I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2748 
To reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Act to promote international 
action to reduce marine debris, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2017 
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska (for himself, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. 
BEYER, Mr. CRIST, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. CURBELO of Florida, Mrs. 
RADEWAGEN, Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto Rico, Mr. MAST, Mr. 
HUFFMAN, and Mr. LOBIONDO) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 
addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Act to promote 
international action to reduce marine debris, and for 
other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Save Our Seas Act 
of 2017’’ or the ‘‘SOS Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM. 
Subsection (b) of section 3 of the Marine Debris Act 
(33 U.S.C. 1952(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) work with other Federal agencies to de-
velop outreach and education strategies to address 
both land- and sea-based sources of marine debris; 
and 
‘‘(7) work with the Department of State and 
other Federal agencies to promote international ac-
tion to reduce the incidence of marine debris.’’. 
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENTS. 
Section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) ASSISTANCE
FOR SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS 
EVENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—At the discretion of the Ad-
ministrator or at the request of the Governor of an 
affected State, the Administrator shall determine 
whether there is a severe marine debris event. 
‘‘(2) ASSISTANCE.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Administrator 
makes a determination under paragraph (1) 
that there is a severe marine debris event, the 
Administrator is authorized to make sums 
available to be used by the affected State or by 
the Administrator in cooperation with the af-
fected State— 
‘‘(i) to assist in the cleanup and re-
sponse required by the severe marine de-
bris event; or 
‘‘(ii) such other activity as the Admin-
istrator determines is appropriate in re-
sponse to the severe marine debris event. 
‘‘(B) PRIORITY ASSISTANCE.—In providing 
assistance under this paragraph, the Adminis-
trator shall prioritize assistance for activities to 
respond to a severe marine debris event— 
‘‘(i) in a rural or remote community; 
or 
‘‘(ii) in a habitat of national concern. 
‘‘(3) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(A) 
FEDERAL
SHARE.—The 
Federal 
share of the cost of an activity carried out 
under the authority of this subsection shall 
be— 
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‘‘(i) if the activity is funded wholly by 
funds made available by an entity, includ-
ing the government of a foreign country, to 
the Federal Government for the purpose of 
responding to a severe marine debris event, 
100 percent of the cost of the activity; or 
‘‘(ii) for any activity other than an ac-
tivity funded as described in clause (i), 75 
percent of the cost of the activity. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EX-
PENSES.—In the case of an activity funded as 
described in subparagraph (A)(i), not more 
than 5 percent of the funds made available for 
the activity may be used by the Administrator 
for administrative expenses.’’. 
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INTERNATIONAL ENGAGE-
MENT TO RESPOND TO MARINE DEBRIS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the President 
should— 
(1) support Federal funding for research and 
development of bio-based and other alternatives or 
environmentally feasible improvements to materials 
that reduce municipal solid waste and its con-
sequences in the ocean; 
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(2) work with representatives of foreign coun-
tries that contribute the most to the global marine 
debris problem to learn about, and find solutions to, 
the contributions of such countries to marine debris 
in the world’s oceans; 
(3) carry out studies to determine— 
(A) the primary means by which solid 
waste enters the oceans; 
(B) the manner in which waste manage-
ment infrastructure can be most effective in 
preventing debris from reaching the oceans; 
(C) the long-term economic impacts of ma-
rine debris on the national economies of each 
country set out in paragraph (1) and on the 
global economy; and 
(D) the economic benefits of decreasing the 
amount of marine debris in the oceans; 
(4) work with representatives of foreign coun-
tries that contribute the most to the global marine 
debris problem, including land-based sources, to con-
clude one or more new international agreements that 
include provisions— 
(A) to mitigate the risk of land-based ma-
rine debris contributed by such countries reach-
ing an ocean; and 
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(B) to increase technical assistance and in-
vestment in waste management infrastructure, 
if the President determines appropriate; and 
(5) encourage the United States Trade Rep-
resentative to consider the impact of marine debris 
in relevant future trade agreements. 
SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP OF THE INTERAGENCY MARINE DE-
BRIS COORDINATING COMMITTEE. 
Section 5(b) of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 
1954(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 
inserting a semicolon; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as para-
graph (7); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(5) the Department of State; 
‘‘(6) the Department of the Interior; and’’. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 9 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1958) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated for each fis-
cal year 2018 through 2022— 
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‘‘(1) to the Administrator for carrying out sec-
tions 3, 5, and 6, $10,000,000, of which no more 
than 10 percent may be for administrative costs; 
and 
‘‘(2) to the Secretary of the Department in 
which the Coast Guard is operating, for the use of 
the Commandant of the Coast Guard in carrying out 
section 4, $2,000,000, of which no more than 10 
percent may be used for administrative costs.’’. 
Æ 
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