term in section 202(a) of title 18, United States 
Code, and subject to the ethical standards therein. 
(d) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 
(1) REPORTING.—The Science Advisory Board 
shall report to the Administrator and the appro-
priate requesting party. 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Adminis-
trator shall provide administrative support to the 
Science Advisory Board. 
(3) MEETINGS.—The Science Advisory Board 
shall meet at least twice each year, and at other 
times at the call of the Administrator or the Chair-
person. 
(4) COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES.—A mem-
ber of the Science Advisory Board shall not be com-
pensated for service on such board, but may be al-
lowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, in accordance with subchapter I of 
chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code. 
(5) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Science Advisory 
Board may establish such subcommittees of its 
members as may be necessary. The Science Advisory 
Board may establish task forces and working groups 
consisting of Board members and outside experts as 
may be necessary. 
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(e) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Advisory Com-
mittee Act (5 App. U.S.C.) shall not apply to the 
Science Advisory Board. 
(2) COMPLIANCE.—Notwithstanding paragraph 
(1), the Science Advisory Board shall be appointed 
and operate in a manner consistent with all provi-
sions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act with 
respect to— 
(A) the balance of its membership; 
(B) provision of public notice regarding its 
activities; 
(C) open meetings; and 
(D) public access to documents created by 
Science Advisory Board. 
SEC. 209. REPORTS. 
(a) REPORT ON STATUS OF OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS 
AND RESOURCES.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall develop a baseline report on the status and 
condition of the ocean ecosystems and resources 
under United States jurisdiction. Once every 3 years 
thereafter, there shall be updates to the report. In 
preparing the report, the Administrator shall consult 
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with the heads of other departments and agencies as 
appropriate. The plan shall include— 
(A) a description of the related activities of 
the Administration to perform its functions 
under section 201(c) during the period covered 
by the report; 
(B) an assessment of the status and condi-
tion of the health of ecosystems in United 
States coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes waters; 
(C) an analysis of past, current, and pro-
jected trends in the quality, management, and 
utilization of United States coastal, ocean, and 
Great Lakes waters and the effects of those 
trends on the economic, social, educational, eco-
logical, and other needs of the United States; 
(D) a review of the programs and covered 
actions (including regulatory activities) of the 
Federal Government, State and local govern-
ments, and nongovernmental entities or individ-
uals with particular reference to their effect on 
coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes waters and on 
the conservation, development, and utilization 
of coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes resources; 
(E) an analysis of whether the programs 
and activities (including regulatory activities) of 
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the Administration fully implemented the na-
tional oceans policy under section 3 during the 
period covered by the report; and 
(F) a program for remedying the defi-
ciencies of existing programs and activities, in-
cluding recommendations for legislation and 
funding priorities. 
(2) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—The Admin-
istrator shall transmit to the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
and the Committee on Resources of the House of 
Representatives the report, and subsequent reports, 
as outlined in paragraph (1) upon completion. 
(b) REPORT
ON DATA MANAGEMENT, ARCHIVAL, 
AND DISTRIBUTION.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and once every 5 
years thereafter, the Administrator shall do the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Enter into an arrangement with the 
National Academy of Sciences to review the en-
vironmental data and information systems of 
the Administration and to provide recommenda-
tions to address any inadequacies identified by 
the review. The review shall assess the ade-
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quacy of the environmental data and informa-
tion systems of the Administration to— 
(i) provide adequate capacity to man-
age, archive and disseminate environmental 
information collected and processed, or ex-
pected to be collected and processed, by 
the Administration, including data gath-
ered by other agencies that is processed or 
stored by the Administration; 
(ii) establish, develop, and maintain 
information bases, including necessary 
management systems, which will provide 
for consistent, efficient, and compatible 
transfer and use of data; 
(iii) develop effective interfaces among 
the environmental data and information 
systems of the Administration and other 
appropriate departments and agencies; 
(iv) develop and use nationally accept-
ed formats and standards for data col-
lected by various national and international 
sources; 
(v) integrate and interpret data from 
different sources to produce information 
that can be used by decision-makers in de-
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veloping policies that effectively respond to 
national and global environmental con-
cerns; and 
(vi) reanalyze and reprocess the 
archived data as better science is developed 
to integrate diverse data sources. 
(B) Develop a strategic plan, with respect 
to the environmental data and information sys-
tems of the Administration, to— 
(i) respond to each of the rec-
ommendations in the review conducted 
under subparagraph (A); 
(ii) set forth modernization and im-
provement objectives for an integrated na-
tional environmental data access and ar-
chive system for the 10-year period begin-
ning with the year in which the plan is 
transmitted, including facility requirements 
and critical new technology components 
that would be necessary to meet the objec-
tives set forth; 
(iii) propose specific Administration 
programs and activities for implementing 
the plan; 
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(iv) identify the data and information 
management, reanalysis, reprocessing, ar-
chival, and distribution responsibilities of 
the Administration with respect to other 
Federal departments and agencies and 
international organizations; and 
(v) provide an implementation sched-
ule and estimate funding levels necessary 
to achieve modernization and improvement 
objectives. 
