TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
PROBLEM: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ''Dr. Chris
Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

TITLE I--EMPLOYEES GENERALLY

Sec. 101. Definitions.
Sec. 102. Stays; probationary employees.
Sec. 103. Prohibited personnel practices.
Sec. 104. Discipline of supervisors based on retaliation against
whistleblowers.
Sec. 105. Suicide by employees.
Sec. 106. Training for supervisors.
Sec. 107. Information on whistleblower protections.

TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEES

Sec. 201. Prevention of unauthorized access to medical records of
employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 202. Outreach on availability of mental health services available
to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 203. Protocols to address threats against employees of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 204. Comptroller General of the United States study on
accountability of chiefs of police of Department of Veterans
Affairs medical centers.

TITLE I--EMPLOYEES GENERALLY

SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS.
In this title--
(1) the term ''agency''--
(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), means an entity
that is an agency, as defined under section 2302 of title 5,
United States Code, without regard to whether one or more
portions of title 5 of the United States Code are inapplicable
to the entity; and
(B) does not include any entity that is an element of the
intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4));
(2) the term ''employee'' means an employee (as defined in
section 2105 of title 5, United States Code) of an agency; and
(3) the term ''personnel action'' has the meaning given that
term under section 2302 of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 102. STAYS; PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES.
(a) Request by Special Counsel.--Section 1214(b)(1) of title 5,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''(E) If the Merit Systems Protection Board grants a stay under
this subsection, the head of the agency employing the employee shall
give priority to a request for a transfer submitted by the employee.''.
(b) Probationary Employees.--Section 1221 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''(k) If the Merit Systems Protection Board grants a stay to an
employee in probationary status under subsection (c), the head of the
agency employing the employee shall give priority to a request for a
transfer submitted by the employee.''.
(c) Study Regarding Retaliation Against Probationary Employees.--
The Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate
and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of
Representatives a report discussing retaliation against employees in
probationary status.
SEC. 103. PROHIBITED PERSONNEL PRACTICES.
Section 2302(b) of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (12), by striking ''or'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (13), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ''; or''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following:
''(14) access the medical record of another employee or an
applicant for employment as a part of, or otherwise in furtherance
of, any conduct described in paragraphs (1) through (13).''.
SEC. 104. DISCIPLINE OF SUPERVISORS BASED ON RETALIATION AGAINST
WHISTLEBLOWERS.
(a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 75 of title 5, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''Sec. 7515. Discipline of supervisors based on retaliation against
whistleblowers
''(a) Definitions.--In this section--
''(1) the term 'agency'--
''(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), means an
entity that is an agency, as defined under section 2302,
without regard to whether any other provision of this chapter
is applicable to the entity; and
''(B) does not include any entity that is an element of the
intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4));
''(2) the term 'prohibited personnel action' means taking or
failing to take an action in violation of paragraph (8), (9), or
(14) of section 2302(b) against an employee of an agency; and
''(3) the term 'supervisor' means an employee who would be a
supervisor, as defined under section 7103(a), if the entity
employing the employee was an agency.
''(b) Proposed Disciplinary Actions.--
''(1) In general.--If the head of the agency employing a
supervisor, an administrative law judge, the Merit Systems
Protection Board, the Special Counsel, a judge of the United
States, or the Inspector General of the agency employing a
supervisor determines that the supervisor has committed a
prohibited personnel action, the head of the agency employing the
supervisor, in accordance with the procedures required under
paragraph (2)--
''(A) for the first prohibited personnel action committed
by a supervisor--
''(i) shall propose suspending the supervisor for a
period of not less than 3 days; and
''(ii) may, in addition to a suspension described in
clause (i), propose any other action, including a reduction
in grade or pay, that the head of the agency determines
appropriate; and
''(B) for the second prohibited personnel action committed
by a supervisor, shall propose removing the supervisor.
''(2) Procedures.--
''(A) Notice.--A supervisor against whom an action is
proposed to be taken under paragraph (1) is entitled to written
notice--
''(i) stating the specific reasons for the proposed
action; and
''(ii) informing the supervisor of the right of the
supervisor to review the material which is relied on to
support the reasons for the proposed action.
''(B) Answer and evidence.--
''(i) In general.--A supervisor who is notified under
subparagraph (A) that the supervisor is the subject of a
proposed action under paragraph (1) is entitled to 14 days
following such notification to answer and furnish evidence
in support of the answer.
''(ii) No evidence furnished; insufficient evidence.--
After the end of the 14-day period described in clause (i),
if a supervisor does not furnish evidence as described in
clause (i) or if the head of the agency determines that
such evidence is not sufficient to reverse the proposed
action, the head of the agency shall carry out the action.
''(C) Scope of procedures.--An action carried out under
this section--
''(i) except as provided in clause (ii), shall be
subject to the same requirements and procedures (including
regarding appeals) as an action under section 7503, 7513,
or 7543; and
''(ii) shall not be subject to--

