretary 
shall provide in writing to the Majority Leader of the Senate, 
the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
H. R. 7776—1083 
Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representa-
tives, and the appropriate congressional committees the following: 
‘‘(A)(i) A list of all international agreements and qualifying 
non-binding instruments signed, concluded, or otherwise final-
ized during the prior month. 
‘‘(ii) The text of all international agreements and qualifying 
non-binding instruments described in clause (i). 
‘‘(iii) A detailed description of the legal authority that, 
in the view of the Secretary, provides authorization for each 
international agreement and that, in the view of the appropriate 
department or agency, provides authorization for each quali-
fying non-binding instrument provided under clause (ii) to 
become operative. If multiple authorities are relied upon in 
relation to an international agreement, the Secretary shall 
cite all such authorities, and if multiple authorities are relied 
upon in relation to a qualifying non-binding instrument, the 
appropriate department or agency shall cite all such authorities. 
All citations to the Constitution of the United States, a treaty, 
or a statute shall include the specific article or section and 
subsection reference whenever available and, if not available, 
shall be as specific as possible. If the authority relied upon 
is or includes article II of the Constitution of the United States, 
the Secretary or appropriate department or agency shall explain 
the basis for that reliance. 
‘‘(B)(i) A list of all international agreements that entered 
into force and qualifying non-binding instruments that became 
operative for the United States or an agency of the United 
States during the prior month. 
‘‘(ii) The text of all international agreements and qualifying 
non-binding instruments described in clause (i) if such text 
differs from the text of the agreement or instrument previously 
provided pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii). 
‘‘(iii) A statement describing any new or amended statutory 
or regulatory authority anticipated to be required to fully imple-
ment each proposed international agreement and qualifying 
non-binding instrument included in the list described in clause 
(i). 
‘‘(2) The information and text required by paragraph (1) shall 
be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified 
annex. 
‘‘(b)(1) Not later than 120 days after the date on which an 
international agreement enters into force, the Secretary shall make 
the text of the agreement, and the information described in subpara-
graphs (A)(iii) and (B)(iii) of subsection (a)(1) relating to the agree-
ment, available to the public on the website of the Department 
of State. 
‘‘(2) Not less frequently than once every 120 days, the Secretary 
shall make the text of each qualifying non-binding instrument 
that became operative during the preceding 120 days, and the 
information described in subparagraphs (A)(iii) and (B)(iii) of sub-
section (a)(1) relating to each such instrument, available to the 
public on the website of the Department of State. 
‘‘(3) The requirements under paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not 
apply to the following categories of international agreements or 
qualifying non-binding instruments, or to information described 
in subparagraphs (A)(iii) and (B)(iii) of subsection (a)(1) relating 
to such agreements or qualifying non-binding instruments:
H. R. 7776—1084 
‘‘(A) International agreements and qualifying non-binding 
instruments that contain information that has been given a 
national security classification pursuant to Executive Order 
13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note; relating to classified national secu-
rity information) or any predecessor or successor order, or that 
contain any information that is otherwise exempt from public 
disclosure pursuant to United States law. 
‘‘(B) International agreements and qualifying non-binding 
instruments that address military operations, military exer-
cises, acquisition and cross servicing, logistics support, military 
personnel exchange or education programs, or the provision 
of health care to military personnel on a reciprocal basis. 
‘‘(C) International agreements and qualifying non-binding 
instruments that establish the terms of grant or other similar 
assistance, including in-kind assistance, financed with foreign 
assistance funds pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or the Food for Peace Act (7 
U.S.C. 1691 et seq.). 
‘‘(D) International agreements and qualifying non-binding 
instruments, such as project annexes and other similar 
instruments, for which the principal function is to establish 
technical details for the implementation of a specific project 
undertaken pursuant to another agreement or qualifying non- 
binding instrument that has been published in accordance with 
paragraph (1) or (2). 
