I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4949 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 26, 2023 Mr. Soto (for himself, Mr. Graves of Louisiana , Mrs. Peltola , Mr. Huffman , Mrs. González-Colón , Ms. Bonamici , and Mrs. Luna ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a grant program to facilitate the training and employment of veterans for certain conservation activities, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Don Young Veterans Advancing Conservation Act . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Veterans are among the greatest assets of the United States. (2) Veterans are highly skilled and trained individuals whose mission is to protect their communities. (3) Studies show that community-focused growth and engagement assists veterans with mental health and combat-related trauma. (4) SCUBA diving has been found to help improve mental, physical, and emotional health and has been specifically linked to improvement in the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 3. Department of Commerce Veterans Advancing Conservation Grant Program (a) Establishment Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program, to be known as the Veterans Advancing Conservation Grant Program , under which the Secretary may award grants, on a competitive basis, to nonprofit organizations that train or employ veterans to conduct underwater marine and coastal conservation activities. (b) Eligible entities (1) In general The Secretary may award grants under this section to nonprofit organizations that train or employ veterans to conduct activities described in subsection (a). (2) Applications To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an organization shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines appropriate. (c) Use of funds An organization awarded a grant under this section may use grant funds to train or employ veterans to conduct activities described in subsection (a), which may include— (1) response to coral disease; (2) restoration and rehabilitation of coral; (3) eradication of invasive species; (4) removal of marine debris; (5) rescue of marine mammals and reptiles; (6) scientific research and development relating to such activities; (7) tagging of sharks and other marine animals; (8) mapping of shipwrecks; (9) underwater survey work; (10) hurricane recovery; and (11) coastal restoration. (d) Coordination In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary of the Interior. (e) Authorization of appropriations Of funds otherwise appropriated to the Secretary, the Secretary is authorized to make available not more than the following amounts to carry out this section: (1) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2024. (2) $1,200,000 for fiscal year 2025. (3) $1,400,000 for fiscal year 2026. (4) $1,600,000 for fiscal year 2027. (5) $1,800,000 for fiscal year 2028. (f) Definitions In this section: (1) 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 taxation under 501(a) of that Code. (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (3) Veteran The term veteran has the meaning given such term in section 101(2) of title 38, United States Code.