Title: Chesapeake Bay Oyster Research Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Chesapeake Bay Oyster Research Act
This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants to certain entities, including the academic community and seafood industry, to conduct research on the conservation, restoration, or management of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
Grant awards may not exceed 85% of the research project's total cost unless NOAA waives such requirement.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5366 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5366

     To require the Secretary of the Commerce, acting through the 
 Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
to provide grants supporting research on the conservation, restoration, 
            or management of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 9, 2019

  Mr. Brown of Maryland (for himself, Mr. Sarbanes, and Mr. Scott of 
  Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To require the Secretary of the Commerce, acting through the 
 Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
to provide grants supporting research on the conservation, restoration, 
            or management of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.

    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 ``Chesapeake Bay Oyster Research 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Chesapeake Bay Office of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall be the primary 
representative of the Administration in the Chesapeake Bay.

SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR RESEARCHING OYSTERS IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Commerce, acting through 
the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, shall establish a grant program (in this section 
referred to as the ``Program'') under which the Secretary shall award 
grants to eligible entities for the purpose of conducting research on 
the conservation, restoration, or management of oysters in the 
Chesapeake Bay.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    (c) Allocation of Grant Funds.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall award a grant under 
        the Program to eligible entities that submit an application 
        under subsection (b).
            (2) Matching requirement.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), the total amount of Federal funding received under 
                the Program by an eligible entity may not exceed 85 
                percent of the total cost of the research project for 
                which the funding was awarded. For the purposes of this 
                subparagraph, the non-Federal share of project costs 
                may be provided by in-kind contributions and other 
                noncash support.
                    (B) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive all or part of 
                the requirement in subparagraph (A) if the Secretary 
                determines that no reasonable means are available 
                through which an eligible entity applying for a grant 
                under this section can meet such requirement and the 
                probable benefit of such research project outweighs the 
                public interest in such requirement.
    (d) Definitions.--In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Academic community.--The term ``academic community'' 
        means faculty, researchers, professors, and representatives of 
        State-accredited colleges and universities.
            (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        member of the academic community, the seafood industry, a 
        relevant nonprofit organization, or a relevant State agency, 
        that is proposing or conducting a research project on the 
        conservation, restoration, or management of oysters in the 
        Chesapeake Bay developed through consultation with a member of 
        the academic community, a member of the seafood industry, a 
        relevant nonprofit organization, or a relevant State agency.
            (3) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
        organization'' means an organization described in section 
        501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from 
        tax under section 501(a) of such Code.
            (4) Seafood industry.--The term ``seafood industry'' means 
        shellfish growers, shellfish harvesters, commercial fishermen, 
        and recreational fishermen.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the 
        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2020 through 2025 to carry out this section.
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