by striking sections 205 through 210 and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 204A. NATIONAL CORAL REEF RESILIENCE STRATEGY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 
‘‘(1) develop a national coral reef resilience 
strategy; and 
‘‘(2) periodically, but not less frequently than 
every 15 years, review and revise the strategy. 
‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by subsection 
(a) shall include the following: 
‘‘(1) A discussion addressing— 
‘‘(A) continuing and emerging threats to the 
resilience of United States coral reef ecosystems; 
‘‘(B) remaining gaps in coral reef ecosystem 
research, monitoring, and assessment; 
‘‘(C) the status of management cooperation 
and integration among Federal, State, Tribal, 
and locally managed jurisdictions with coral reef 
equities; 
‘‘(D) the status of efforts to manage and 
disseminate critical information, and enhance 
interjurisdictional data sharing, related to re-
search, reports, datasets, and maps; 
‘‘(E) areas of special focus, which may in-
clude— 
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‘‘(i) improving natural coral recruit-
ment; 
‘‘(ii) preventing avoidable losses of cor-
als and their habitat; 
‘‘(iii) enhancing the resilience of coral 
populations; 
‘‘(iv) supporting a resilience-based 
management approach; 
‘‘(v) developing, coordinating, and im-
plementing watershed management plans; 
‘‘(vi) building and sustaining water-
shed management capacity at the local level; 
‘‘(vii) providing data essential for 
coral reef fisheries management; 
‘‘(viii) building capacity for coral reef 
fisheries management; 
‘‘(ix) increasing understanding of coral 
reef ecosystem services; 
‘‘(x) educating the public on the im-
portance of coral reefs, threats and solu-
tions; and 
‘‘(xi) evaluating intervention efficacy; 
‘‘(F) the status of conservation efforts, in-
cluding the use of marine protected areas to serve 
as replenishment zones developed consistent with 
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local practices and traditions and in cooperation 
with, and with respect for the scientific, tech-
nical, and management expertise and respon-
sibilities of, State fish and wildlife management 
agencies; and 
‘‘(G) science-based adaptive management 
and restoration efforts. 
‘‘(2) A statement of national goals and objectives 
designed to guide— 
‘‘(A) future Federal coral reef management 
and restoration activities authorized under sec-
tion 203; 
‘‘(B) conservation and restoration priorities 
for grants awarded under section 213; and 
‘‘(C) research priorities for the cooperative 
institutes established under section 215(c). 
‘‘(3) General templates for use by covered reef 
managers to guide the development of— 
‘‘(A) coral reef action plans under section 
205; and 
‘‘(B) coral reef emergency plans under sec-
tion 209. 
‘‘(c) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing all elements of 
the strategy required by subsection (a), the Administrator 
shall— 
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‘‘(1) consult with the Secretary of the Interior, 
the Task Force, covered States, and Tribal organiza-
tions; 
‘‘(2) engage stakeholders, including coral reef 
stewardship partnerships, coral reef institutes and re-
search centers described in section 215(c), and coral 
reef conservation grant awardees; and 
‘‘(3) solicit public review and comment regard-
ing scoping and the draft strategy. 
‘‘(d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS; PUBLICATION.—The 
Administrator shall— 
‘‘(1) submit the strategy required by subsection 
(a) and any revisions to the strategy to the appro-
priate congressional committees; and 
‘‘(2) publish the strategy and any such revisions 
on publicly available internet websites of— 
‘‘(A) the Coral Reef Conservation Program 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration; and 
‘‘(B) the Task Force. 
‘‘(e) TRANSITION RULE.—On and after the date of the 
enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021, the 
2018 Coral Reef Conservation Program Strategic Plan of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
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shall be considered to be the national coral reef resilience 
strategy in effect under this section until the earlier of— 
‘‘(1) September 30, 2033; or 
‘‘(2) the date on which the Administrator devel-
ops a national coral reef resilience strategy under this 
section. 
‘‘SEC. 205. CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS. 
‘‘(a) CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS.—Except as pro-
vided in subsection (h), not later than 3 years after the date 
of the enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 
2021, and not later than 2 years after the publication of 
a revised national coral reef resilience strategy under sec-
tion 204A, each covered reef manager shall prepare and sub-
mit to the Task Force a coral reef action plan to guide man-
agement and restoration activities to be undertaken within 
the responsibilities and jurisdiction of the manager. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A covered reef manager pre-
paring a coral reef action plan under subsection (a) shall— 
‘‘(1) ensure that the plan is consistent with all 
elements of the national coral reef resilience strategy 
in effect; and 
‘‘(2) revise the plan not less frequently than once 
every 5 years. 