''(I) paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 7503(b);
''(II) paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) and
subsection (c) of section 7513; or
''(III) paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b)
and subsection (c) of section 7543.

''(3) Delegation.--
''(A) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (B), the
head of an agency may delegate any authority or responsibility
under this subsection.
''(B) Nondelegability of determination regarding prohibited
personnel action.--If the head of an agency is responsible for
determining whether a supervisor has committed a prohibited
personnel action for purposes of paragraph (1), the head of the
agency may not delegate that responsibility.''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for
subchapter II of chapter 75 of title 5, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:

''7515. Discipline of supervisors based on retaliation against
whistleblowers.''.
SEC. 105. SUICIDE BY EMPLOYEES.
(a) Referral.--The head of an agency shall refer to the Special
Counsel, along with any information known to the agency regarding the
circumstances described in paragraphs (2) and (3), any instance in
which the head of the agency has information indicating--
(1) an employee of the agency committed suicide;
(2) prior to the death of the employee, the employee made any
disclosure of information which reasonably evidences--
(A) any violation of any law, rule, or regulation; or
(B) gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse
of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public
health or safety; and
(3) after a disclosure described in paragraph (2), a personnel
action was taken against the employee.
(b) Office of Special Counsel Review.--For any referral to the
Special Counsel under subsection (a), the Special Counsel shall--
(1) examine whether any personnel action was taken because of
any disclosure of information described in subsection (a)(2); and
(2) take any action the Special Counsel determines appropriate
under subchapter II of chapter 12 of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 106. TRAINING FOR SUPERVISORS.
In consultation with the Special Counsel and the Inspector General
of the agency (or senior ethics official of the agency for an agency
without an Inspector General), the head of each agency shall provide
training regarding how to respond to complaints alleging a violation of
whistleblower protections (as defined in section 2307 of title 5,
United States Code, as added by section 107) available to employees of
the agency--
(1) to employees appointed to supervisory positions in the
agency who have not previously served as a supervisor; and
(2) on an annual basis, to all employees of the agency serving
in a supervisory position.
SEC. 107. INFORMATION ON WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS.
(a) Existing Provision.--
(1) In general.--Section 2302 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended--
(A) by striking subsection (c); and
(B) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and (f) as
subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively.
(2) Technical and conforming amendments.--
(A) Section 4505a(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by striking ''section 2302(d)'' and inserting ''section
2302(c)''.
(B) Section 5755(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by striking ''section 2302(d)'' and inserting ''section
2302(c)''.
(C) Section 110(b)(2) of the Whistleblower Protection
Enhancement Act of 2012 (5 U.S.C. 2302 note) is amended by
striking ''section 2302(f)(1) or (2)'' and inserting ''section
2302(e)(1) or (2)''.
(D) Section 1217(d)(3) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (22
U.S.C. 3657(d)(3)) is amended by striking ''section 2302(d)''
and inserting ''section 2302(c)''.
(E) Section 1233(b) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (22
U.S.C. 3673(b)) is amended by striking ''section 2302(d)'' and
inserting ''section 2302(c)''.
(b) Provision of Information.--Chapter 23 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''Sec. 2307. Information on whistleblower protections
''(a) Definitions.--In this section--
''(1) the term 'agency'--
''(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), has the
meaning given that term in section 2302; and
''(B) does not include any entity that is an element of the
intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4));
''(2) the term 'new employee' means an individual--
''(A) appointed to a position as an employee of an agency
on or after the date of enactment of the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick
Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017; and
''(B) who has not previously served as an employee; and
''(3) the term 'whistleblower protections' means the
protections against and remedies for a prohibited personnel
practice described in paragraph (8), subparagraph (A)(i), (B), (C),
or (D) of paragraph (9), or paragraph (14) of section 2302(b).
''(b) Responsibilities of Head of Agency.--The head of each agency
shall be responsible for the prevention of prohibited personnel
practices, for the compliance with and enforcement of applicable civil
service laws, rules, and regulations, and other aspects of personnel
management, and for ensuring (in consultation with the Special Counsel
and the Inspector General of the agency) that employees of the agency
are informed of the rights and remedies available to them under this
chapter and chapter 12, including--
''(1) information regarding whistleblower protections available
to new employees during the probationary period;
''(2) the role of the Office of Special Counsel and the Merit
Systems Protection Board with regard to whistleblower protections;
and
''(3) how to make a lawful disclosure of information that is
specifically required by law or Executive order to be kept
classified in the interest of national defense or the conduct of
foreign affairs to the Special Counsel, the Inspector General of an
agency, Congress, or other agency employee designated to receive
such disclosures.
''(c) Timing.--The head of each agency shall ensure that the
information required to be provided under subsection (b) is provided to
each new employee of the agency not later than 6 months after the date
the new employee begins performing service as an employee.
''(d) Information Online.--The head of each agency shall make
available information regarding whistleblower protections applicable to
employees of the agency on the public website of the agency, and on any
online portal that is made available only to employees of the agency if
one exists.
''(e) Delegees.--Any employee to whom the head of an agency
delegates authority for personnel management, or for any aspect
thereof, shall, within the limits of the scope of the delegation, be
responsible for the activities described in subsection (b).''.
(c) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for
chapter 23 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following:

