Title: Regional Ocean Partnership Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Regional Ocean Partnership Act
This bill provides a mechanism for coastal states to participate in a Regional Ocean Partnership with one or more other coastal states that share a common ocean or coastal area.
Specifically, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may designate a partnership as a Regional Ocean Partnership if it (1) is established to coordinate the management of coastal resources, (2) focuses on the environmental issues affecting the ocean and coastal areas of the coastal states participating in the partnership, (3) does not have a regulatory function, and (4) is not duplicative of an existing Regional Ocean Partnership.
A Regional Ocean Partnership may use provided federal funds to award grants and enter into contracts for certain purposes, including to monitor the water quality and living resources of multistate ocean and coastal ecosystems.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2166 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2166

 To designate Regional Ocean Partnerships of the National Oceanic and 
          Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 18, 2019

 Mr. Wicker (for himself, Mr. Jones, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Collins, and Ms. 
   Cantwell) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To designate Regional Ocean Partnerships of the National Oceanic and 
          Atmospheric Administration, 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 ``Regional Ocean Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The ocean and coastal waters of the United States are 
        foundational to the economy, security, global competitiveness, 
        and well-being of the United States and continuously serve the 
        people of the United States and other countries as an important 
        source of food, energy, economic productivity, recreation, 
        beauty, and enjoyment.
            (2) Over many years, the resource productivity and water 
        quality of the ocean and coastal areas of the United States 
        have been diminished by pollution, increasing population 
        demands, economic development, and natural and man-made hazard 
        events, both acute and chronic.
            (3) Ocean and coastal areas of the United States are 
        managed by State and Federal resource agencies and regulated by 
        various overlapping authorities, thereby creating a significant 
        need for coordination to enhance the ecological and economic 
        health of those areas.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should seek to attain coordination of the efforts relating to 
the management, conservation, resilience, and restoration of ocean and 
coastal areas to reduce duplication of efforts and maximize 
efficiencies through collaborative regional efforts by Regional Ocean 
Partnerships, in consultation with Federal agencies and State and local 
authorities.
    (c) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To expand and strengthen cooperative voluntary efforts 
        intended to manage and restore ocean and coastal areas spanning 
        across multiple State boundaries.
            (2) To expand Federal support for monitoring, data 
        management, and restoration activities in ocean and coastal 
        areas.
            (3) To commit the United States to a comprehensive 
        cooperative program to achieve improved water quality in, and 
        improvements in the productivity of living resources of, all 
        coastal ecosystems.
            (4) To authorize Regional Ocean Partnerships as 
        coordinators of Federal and State authorities relating to 
        voluntary efforts for the collaborative management of the large 
        marine ecosystems, thereby reducing duplication of efforts and 
        maximizing opportunities to leverage support in the ocean and 
        coastal regions.
            (5) To enable Regional Ocean Partnerships to receive 
        Federal funding to conduct the scientific research, 
        conservation and restoration management, and priority 
        coordination necessary to achieve the purposes described in 
        paragraphs (1) through (4).