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‘‘(c) PLAN ELEMENTS.—A coral reef action plan under 
subsection (a) shall include a discussion of the following ele-
ments: 
‘‘(1) Short- and mid-term coral reef conservation 
and restoration objectives within the applicable juris-
diction. 
‘‘(2) An updated adaptive management frame-
work to inform research, monitoring, and assessment 
needs. 
‘‘(3) The status of any coral reef emergency 
plans in effect under section 209 covering coral reef 
ecosystems within the applicable jurisdiction. 
‘‘(4) Tools, strategies, and partnerships necessary 
to identify, monitor, and redress the impacts of pollu-
tion, diminished water quality, temperature fluctua-
tions, acidification, overfishing, disease, and other 
disturbances to coral reef ecosystems within the appli-
cable jurisdiction. 
‘‘(5) The status of efforts to improve coral reef 
ecosystem management cooperation and integration 
among neighboring Federal, State, Tribal, or locally 
managed jurisdictions, including the identification of 
existing research and monitoring activities that can 
be leveraged for coral reef status and trends assess-
ments within the applicable jurisdiction. 
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‘‘(6) An accounting of annual expenditures on 
coral reef management and restoration activities 
within the applicable jurisdiction while the preceding 
action plan, if any, was in effect. 
‘‘(7) Estimated budgetary and resource consider-
ations necessary to carry out the proposed action 
plan. 
‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 
and the Task Force shall make all reasonable efforts to pro-
vide technical assistance upon request by a covered reef 
manager developing a coral reef action plan under sub-
section (a). 
‘‘(e) ADOPTION OF CORAL REEF ACTION PLANS.—A 
covered reef manager may adopt a coral reef action plan 
developed by another covered reef manager, in full or in 
part, as relevant to the adopting manager’s applicable ju-
risdiction. 
‘‘(f) PUBLIC REVIEW.—The development of a coral reef 
action plan by a covered reef manager under subsection (a), 
and the adoption of a plan under subsection (e), shall be 
subject to public review and comment. 
‘‘(g) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator shall publish 
each coral reef action plan prepared and submitted to the 
Task Force under this section on publicly available internet 
websites of— 
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‘‘(1) the Coral Reef Conservation Program of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 
and 
‘‘(2) the Task Force. 
‘‘(h) APPLICABILITY TO COVERED STATES AND CORAL 
REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS.—A covered State or 
non-Federal coral reef stewardship partnership is not re-
quired to develop a coral reef action plan under subsection 
(a), but may do so in its own discretion. In developing a 
coral reef action plan, a covered State or non-Federal coral 
reef stewardship partnership is encouraged, but not man-
dated, to comply with the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(i) PLAN IN EFFECT.—A coral reef action plan shall 
be deemed to be in effect if the plan was submitted to the 
Task Force under this section during the preceding 6 years. 
‘‘SEC. 206. CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS. 
‘‘(a) CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP PARTNERSHIPS.— 
The Administrator shall establish standards for the identi-
fication of coral reefs and the formation of partnerships 
among government and community members for the stew-
ardship of coral reefs (in this title referred to as ‘coral reef 
stewardship partnerships’) in accordance with this section, 
including guidance for preparation and submission of coral 
reef action plans under section 205 for review and approval 
by the Administrator. 
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‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION OF CORAL REEFS.—Each coral 
reef stewardship partnership shall identify with particu-
larity the coral reef or ecologically significant component 
of a coral reef that will be the subject of its stewardship 
activities. 
‘‘(c) MEMBERSHIP FOR FEDERAL CORAL REEFS.—A 
coral reef stewardship partnership that has identified, as 
the subject of its stewardship activities, a coral reef or eco-
logically significant component of a coral reef that is fully 
or partially under the management jurisdiction of any Fed-
eral agency specified in section 203(c) shall, at a minimum, 
include the following: 
‘‘(1) That Federal agency, a representative of 
which shall serve as chair of the coral reef steward-
ship partnership. 
‘‘(2) A State, county, or Tribal organization’s re-
source management agency. 
‘‘(3) A coral reef research center described in sec-
tion 215(c)(4) or another institution of higher edu-
cation. 
‘‘(4) A nongovernmental organization. 
‘‘(5) Such other members as the partnership con-
siders appropriate, such as interested stakeholder 
groups. 