''2307. Information on whistleblower protections.''.

TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEES

SEC. 201. PREVENTION OF UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO MEDICAL RECORDS OF
EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Development of Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--
(A) develop a plan to prevent access to the medical records
of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs by employees
of the Department who are not authorized to access such
records;
(B) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress the
plan developed under subparagraph (A); and
(C) upon request, provide a briefing to the appropriate
committees of Congress with respect to the plan developed under
subparagraph (A).
(2) Elements.--The plan required under paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A detailed assessment of strategic goals of the
Department for the prevention of unauthorized access to the
medical records of employees of the Department.
(B) A list of circumstances in which an employee of the
Department who is not a health care provider or an assistant to
a health care provider would be authorized to access the
medical records of another employee of the Department.
(C) Steps that the Secretary will take to acquire new or
implement existing technology to prevent an employee of the
Department from accessing the medical records of another
employee of the Department without a specific need to access
such records.
(D) Steps the Secretary will take, including plans to issue
new regulations, as necessary, to ensure that an employee of
the Department may not access the medical records of another
employee of the Department for the purpose of retrieving
demographic information if that demographic information is
available to the employee in another location or through
another format.
(E) A proposed timetable for the implementation of such
plan.
(F) An estimate of the costs associated with implementing
such plan.
(b) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section,
the term ''appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(1) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 202. OUTREACH ON AVAILABILITY OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
AVAILABLE TO EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a program of
outreach to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs to inform
those employees of any mental health services, including telemedicine
options, that are available to them.
SEC. 203. PROTOCOLS TO ADDRESS THREATS AGAINST EMPLOYEES OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure protocols are in
effect to address threats from individuals receiving health care from
the Department of Veterans Affairs directed towards employees of the
Department who are providing such health care.
SEC. 204. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES STUDY ON
ACCOUNTABILITY OF CHIEFS OF POLICE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTERS.
The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study
to assess the reporting, staffing, accountability, and chain of command
structure of the Department of Veterans Affairs police officers at
medical centers of the Department.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.

