Coastal Fellowships Act
Bill: S.3351 | Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. (D-DE)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Coastal Fellowships Act
This bill provides statutory authority for the Coastal Management Fellowship and Digital Coast Fellowship of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The bill also provides direct hire authority for fellows who complete the fellowships to facilitate their transition into the federal workforce.

To establish the Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast 
                  Fellowship, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coastal Fellowships Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal State''--
                    (A) means a State of the United States in, or 
                bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, 
                the Gulf of Mexico, the Long Island Sound, or one or 
                more of the Great Lakes; and
                    (B) includes Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
                Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands, and American Samoa.
            (2) Fellow.--The term ``fellow'' means an individual 
        awarded a fellowship under section 5.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COASTAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP.

    (a) In General.--There is established a fellowship program, to be 
known as the ``Coastal Management Fellowship''.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Coastal Management Fellowship 
are--
            (1) to provide on-the-job training, professional mentoring, 
        and educational opportunities in coastal management and policy 
        to qualified individuals as described in section 5;
            (2) to direct essential workforce assistance to coastal 
        States to support coastal management efforts, including 
        building local-level capacity to adapt to coastal 
        vulnerabilities; and
            (3) to encourage the next generation of coastal 
        professionals to engage in public service work to help the 
        United States better manage coastal resources and protect 
        coastal communities.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF DIGITAL COAST FELLOWSHIP.

    (a) In General.--There is established a fellowship program, to be 
known as the ``Digital Coast Fellowship''.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Digital Coast Fellowship are--
            (1) to provide on-the-job training, professional mentoring, 
        and educational opportunities in coastal management and policy 
        to qualified individuals as described in section 5;
            (2) to provide assistance to coastal States and partner 
        organizations to help advance the goals of the Digital Coast 
        program established under section 4 of the Digital Coast Act 
        (16 U.S.C. 1467); and
            (3) to encourage the next generation of coastal 
        professionals to engage in public service work to help the 
        United States better manage coastal resources and protect 
        coastal communities.

SEC. 5. FELLOWSHIPS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall award fellowships under the 
Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship in 
accordance with this section.
    (b) Qualifications.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall award fellowships 
        under this section to individuals selected from among 
        individuals who--
                    (A) have successfully completed a covered degree or 
                will complete a covered degree before the start of the 
                fellowship; and
                    (B) have demonstrated--
                            (i) an interest in pursuing a career in 
                        coastal or marine--
                                    (I) science;
                                    (II) policy;
                                    (III) management; or
                                    (IV) law;
                            (ii) outstanding potential for such a 
                        career;
                            (iii) leadership potential or experience;
                            (iv) a commitment to or significant 
                        interest in public service;
                            (v) proficient skills in writing and oral 
                        communication; and
                            (vi) such other attributes as the Secretary 
                        determines appropriate.
            (2) Definition of covered degree.--In this subsection, the 
        term ``covered degree'' means a graduate degree from an 
        accredited United States institution, the curriculum for which 
        covers topics relevant to coastal management, as determined by 
        the Secretary.
    (c) Requirement of Geographic Balance.--The Secretary shall award 
fellowships under this section in a manner that is geographically 
balanced.
    (d) Term of Fellowship.--A fellowship awarded under this section 
shall be for a term of not more than 2 years.
    (e) Stipend.--
            (1) In general.--Each fellow shall receive an annual 
        stipend of not less than $47,000, which the Secretary shall 
        regularly review and periodically adjust, as determined 
        appropriate by the Secretary--
                    (A) to be commensurate with other similar 
                fellowships; and
                    (B) to account for changes in cost of living and 
                inflation.
            (2) Locality pay.--The Secretary shall include a pay 
        adjustment as part of the stipends described in paragraph (1) 
        that is comparable to the locality pay adjustment for the 
        locality pay area in which the host office of the fellow is 
        located, as determined under section 531.603 of title 5, Code 
        of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).
    (f) Status of Fellows.--Except as provided in subsection (h)(3), 
fellows shall not be considered to be Federal employees.
    (g) Direct Hire Authority.--
            (1) In general.--During fiscal year 2022 and any fiscal 
        year thereafter, the head of any Federal agency may appoint, 
        without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 
        of title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and 
        3328 of that title, a candidate who meets the qualifications 
        described in paragraph (2) directly to a position with the 
        Federal agency for which the candidate meets Office of 
        Personnel Management qualification standards.
            (2) Qualifications.--Paragraph (1) applies with respect to 
        a former fellow who has successfully fulfilled the requirements 
        of the fellowship.
            (3) Limitation.--The direct hire authority under paragraph 
        (1) shall be exercised with respect to a specific qualified 
        candidate not later than 2 years after the date on which the 
        candidate completed a fellowship awarded under this section.
    (h) Use of Funds.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
section 6 shall be used for--
            (1) the award of fellowships under this section, including 
        stipends paid to fellows and other relevant benefits offered to 
        fellows, including health insurance, as identified by the 
        Secretary;
            (2) administrative costs associated with the Coastal 
        Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship;
            (3) relocation and travel expenses paid to fellows, who 
        shall be considered to be Federal employees for purposes of 
        section 3375 of title 5, United States Code;
            (4) professional development opportunities for fellows, 
        including costs associated with trainings, certifications, 
        classes, or other opportunities to advance--
                    (A) the professional skills of each fellow; or
                    (B) the ability of each fellow to support the needs 
                of the host office; and
            (5) such other costs of the Coastal Management Fellowship 
        and the Digital Coast Fellowship as the Secretary may identify.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the 
uses described in section 5(h) $1,910,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 
through 2027.
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