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‘‘(d) 
MEMBERSHIP
FOR
NON-FEDERAL
CORAL 
REEFS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A coral reef stewardship 
partnership that has identified, as the subject of its 
stewardship activities, a coral reef or ecologically sig-
nificant component of a coral reef that is not under 
the management jurisdiction of any Federal agency 
specified in section 203(c) shall, at a minimum, in-
clude the following: 
‘‘(A) A State, county, or Tribal organiza-
tion’s resource management agency, a represent-
ative of which shall serve as the chair of the coral 
reef stewardship partnership. 
‘‘(B) A coral reef research center described 
in section 215(c)(4) or another institution of 
higher education. 
‘‘(C) A nongovernmental organization. 
‘‘(D) Such other members as the partner-
ship considers appropriate, such as interested 
stakeholder groups. 
‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), a coral reef stewardship partnership 
described in paragraph (1) may also include 
representatives of one or more Federal agencies 
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that have management responsibility in the coral 
reef that is the subject of the partnership’s stew-
ardship activities. 
‘‘(B) REQUESTS; APPROVAL.—A representa-
tive of a Federal agency described in subpara-
graph (A) may become a member of a coral reef 
stewardship partnership described in paragraph 
(1) if— 
‘‘(i) the representative submits a re-
quest to become a member to the chair of the 
partnership 
referred 
to 
in 
paragraph 
(1)(A); and 
‘‘(ii) the chair consents to the request. 
‘‘(e) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 
U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to coral reef stewardship part-
nerships. 
‘‘SEC. 207. BLOCK GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREE-
MENTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall provide 
block grants of financial assistance to covered States to sup-
port management and restoration activities and further the 
implementation of coral reef action plans in effect under 
section 205 by covered States and non-Federal coral reef 
stewardship partnerships. 
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‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY FOR ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A covered State shall qualify 
for and receive additional grant amounts beyond the 
base award specified in subsection (c)(1) if there is at 
least one coral reef action plan in effect within the ju-
risdiction of the covered State developed by that cov-
ered State or a non-Federal coral reef stewardship 
partnership. 
‘‘(2) WAIVER.—In any fiscal year before fiscal 
year 2025, the Administrator shall waive the require-
ment to qualify for and receive additional grant 
amounts described in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(c) FUNDING FORMULA.—The amount of each block 
grant awarded to a covered State under this section shall 
be the sum of— 
‘‘(1) a base award of $100,000; and 
‘‘(2) if the State is eligible under subsection 
(b)— 
‘‘(A) an amount that is equal to non-Fed-
eral expenditures of up to $3,000,000 on coral 
reef management and restoration activities with-
in the jurisdiction of the State during the pre-
vious fiscal year, and 
‘‘(B) an additional amount, from any funds 
appropriated for activities under this section 
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that remain after distribution under subpara-
graph (A), paragraph (1), and subsection 
(g)based on the proportion of the State’s share of 
total non-Federal expenditures on coral reef 
management and restoration activities, as re-
ported within the previous fiscal year, in excess 
of $3,000,000, relative to other covered States. 
‘‘(d) EXCLUSIONS.—For the purposes of calculating 
block grant amounts under subsection (c), Federal funds 
provided to a covered State or non-Federal coral reef stew-
ardship partnership shall not be considered as qualifying 
non-Federal expenditures, but non-Federal matching funds 
used to leverage Federal awards may be considered as quali-
fying non-Federal expenditures. 
‘‘(e) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.— 
The Administrator is responsible for— 
‘‘(1) providing guidance on qualifying non-Fed-
eral expenditures and the proper documentation of 
such expenditures; 
‘‘(2) issuing annual solicitations to covered 
States for additional awards under this section; and 
‘‘(3) determining the appropriate allocation of 
additional amounts among covered States in accord-
ance with this section. 
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‘‘(f) RESPONSIBILITIES OF COVERED STATES.—Each 
covered State is responsible for documenting non-Federal 
expenditures within the jurisdiction of the State and for-
mally reporting those expenditures for review in response 
to annual solicitations by the Administrator under sub-
section (e). 
‘‘(g) COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENTS.—The Adminis-
trator may enter into cooperative agreements with States 
to fund coral reef conservation and restoration activities in 
waters managed under the jurisdiction of such States that 
are consistent with the national coral reef resilience strategy 
in effect under section 204A. 
‘‘(h) UNEXPENDED AMOUNTS.—Any amounts avail-
able for activities under this section that are not expended 
shall be transferred to the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund 
under section 208(b). 