SOLUTION: (This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on May 4, 2017 . Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 TITLE I--EMPLOYEES GENERALLY (Sec. 102) This bill directs federal agencies (excluding any entity that is an element of the intelligence community) to give priority to an employee transfer request if the Merit Systems Protections Board (MSPB) grants a stay of a personnel action at the request of: (1) the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) if the OSC determines the personnel action was taken, or is to be taken, as a result of a prohibited personnel practice; or (2) the employee if the individual is in probationary status and seeks corrective action. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall report to Congress on retaliation against employees in probationary status. (Sec. 103) The bill: (1) prohibits any employee who has the authority to take a personnel action to access the medical records of another employee or applicant for employment, (2) authorizes disciplinary action against supervisors for retaliation against whistleblowers. (Sec. 105) Agencies must: (1) refer information about employee suicides to the OSC, (2) train supervisors on responding to complaints alleging whistleblower protections violations, (3) provide information regarding whistleblower protections to new employees during probationary periods, (4) inform employees of the role of the OSC and the MSPB with regard to whistleblower protection, and (5) make information about such protections available on agency websites. TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEES (Sec. 201) The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must: (1) submit a plan to prevent unauthorized access to the medical records of VA employees; (2) conduct an outreach program to inform its employees of available mental health services, including telemedicine options; and (3) ensure protocols are in effect to address threats against VA employees providing health care. (Sec. 204) The GAO shall assess the reporting, staffing, accountability, and chain of command structure of the VA police officers at VA medical centers.

PROBLEM: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Marine Renewable Energy Promotion
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Fund.--The term ''Fund'' means the Adaptive Management
and Environmental Fund established by section 3(c).
(2) Marine renewable energy.--The term ''marine renewable
energy'' means energy from--
(A) waves, tides, and currents in oceans,
estuaries, and tidal areas;
(B) free flowing water in rivers, lakes, man made
channels, and streams; and
(C) differentials in ocean temperature or ocean
thermal energy conversion.
(3) Secretary.--The term ''Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.

