I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 347 
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea Turtle Rescue 
Assistance Grant Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 13, 2025 
Mr. KEATING introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea 
Turtle Rescue Assistance Grant Program. 
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 ‘‘Sea Turtle Rescue As-
sistance and Rehabilitation Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. SEA TURTLE RESCUE, REHABILITATION, AND RE-
SPONSE. 
Section 408 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1421f–1) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(10) SEA TURTLE RESCUE, REHABILITATION, 
AND RESPONSE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations specific to address sea 
turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and response, the 
Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service shall 
include separate eligibility for grants under this 
subsection to address the purposes described in 
paragraph (2) with respect to sea turtles. 
‘‘(B) CONDITIONS
OF
GRANT.—A grant 
awarded under this subsection to address sea 
turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and response 
shall— 
‘‘(i) include the equivalent grant cri-
teria and administration authorities and 
requirements described under paragraph 
(3), subparagraphs (A) and (B) of para-
graph (4), and paragraphs (5) through (9), 
developed, as appropriate, and awarded 
separately for sea turtles and in consulta-
tion with the United States Fish and Wild-
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life Service in lieu of the Marine Mammal 
Commission; and 
‘‘(ii) in addition to the considerations 
under paragraph (4)(B), also consider re-
habilitation of stranded sea turtles. 
‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.—In order to 
apply for a grant awarded under this subsection 
to address sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and 
response, an entity shall— 
‘‘(i) submit an application described 
in paragraph (5) to the Secretary of Com-
merce with respect to sea turtles; 
‘‘(ii) be authorized by and in compli-
ance with— 
‘‘(I) 
an 
authorization 
issued 
under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the En-
dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1539(a)(1)(A)) with respect to 
sea turtles; or 
‘‘(II) a cooperative agreement en-
tered into under section 6 of the En-
dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1535) with respect to sea tur-
tles; 
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‘‘(iii) comply with the standard condi-
tions for care and maintenance of captive 
sea turtles prescribed by the Secretary of 
the Interior when relevant facilities will be 
utilized for such purposes; and 
‘‘(iv) comply with all relevant data re-
porting requirements, such as the Sea Tur-
tle Stranding and Salvage Network data 
collection requirements. 
‘‘(D) SUNSET.—The authority of the Sec-
retary of Commerce and the Director of the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service to 
carry out this paragraph shall terminate on the 
date that is 7 years after the date of the enact-
ment of this paragraph.’’; 
(2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(c) RESCUE AND RAPID RESPONSE FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 
Treasury of the United States— 
‘‘(A) an interest-bearing fund to known as 
the ‘Joseph R. Geraci Marine Mammal Rescue 
and Rapid Response Fund’; and 
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‘‘(B) an interest-bearing fund to be known 
as the ‘Sea Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation, and 
Rapid Response Fund’. 
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts in the funds 
established under paragraph (1) shall be available 
only for use by the Secretary to provide emergency 
assistance.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d)(1)(A), by inserting ‘‘ma-
rine mammal rescue and response’’ after ‘‘to carry 
out the’’. 
Æ 
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