‘‘(E) International agreements and qualifying non-binding 
instruments that have been separately published by a deposi-
tary or other similar administrative body, except that the Sec-
retary shall make the information described in subparagraphs 
(A)(iii) and (B)(iii) of subsection (a)(1), relating to such agree-
ments or qualifying non-binding instruments, available to the 
public on the website of the Department of State within the 
timeframes required by paragraph (1) or (2). 
‘‘(c) For any international agreement or qualifying non-binding 
instrument for which an implementing agreement or arrangement, 
or any document of similar purpose or function to the aforemen-
tioned regardless of the title of the document, is not otherwise 
required to be submitted to the Majority Leader of the Senate, 
the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representa-
tives, and the appropriate congressional committees under subpara-
graphs (A)(ii) or (B)(ii) of subsection (a)(1), not later than 30 days 
after the date on which the Secretary receives a written communica-
tion from the Chair or Ranking Member of either of the appropriate 
congressional committees requesting the text of any such imple-
menting agreements or arrangements, whether binding or non- 
binding, the Secretary shall submit such implementing agreements 
or arrangements to the Majority Leader of the Senate, the Minority 
Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the appro-
priate congressional committees. 
‘‘(d) Any department or agency of the United States Government 
that enters into any international agreement or qualifying non- 
binding instrument on behalf of itself or the United States shall— 
‘‘(1) provide to the Secretary the text of each international 
agreement not later than 15 days after the date on which 
such agreement is signed or otherwise concluded;
H. R. 7776—1085 
‘‘(2) provide to the Secretary the text of each qualifying 
non-binding instrument not later than 15 days after the date 
on which such instrument is concluded or otherwise becomes 
finalized; 
‘‘(3) provide to the Secretary a detailed description of the 
legal authority that provides authorization for each qualifying 
non-binding instrument to become operative not later than 
15 days after such instrument is signed or otherwise becomes 
finalized; and 
‘‘(4) on an ongoing basis, provide any implementing mate-
rial to the Secretary for transmittal to the Majority Leader 
of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the 
House of Representatives, and the appropriate congressional 
committees as needed to satisfy the requirements described 
in subsection (c). 
‘‘(e)(1) Each department or agency of the United States Govern-
ment that enters into any international agreement or qualifying 
non-binding instrument on behalf of itself or the United States 
shall designate a Chief International Agreements Officer, who 
shall— 
‘‘(A) be selected from among employees of such department 
or agency; 
‘‘(B) serve concurrently as the Chief International Agree-
ments Officer; and 
‘‘(C) subject to the authority of the head of such department 
or agency, have department- or agency-wide responsibility for 
efficient and appropriate compliance with this section. 
‘‘(2) There shall be a Chief International Agreements Officer 
who serves at the Department of State with the title of International 
Agreements Compliance Officer. 
‘‘(f) The substance of oral international agreements shall be 
reduced to writing for the purpose of meeting the requirements 
of subsections (a) and (b). 
‘‘(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an inter-
national agreement may not be signed or otherwise concluded on 
behalf of the United States without prior consultation with the 
Secretary. Such consultation may encompass a class of agreements 
rather than a particular agreement. 
‘‘(h)(1) Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment 
of this section, and not less frequently than once every 3 years 
thereafter during the 9-year period beginning on the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct an audit of the compliance of the Secretary 
with the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(2) In any instance in which a failure by the Secretary to 
comply with such requirements is determined by the Comptroller 
General to have been due to the failure or refusal of another 
agency to provide information or material to the Department of 
State, or the failure to do so in a timely manner, the Comptroller 
General shall engage such other agency to determine— 
‘‘(A) the cause and scope of such failure or refusal; 
‘‘(B) the specific office or offices responsible for such failure 
or refusal; and 
‘‘(C) recommendations for measures to ensure compliance 
with statutory requirements.
H. R. 7776—1086 
‘‘(3) The Comptroller General shall submit to the Majority 
Leader of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of 
the House of Representatives, and the appropriate congressional 
committees in writing the results of each audit required by para-
graph (1). 
‘‘(4) The Comptroller General and the Secretary shall make 
the results of each audit required by paragraph (1) publicly available 
on the websites of the Government Accountability Office and the 
Department of State, respectively. 