‘‘SEC. 208. CORAL REEF STEWARDSHIP FUND. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS.—The 
Administrator may enter into an agreement with the Na-
tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘Foundation’), authorizing the Foundation 
to receive, hold, and administer funds received under this 
section. 
‘‘(b) FUND.—The Foundation shall invest, reinvest, 
and otherwise administer the funds received under this sec-
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tion and maintain such funds and any interest or revenues 
earned in a separate interest-bearing account, to be known 
as the ‘Coral Reef Stewardship Fund’ (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘Fund’, and known before the date of the 
enactment of the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 as 
the Coral Reef Conservation Fund administered through a 
public-private partnership with the Foundation), estab-
lished by the Foundation solely to support coral reef stew-
ardship partnership activities that— 
‘‘(1) further the purposes of this title; and 
‘‘(2) are consistent with— 
‘‘(A) the national coral reef resilience strat-
egy in effect under section 204A; and 
‘‘(B) coral reef action plans in effect, if any, 
under section 205 covering a coral reef or eco-
logically significant component of a coral reef to 
be impacted by such activities, if applicable. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION TO SOLICIT DONATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to an agreement 
entered into under subsection (a), the Foundation 
may accept, receive, solicit, hold, administer, and use 
any gift (including, notwithstanding section 1342 of 
title 31, United States Code, donations of services) to 
further the purposes of this title. 
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‘‘(2) DEPOSITS IN FUND.—Notwithstanding sec-
tion 3302 of title 31, United States Code, any funds 
received as a gift shall be deposited and maintained 
in the Fund. 
‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 
30 days after funds are deposited in the Fund under 
paragraph (2), the Foundation shall notify the Com-
mittee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives of the source and amount of such funds. 
‘‘(d) REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE.—The Administrator 
shall conduct a continuing review of all deposits into, and 
disbursements from, the Fund. Each review shall include 
a written assessment concerning the extent to which the 
Foundation has implemented the goals and requirements 
of— 
‘‘(1) this section; and 
‘‘(2) the national coral reef resilience strategy in 
effect under section 204A. 
‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATION.—Under an agreement entered 
into pursuant to subsection (a), the Administrator may 
transfer funds appropriated to carry out this title to the 
Foundation. Amounts received by the Foundation under 
this subsection may be used for matching, in whole or in 
part, contributions (whether in money, services, or prop-
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erty) made to the Foundation by private persons, State or 
local government agencies, or Tribal organizations. 
‘‘SEC. 209. CORAL REEF EMERGENCY PLANS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A covered reef manager may de-
velop and periodically update a plan (in this title referred 
to as a ‘coral reef emergency plan’) consistent with the tem-
plate described in section 204A(b)(3) to guide the rapid and 
effective response to circumstances that pose an urgent and 
immediate threat to the coral reef ecosystems within the 
manager’s responsibilities and jurisdictions, and consistent 
with any applicable coral reef action plan. 
‘‘(b) CORAL REEF EMERGENCIES.—The Adminis-
trator shall develop a list of, and criteria for, circumstances 
that pose an urgent and immediate threat to coral reefs (in 
this title referred to as ‘coral reef emergencies’), including— 
‘‘(1) new and ongoing outbreaks of disease; 
‘‘(2) new and ongoing outbreaks of invasive or 
nuisance species; 
‘‘(3) new and ongoing coral bleaching events; 
‘‘(4) natural disasters; 
‘‘(5) 
man-made 
disasters, 
including 
vessel 
groundings, hazardous spills, or coastal construction 
accidents; and 
‘‘(6) other exigent circumstances. 
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‘‘(c) BEST RESPONSE PRACTICES.—The Adminis-
trator shall develop guidance on best practices to respond 
to coral reef emergencies that can be adopted within coral 
reef emergency plans. Such best practices shall be— 
‘‘(1) based on the best available science and inte-
grated with evolving innovative technologies; and 
‘‘(2) revised not less frequently than once every 
5 years. 
‘‘(d) PLAN ELEMENTS.—A coral reef emergency plan 
shall include the following elements: 
‘‘(1) A description of particular threats, and the 
proposed responses, consistent with the best practices 
developed under subsection (d). 
‘‘(2) A delineation of roles and responsibilities 
for executing the plan. 
‘‘(3) Evidence of engagement with interested 
stakeholder groups, as applicable, in the development 
of the plan. 