(2) TRANSMITTAL
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later 
than 18 months after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate and the Committee on Science of the 
House of Representatives the initial review and stra-
tegic plan developed under paragraph (1). Subse-
quent reviews and strategic plans developed under 
paragraph (1) shall also be transmitted to those 
committees upon completion. 
(c) STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and once every 5 
years thereafter, the Administrator shall develop a 
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strategic plan for research and development at the 
Administration. The plan shall include— 
(A) an assessment of the science and tech-
nology needs of the Administration based on 
the Administration’s operational requirements 
and on input provided by external stakeholders 
at the national, regional, State, and local levels; 
and 
(B) a strategic plan that assigns specific 
programs within the administration the respon-
sibility to meet each need identified under sub-
paragraph (A) and that describes the extent to 
which each need identified in subparagraph (A) 
will be addressed through— 
(i) intramural research; 
(ii) extramural, peer-reviewed, com-
petitive grant programs; and 
(iii) work done in cooperation with 
other Federal agencies. 
(2) NATIONAL
ACADEMY
OF
SCIENCES
RE-
VIEW.—The Administrator shall enter into an ar-
rangement with the National Academy of Sciences 
for a review of the plan developed under paragraph 
(1). 
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(3) TRANSMITTAL
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later 
than 18 months after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate and the Committee on Science of the 
House of Representatives the initial strategic plan 
developed under paragraph (1) and the review pre-
pared pursuant to paragraph (2). Subsequent stra-
tegic plans developed under paragraph (1) shall also 
be transmitted to those committees upon completion. 
(d) OTHER REPORTS.— 
(1) The Administrator shall submit to Congress 
other reports and written notifications as explicitly 
described elsewhere in this Act. 
(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to 
waive any other reporting required of the Adminis-
trator prior to enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 210. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. 
Not less than once every 5 years, the Secretary shall 
develop and submit to Congress a policy that defines proc-
esses for making decisions about the roles of the Adminis-
tration, the private sector, and the academic community 
in providing environmental information, products, tech-
nologies, and services. The first such submission shall be 
completed not less than 3 years after the date of enact-
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ment of this Act. At least 90 days before each submission 
of the policy to Congress, the Secretary shall publish the 
policy in the Federal Register for a public comment period 
of not less than 60 days. Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to require changes in the policy in effect on the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 211. REORGANIZATION PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall develop 
a reorganization plan for the Administration as described 
in this section, and in accordance with section 101. In de-
veloping the plan, the Administrator shall consult with in-
terested parties, including the States, academia, industry, 
conservation organizations, and Administration employees. 
(b) CONTENT.—The plan, to the greatest extent prac-
ticable, shall— 
(1) consider aspects of the administration, such 
as— 
(A) leadership positions and roles; 
(B) program offices and duties; 
(C) 
regional 
and 
ecosystem-wide 
ap-
proaches to management; 
(D) coordination with outside entities, both 
nationally and internationally; and 
(E) needs to expand or downsize employees 
and/or facilities. 
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ccoleman on PRODPC75 with BILLS
(2) consistent with section 201 and the other 
provisions of this Act, maximize the efficiency with 
which the Administration carries out and assures the 
effectiveness of the functions of— 
(A) operations and services; 
(B) research and education; and 
(C) resource management; 
(3) improve the sharing of research and other 
information that is of use across programmatic 
themes; and 
(4) eliminate duplication of effort or overlap-
ping efforts among offices. 
(c) SCHEDULE.— 
(1) Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall de-
velop the plan and shall publish the plan in the Fed-
eral Register. 
(2) The Federal Register notice shall solicit 
comments for a period of 60 days. 
(3) Not later than 120 days after the expiration 
date of the comment period described in paragraph 
(2), the Administrator shall complete a revised 
version of the plan that takes into account the com-
ments received. 
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(4) Upon completing the revision, along with an 
explanation of how the administrator addressed each 
issue raised by the public comments received, the ad-
ministrator shall— 
(A) transmit the revised plan and expla-
nation to the National Oceans Advisor, estab-
lished in section 301 for review; 
(B) transmit the revised plan and expla-
nation to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate and the Com-
mittees on Science and on Resources of the 
House of Representatives for review; and 
(C) publish the revised plan and expla-
nation in the Federal Register. 
(d) IMPLEMENTATION.—If no objections are received 
from the National Oceans Advisor or Congress within 90 
days of transmittal of the revised plan, the Administrator 
shall implement the such plan. 
(e) REPORTING.— 
(1) ADMINISTRATION
INTERNAL
REVIEW.— 
Once every 3 years after implementation of the reor-
ganization plan, the Administrator shall transmit a 
report to Congress assessing the effectiveness and 
efficiency of the Administration in carrying out its 
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functions and fulfilling its mission, as set forth in 
sections 201(b) and 201(c), respectively; 
(2) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE-
VIEW.—Not later than 5 years after the Administra-
tion implements the reorganization plan, and every 
5 years thereafter, the Government Accountability 
Office shall conduct an independent review of the ef-
fectiveness and efficiency of the Administration in 
carrying out its functions and fulfilling its mission, 
as set forth in sections 201(b) and 201(c), respec-
tively. Upon completing the review, the Government 
Accountability Office shall transmit a report to Con-
gress with its findings. 
SEC. 212. FACILITY EVALUATION PROCESS. 
(a) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘facility’’ means a laboratory, op-
erations office, administrative service center, or 
other establishment of the Administration; and 
(2) the term ‘‘field office’’ has the same mean-
ing given that term in section 702 of the Weather 
Service Modernization Act. 
(b) PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT PROC-
ESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall not 
close, consolidate, relocate, subdivide, or establish a 
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facility of the Administration, unless and until the 
Administrator has followed the procedures required 
by this section. 
(2) REVIEW
PROCESS.—The Administrator 
shall not close, consolidate, relocate, subdivide, or es-
tablish a facility of the Administration with an an-
nual operating budget of $5,000,000 or greater, or 
a National Weather Service field office, unless and 
until— 
(A) the Administrator has published in the 
Federal Register the proposed action and a de-
scription of the offices, personnel, and activities 
of the Administration that would be affected by 
the proposed change, and has provided for a 
minimum of 60 days for public comment; 
(B) if the proposed change involves a 
science facility of the Administration, the 
Science Advisory Board has reviewed the pro-
posed change and provided to the Administrator 
written findings regarding the proposed change; 
(C) if the proposed change involves a Na-
tional Weather Service field office, the Adminis-
trator has prepared a report including— 
(i) a description of local weather char-
acteristics and weather-related concerns 
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which affect the weather services provided 
within the service area; 
(ii) a detailed comparison of the serv-
ices provided within the service area and 
the services to be provided after the pro-
posed change; 
(iii) a description of any recent or ex-
pected modernization of National Weather 
Service operations which will enhance serv-
ices in the service area; 
(iv) an identification of any area with-
in any State which would not receive cov-
erage (at an elevation of 10,000 feet) due 
to the proposed change; and 
(v) evidence, based on operational 
demonstration of National Weather Service 
operations, which was considered in reach-
ing the conclusion that no degradation in 
service will result from the proposed 
change; 
(D) the Administrator has prepared an 
analysis of the anticipated costs and savings as-
sociated with the proposed facility change, in-
cluding both costs and savings in the first fiscal 
year following the change, and changes in oper-
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ccoleman on PRODPC75 with BILLS
ations and maintenance costs and savings over 
a ten-year period; and 
(E) the Administrator has prepared an 
analysis of the effects of the facility change on 
operations and research of the Administration, 
and the potential impacts on cooperative insti-
tutes, other external Administration partner-
ships, partnerships with other Federal agencies, 
and any State and local partnerships. 
(3) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.— 
(A) The Administrator shall provide to 
Congress, at least 90 days before any closure, 
consolidation, relocation, subdivision, or estab-
lishment of a facility of the Administration with 
an annual budget of $5,000,000 or greater, or 
any National Weather Service field office, a 
summary of the public comments received pur-
suant to paragraph (2)(A), any written findings 
prepared under paragraph (2)(B), any report 
prepared under paragraph (2)(C), and the anal-
yses prepared under paragraph (2)(D) and (E). 
(B) The Administrator shall provide to 
Congress, at least 90 days before any closure, 
consolidation, relocation, subdivision, or estab-
lishment of a facility of the Administration not 
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described in subparagraph (A), written notifica-
tion of the planned closure, consolidation, relo-
cation, subdivision, or establishment. 
(c) NATIONAL
WEATHER
SERVICE
MODERNIZA-
TION.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter the 
Weather Service Modernization Act (15 U.S.C. 313 note). 
SEC. 213. ADMINISTRATION BUDGET. 
(a) EXAMINATION.—When the Administrator sub-
mits the annual budget request for the Administration and 
its programs to the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget, examination shall take place within natural 
resource programs. 
(b) REPROGRAMMING.—Whenever the Administrator 
transmits a budget reprogramming request to the Appro-
priations Committees of the House of Representatives and 
the Senate, the Administrator shall simultaneously submit 
a copy of the request to the Committee on Science and 
the Committee on Resources of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate. 
SEC. 214. BASELINES AND COST CONTROLS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this sec-
tion— 
(1) the term ‘‘development’’ means the phase of 
a program following the formulation phase and be-
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ginning with the approval to proceed to implementa-
tion; 
(2) the term ‘‘development cost’’ means the 
total of all costs, including construction of facilities 
and civil servant costs, from the period beginning 
with the approval to proceed to implementation 
through the achievement of operational readiness, 
without regard to funding source or management 
control, for the life of the program; 
(3) the term ‘‘life-cycle cost’’ means the total of 
the direct, indirect, recurring, and nonrecurring 
costs, including the construction of facilities and civil 
servant costs, and other related expenses incurred or 
estimated to be incurred in the design, development, 
verification, production, operation, maintenance, 
support, and retirement of a program over its 
planned lifespan, without regard to funding source 
or management control; and 
(4) the term ‘‘major program’’ means an activ-
ity approved to proceed to implementation that has 
an 
estimated 
life-cycle 
cost 
of 
more 
than 
$250,000,000. 
(b) CONDITIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administration shall 
not enter into a contract for the development of a 
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