SEC. 3. REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration.
            (2) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal state'' has the 
        meaning given that term in section 304 of the Coastal Zone 
        Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453).
            (3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' means an 
        Indian tribe, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-
        Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
    (b) Regional Ocean Partnerships.--
            (1) In general.--A coastal state may participate in a 
        Regional Ocean Partnership with one or more other coastal 
        states that share a common ocean or coastal area with the 
        coastal state.
            (2) Application.--The Governor of a coastal state or the 
        Governors of a group of coastal states may apply to the 
        Secretary of Commerce, on behalf of a partnership, for the 
        partnership to receive designation as a Regional Ocean 
        Partnership if the partnership--
                    (A) meets the requirements under paragraph (3); and
                    (B) submits an application for such designation in 
                such manner, in such form, and containing such 
                information as the Secretary may require.
            (3) Requirements.--A partnership is eligible for 
        designation as a Regional Ocean Partnership by the Secretary 
        under paragraph (2) if the partnership--
                    (A) is established to coordinate the management of 
                coastal resources;
                    (B) focuses on the environmental issues affecting 
                the ocean and coastal areas of the coastal states 
                participating in the partnership;
                    (C) does not have a regulatory function; and
                    (D) is not duplicative of an existing Regional 
                Ocean Partnership designated under paragraph (4), as 
                determined by the Secretary.
            (4) Designation of certain entities as regional ocean 
        partnerships.--Notwithstanding paragraph (2) or (3), the 
        following entities are designated as Regional Ocean 
        Partnerships:
                    (A) The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, representing the 
                ocean and coastal area shared by the States of Alabama, 
                Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
                    (B) The Northeast Regional Ocean Council, 
                representing the ocean and coastal area shared by the 
                States of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, 
                Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
                    (C) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, 
                representing the ocean and coastal area shared by the 
                States of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and 
                Virginia.
                    (D) The West Coast Ocean Alliance, including the 
                States of California, Oregon, and Washington and the 
                Indian Tribes in those States.
    (c) Governing Bodies of Regional Ocean Partnerships.--
            (1) In general.--A Regional Ocean Partnership designated 
        under subsection (b) shall be governed by a governing body.
            (2) Membership.--A governing body described in paragraph 
        (1)--
                    (A) shall be comprised, at a minimum, of voting 
                members from each coastal state participating in the 
                Regional Ocean Partnership, designated by the Governor 
                of the coastal state; and
                    (B) may include such other members as the 
                partnership considers appropriate.
    (d) Functions.--A Regional Ocean Partnership designated under 
subsection (b) may perform the following functions:
            (1) Promote coordination of the actions of the agencies of 
        coastal states participating in the partnership with the 
        actions of the appropriate officials of Federal agencies and 
        other authorities in developing strategies--
                    (A) to conserve living resources, increase valuable 
                habitats, enhance coastal resilience, and address such 
                other issues related to the shared ocean or coastal 
                area as are determined to be a priority by those 
                states;
                    (B) to manage regional data portals and develop 
                associated data products for purposes that support the 
                priorities of those states; and
                    (C) to obtain the support of appropriate officials 
                for such strategies.
            (2) In cooperation with appropriate Federal agencies and 
        State and local authorities, develop and implement specific 
        action plans to carry out coordination goals.
            (3) Coordinate and implement priority plans and projects, 
        and facilitate science, research, modeling, monitoring, data 
        collection, and other activities that support the goals of the 
        partnership through the provision of grants and contracts under 
        subsection (e).
            (4) Engage and collaborate with stakeholders to address 
        ocean and coastal related matters that require interagency or 
        intergovernmental solutions.
            (5) Implement outreach programs for public information, 
        education, and participation to foster stewardship of the 
        resources of the ocean and coastal areas.
            (6) Develop and make available, through publications, 
        technical assistance, and other appropriate means, information 
        pertaining to cross-jurisdictional issues being addressed 
        through the coordinated activities of the partnership.
            (7) Serve as the liaison with, and provide information to, 
        international counterparts, as appropriate.
    (e) Grants and Contracts.--
            (1) In general.--A Regional Ocean Partnership designated 
        under subsection (b) may, from amounts made available to the 
        partnership by the Administrator or the head of another Federal 
        agency--
                    (A) provide grants to eligible persons described in 
                paragraph (2) for the purposes described in paragraph 
                (3); and
                    (B) enter into contracts with such persons for such 
                purposes.
            (2) Eligible persons.--The eligible persons described in 
        this paragraph are the following:
                    (A) Indian Tribes.
                    (B) State and local governments.
                    (C) Nongovernmental organizations.
                    (D) Institutions of higher education.
                    (E) Individuals.
                    (F) Private entities.
            (3) Purposes.--The purposes described in this paragraph are 
        the following:
                    (A) Monitoring the water quality and living 
                resources of multi-State ocean and coastal ecosystems.
                    (B) Researching and addressing the effects of 
                natural and human-induced environmental changes to 
                ocean and coastal ecosystems.
                    (C) Developing and executing cooperative strategies 
                that--
                            (i) address regional data issues identified 
                        by the partnership; and
                            (ii) will result in more effective 
                        management of common ocean and coastal areas.
    (f) Reports and Assessments.--
            (1) Annual report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, each 
        Regional Ocean Partnership designated under subsection (b) 
        shall submit to the Administrator, and make available to the 
        public, a report that describes the following:
                    (A) Each project and activity for which the 
                partnership received funding under this section during 
                the previous fiscal year.
                    (B) The goals and objectives of those projects and 
                activities.
                    (C) The net benefits of the projects and activities 
                funded under this section during previous fiscal years.
                    (D) The collaborative efforts of the partnership.
            (2) Assessments and reports.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, and every 5 years 
                thereafter, the Administrator, in coordination with the 
                Regional Ocean Partnerships designated under subsection 
                (b), shall--
                            (i) assess the effectiveness of the 
                        partnerships in coordinating regional 
                        priorities relating to the management of common 
                        ocean and coastal areas; and
                            (ii) submit to Congress a report on that 
                        assessment.
                    (B) Report requirements.--The report required under 
                subparagraph (A)(ii) shall include the following:
                            (i) An assessment of the overall status of 
                        coordinated efforts in regional ecosystems 
                        covered by the Regional Ocean Partnerships 
                        designated under subsection (b).
                            (ii) An assessment of the effectiveness of 
                        the management strategies that such 
                        partnerships are implementing and the extent to 
                        which the priority needs of the regions covered 
                        by such partnerships are being met through such 
                        strategies.
                            (iii) Such recommendations as the 
                        Administrator may have for the improved 
                        coordination among the regulatory and 
                        nonregulatory programs operating in the regions 
                        covered by such partnerships, including 
                        recommendations for strengthening the 
                        strategies being implemented or adopting 
                        improved strategies.
    (g) Availability of Federal Funds.--In addition to amounts made 
available to Regional Ocean Partnerships designated under subsection 
(b) by the Administrator under this section, the head of any other 
Federal agency may provide grants to, enter into contracts with, or 
otherwise provide funding to such partnerships.
    (h) Authorities.--Nothing in this section establishes any new legal 
or regulatory authority of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration or of the Regional Ocean Partnerships designated under 
subsection (b), other than--
            (1) the authority of the Administrator to provide amounts 
        to the partnerships; and
            (2) the authority of the partnerships to provide grants and 
        enter into contracts under subsection (e).
    (i) Funding.--
            (1) In general.--Of amounts authorized to be appropriated 
        to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 
        Administrator may make the following amounts available to 
        Regional Ocean Partnerships designated under subsection (b) to 
        carry out activities of the partnerships under this Act:
                    (A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2020.
                    (B) $10,100,000 for fiscal year 2021.
                    (C) $10,202,000 for fiscal year 2022.
                    (D) $10,306,040 for fiscal year 2023.
                    (E) $10,412,160 for fiscal year 2024.
                    (F) $10,520,404 for fiscal year 2025.
            (2) Distribution of amounts.--Amounts made available under 
        paragraph (1) shall be divided evenly among the Regional Ocean 
        Partnerships designated under subsection (b).
            (3) Availability of amounts.--Amounts made available under 
        paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.
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