‘‘(4) Any other information the Administrator 
considers to be necessary for the plan. 
‘‘(e) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 
and the Task Force shall make all reasonable efforts to pro-
vide technical assistance upon request by a covered reef 
manager developing a coral reef emergency plan under sub-
section (a). 
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‘‘(f) 
ADOPTION
OF
CORAL
REEF
EMERGENCY 
PLANS.—A covered reef manager may adopt a coral reef 
emergency plan developed by another covered reef manager, 
in full or in part, as relevant to the adopting manager’s 
applicable jurisdiction. 
‘‘(g) PUBLIC REVIEW.—The development of a coral reef 
action plan by a covered reef manager under subsection (a), 
and the adoption of a plan under subsection (f), shall be 
subject to public review and comment. 
‘‘(h) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator shall publish 
each coral reef emergency plan prepared and submitted to 
the Task Force under this section on publicly available 
internet websites of— 
‘‘(1) the Coral Reef Conservation Program of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 
and 
‘‘(2) the Task Force. 
‘‘(i) PLAN IN EFFECT.—A coral reef emergency plan 
shall be deemed to be in effect if the plan was submitted 
to the Task Force under this section during the preceding 
6 years. 
‘‘SEC. 210. CORAL REEF EMERGENCY FUND. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—There is established 
in the Treasury an interest-bearing fund to be known as 
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the ‘Coral Reef Emergency Fund’, which shall consist of 
amounts deposited into the Fund under subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) USES.—Amounts in the Fund— 
‘‘(1) shall be available only for use by the Ad-
ministrator to compensate covered coral reef mangers 
to implement a coral reef emergency plan in effect 
under sections 210 and 212; and 
‘‘(2) shall remain available until expended. 
‘‘(c) DEPOSITS INTO THE FUND.—There shall be de-
posited into the Fund— 
‘‘(1) amounts appropriated for the Fund; and 
‘‘(2) other amounts appropriated to the Adminis-
trator for use with respect to coral reef emergencies. 
‘‘(d) ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of carrying out 
this title, the Administrator may accept, receive, so-
licit, hold, administer, and use any gift (including, 
notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United 
States Code, donations of services). 
‘‘(2) DEPOSITS IN FUND.—Notwithstanding sec-
tion 3302 of title 31, United States Code, any funds 
received as a gift shall be deposited and maintained 
in the Fund. 
‘‘SEC. 211. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 
‘‘(a) CORAL REEF EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS.— 
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‘‘(1) SUA SPONTE DECLARATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
may determine and declare a coral reef emer-
gency, including at the recommendation of the 
Secretary of the Interior. 
‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In declaring a coral 
reef emergency under subparagraph (A), the Ad-
ministrator shall— 
‘‘(i) certify that an emergency has oc-
curred that is ecologically significant and 
harmful to coral reefs; and 
‘‘(ii) submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees findings and analysis 
to justify the declaration. 
‘‘(2) PETITIONS.—If a covered State or non-Fed-
eral coral reef stewardship partnership believes that a 
coral reef emergency has occurred, and is impacting 
coral reefs or ecologically significant components of 
coral reefs subject to the responsibilities or jurisdic-
tion of the State or partnership, the State or partner-
ship may petition the Administrator for a declaration 
of a coral reef emergency. 
‘‘(3) EVALUATION AND ACTION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 
after receiving a petition under paragraph (2) 
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kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(except as provided in subparagraph (B)), the 
Administrator shall— 
‘‘(i) evaluate the petition to determine 
whether a coral reef emergency has occurred; 
and 
‘‘(ii) declare a coral reef emergency or 
deny the petition. 
‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—The Administrator may 
extend the deadline provided for under subpara-
graph (A) by not more than 15 days. 
‘‘(4) APPEAL.—If the Administrator denies a pe-
tition for an emergency declaration submitted under 
paragraph (2), the State or partnership that sub-
mitted the petition may, not later than 15 days after 
receiving notice of the denial, appeal the denial to the 
Administrator. Not later than 15 days after receiving 
an appeal under this paragraph, the Administrator 
shall grant or deny the appeal. 
‘‘(5) REVOCATION.—The Administrator may re-
voke any declaration of a coral reef emergency in 
whole or in part after determining that circumstances 
no longer require an emergency response. 
‘‘(6) RECOVERY OF EMERGENCY FUNDING.—The 
Administrator may seek compensation from negligent 
parties to recover emergency funds expended in excess 
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kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS