I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4787 
To direct the Secretary of Commerce to award competitive grants to institu-
tions of higher education to combat lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean and 
the Gulf of Mexico, through the Cooperative Science and Education 
Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 17, 2016 
Mr. CURBELO of Florida (for himself and Mr. CLAWSON of Florida) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Commerce to award competitive 
grants to institutions of higher education to combat 
lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, 
through the Cooperative Science and Education Program 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
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 ‘‘Finding Innovative 
Lionfish Elimination Technologies Act of 2016’’ or the 
‘‘FILET Act of 2016’’. 
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SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGH-
ER EDUCATION TO COMBAT LIONFISH IN THE 
ATLANTIC OCEAN AND THE GULF OF MEXICO. 
Public Law 86–686 (74 Stat. 733) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 2 as section 3; and 
(2) by inserting after the first section (16 
U.S.C. 753a) the following: 
‘‘COMPETITIVE
GRANTS
TO
INSTITUTIONS
OF
HIGHER 
EDUCATION TO COMBAT LIONFISH IN THE ATLANTIC 
OCEAN AND THE GULF OF MEXICO 
‘‘SEC. 2. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Com-
merce, through the Cooperative Science and Education 
Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration conducted under this Act, the Fish and Wild-
life Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.), and the De-
partments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, 
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (section 
101(b) of division A of Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat. 
2681–50), shall award competitive grants to institutions 
of higher education to combat the species of lionfish 
Pterois miles and Pterois volitans, in the Atlantic Ocean 
and the Gulf of Mexico. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant under 
this section, an institution must— 
‘‘(1) have established research infrastructure 
and proven capabilities of understanding the behav-
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ior of such species and the ecosystem of the Atlantic 
Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico; and 
‘‘(2) demonstrate a clear appreciation and un-
derstanding of the biological, chemical, and physical 
aspects of such ecosystem. 
‘‘(c) USE.—Amounts awarded as grants under this 
section shall be used— 
‘‘(1) for lionfish research and the impact of 
such species on the ecosystem of the of the Atlantic 
Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico; 
‘‘(2) to develop innovative technologies, includ-
ing autonomous cameras and active acoustic systems 
appropriate for coastal environments, for detection 
of lionfish and determination of priority areas for re-
moval of invasive species; and 
‘‘(3) to develop lionfish mitigation technologies, 
including traps and countermeasures. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for 
grants under this section $1,500,000 for fiscal years 2017 
through 2021.’’. 
Æ 
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