‘‘(i) The President shall, through the Secretary, promulgate 
such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out this 
section. 
‘‘(j) It is the sense of Congress that the executive branch should 
not prescribe or otherwise commit to or include specific legislative 
text in a treaty, executive agreement, or non-binding instrument 
unless Congress has authorized such action. 
‘‘(k) In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ 
means— 
‘‘(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; 
and 
‘‘(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘appropriate department or agency’ means 
the department or agency of the United States Government 
that negotiates and enters into a qualifying non-binding 
instrument on behalf of itself or the United States. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘intelligence community’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 3(4) of the National Security Act 
of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)). 
‘‘(4) The term ‘international agreement’ includes— 
‘‘(A) any treaty that requires the advice and consent 
of the Senate, pursuant to article II of the Constitution 
of the United States; and 
‘‘(B) any other international agreement to which the 
United States is a party and that is not subject to the 
advice and consent of the Senate. 
‘‘(5) The term ‘qualifying non-binding instrument’— 
‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), means 
a non-binding instrument that— 
‘‘(i) is or will be under negotiation, is signed or 
otherwise becomes operative, or is implemented with 
one or more foreign governments, international 
organizations, or foreign entities, including non-state 
actors; and 
‘‘(ii)(I) could reasonably be expected to have a 
significant impact on the foreign policy of the United 
States; or 
‘‘(II) is the subject of a written communication 
from the Chair or Ranking Member of either of the 
appropriate congressional committees to the Secretary; 
and 
‘‘(B) does not include any non-binding instrument that 
is signed or otherwise becomes operative or is implemented 
pursuant to the authorities relied upon by the Department
H. R. 7776—1087 
of Defense, the Armed Forces of the United States, or 
any element of the intelligence community. 
‘‘(6) The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of State. 
‘‘(7)(A) The term ‘text’ with respect to an international 
agreement or qualifying non-binding instrument includes— 
‘‘(i) any annex, appendix, codicil, side agreement, side 
letter, or any document of similar purpose or function 
to the aforementioned, regardless of the title of the docu-
ment, that is entered into contemporaneously and in 
conjunction with the international agreement or qualifying 
non-binding instrument; and 
‘‘(ii) any implementing agreement or arrangement, or 
any document of similar purpose or function to the afore-
mentioned regardless of the title of the document, that 
is entered into contemporaneously and in conjunction with 
the international agreement or qualifying non-binding 
instrument. 
‘‘(B) As used in subparagraph (A), the term ‘contempora-
neously and in conjunction with’— 
‘‘(i) shall be construed liberally; and 
‘‘(ii) may not be interpreted to require any action to 
have occurred simultaneously or on the same day. 
‘‘(l) Nothing in this section may be construed— 
‘‘(1) to authorize the withholding from disclosure to the 
public of any record if such disclosure is required by law; 
or 
‘‘(2) to require the provision of any implementing agreement 
or arrangement, or any document of similar purpose or function 
regardless of its title, which was entered into by the Depart-
ment of Defense, the Armed Forces of the United States, or 
any element of the intelligence community or any implementing 
material originating with the aforementioned agencies, if such 
implementing agreement, arrangement, document, or material 
was not required to be provided to the Majority Leader of 
the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the 
House of Representatives, or the appropriate congressional 
committees prior to the date of the enactment of the James 
M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2023.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the 
beginning of chapter 2 of title 1, United States Code, is amended 
by striking the item relating to section 112b and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘112b. United States international agreements and non-binding instruments; trans-
parency provisions.’’. 
(3) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO 
AUTHORITIES OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE.—Section 317(h)(2) 
of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 195c(h)(2)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘Section 112b(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘Section 
112b(g)’’. 
(4) MECHANISM FOR REPORTING.—Not later than 270 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of State shall establish a mechanism for personnel of the 
Department of State who become aware or who have reason 
to believe that the requirements under section 112b of title 
1, United States Code, as amended by paragraph (1), have