SEC. 3. MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

(a) Research and Development Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a marine
renewable energy research and development program that is
focused on--
(A) developing new marine renewable energy
technologies;
(B) reducing the manufacturing and operation costs
of marine renewable energy technologies;
(C) increasing the reliability and survivability of
marine renewable energy facilities;
(D) integrating marine renewable energy into the
national electric grid;
(E) identifying opportunities for cross-pollination
and development of economies of scale between offshore
wind and marine renewable energy sources;
(F) identifying the environmental impacts of marine
renewable energy and ways to address any negative
impacts; and
(G)(i) applying advanced systems engineering and
system integration methods to identify critical
interfaces and develop open standards for marine
renewable energy;
(ii) transferring the resulting intellectual
property to industry stakeholders as public information
through published interface definitions, standards, and
demonstration projects; and
(iii) developing incentives for industry to comply
with the standards.
(2) Administration.--The program established under
paragraph (1) shall be separate from any wind and hydropower
program carried out by the Secretary.
(b) Marine-Based Energy Device Verification Program.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a marine-
based energy device verification program to provide a bridge
from the wave, tidal, current, or thermal energy capture device
design and development efforts underway across the industry to
commercial deployment of marine renewable energy devices.
(2) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are to fund,
facilitate the development and installation of, and evaluate
marine renewable energy projects, in partnership with the
Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Marine Sciences Laboratory, and the Sandia National
Laboratories, and in conjunction with universities and other
institutions of higher education, private business entities,
and other appropriate organizations, in order--
(A) to increase marine renewable energy experience;
and
(B) to build and operate enough candidate devices
to obtain statistically significant operating and
maintenance data.
(3) Objectives.--The objectives of the program include--
(A) verifying the performance, reliability,
maintainability, and cost of new marine renewable
energy device designs and system components in an
operating environment;
(B) providing States, regulators, utilities, and
other stakeholders with a valid opportunity to test and
evaluate marine renewable energy technology in new
areas;
(C) documenting and communicating the experience
from those projects for the benefit of utilities,
independent power producers, other nonutility
generators, device suppliers, and others in the marine
renewable energy development community; and
(D) resolving environmental issues through robust
characterization, reliable impact prediction, effective
monitoring, development and use of adaptive management,
and informing engineering design to improve
environmental performance.
(c) Adaptive Management and Environmental Fund.--
(1) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(A) the use of marine renewable energy technologies
can reduce contributions to global warming;
(B) marine renewable energy technologies can be
produced domestically;
(C) marine renewable energy is a nascent industry;
and
(D) the United States must work to promote new
renewable energy technologies that reduce contributions
to global warming gases and improve domestic energy
production.
(2) Fund.--
(A) Establishment.--There is established in the
Treasury of the United States a revolving fund, to be
known as the ''Adaptive Management and Environmental
Fund'', consisting of such amounts as are appropriated
to the Fund under subsection (d).
(B) Expenditures from fund.--
(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), on
request by the Secretary, the Secretary of the
Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the
Secretary such amounts as the Secretary
determines are necessary to provide grants to
eligible entities to assist the entities in
complying with Federal, State, or local
regulatory permit requirements through
assessment and demonstration of the
environmental effects of marine renewable
energy projects (including environmental
studies, design, fabrication, deployment,
operating, monitoring, environmental
mitigation, and decommissioning costs).
(ii) Administrative expenses.--An amount
not exceeding 10 percent of the amounts in the
Fund shall be available for each fiscal year to
pay the administrative expenses necessary to
carry out this subsection.
(C) Transfers of amounts.--
(i) In general.--The amounts required to be
transferred to the Fund under this paragraph
shall be transferred at least monthly from the
general fund of the Treasury to the Fund on the
basis of estimates made by the Secretary of the
Treasury.
(ii) Adjustments.--Proper adjustment shall
be made in amounts subsequently transferred to
the extent prior estimates were in excess of or
less than the amounts required to be
transferred.
(3) Eligibility.--
(A) In general.--To be eligible for a grant under
this subsection, an entity shall provide to the
Secretary a regulatory permit that includes conditions
for the removal of the marine renewable energy project
supported by the grant if the permitting authority
finds that the marine renewable energy project has an
unacceptable adverse impact on the environment.
(B) Administration.--A marine renewable energy
project shall not be required to be removed in the
absence of a finding by the permitting authority that
the project has an unacceptable adverse impact.
(4) Public availability.--The results of any assessment or
demonstration conducted under this subsection shall be made
available to the public, except to the extent that the
assessment or demonstration contains information that is
protected from disclosure under section 552(b) of title 5,
United States Code.
(5) Audit requirements.--
(A) In general.--Any entity that receives a grant
under this subsection shall--
(i) track the use of grant funds from the
Fund; and
(ii) certify annually to the Secretary that
the grant funds were used only for purposes
authorized under this subsection.
(B) Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish
procedures to ensure that the Secretary is able to
oversee and audit the use of funds by eligible
entities.
(C) Annual audits.--The Secretary shall conduct an
audit, at least annually, of the use of grant funds
received under this subsection by each eligible entity.
(D) Ineligibility.--The Secretary may declare an
entity ineligible for a grant under this subsection on
a finding of inappropriate use of funding.
(6) Sunset provision.--
(A) Report.--The Secretary shall submit a report to
the appropriate committees of Congress if the Secretary
determines that the technologies and activities
supported under this subsection have achieved a level
of maturity that is sufficient to enable the program
authorized under this subsection to cease.
(B) Termination.--The program authorized under this
subsection and the Fund shall cease to exist effective
on the date of submission of a report described in
subparagraph (A).
(7) Administration.--The Secretary may use amounts in the
Fund to provide assistance to State resource agencies that are
processing applications for permits required for marine
renewables projects that have received assistance from the Fund
to assist staff with understanding and evaluating applications
and participating in the applicable Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission or Minerals Management Service regulatory process.
(8) Environmental requirement.--Nothing in this section
eliminates or otherwise affects any requirement imposed under
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321
et seq.).
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $250,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2010 through 2021.

SOLUTION: Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2009 - Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a marine renewable energy research and development program, separate from any DOE wind and hydropower program, focused on: (1) developing new marine renewable energy technologies; (2) reducing the manufacturing and operation costs of such technologies; (3) increasing the reliability and survivability of marine renewable energy facilities; (4) integrating marine renewable energy into the national electric grid; (5) identifying opportunities for cross pollination and development of economies of scale between offshore wind and marine renewable energy sources; (6) identifying the environmental impacts of marine renewable energy and ways to address negative impacts; (7) applying advanced systems engineering and system integration methods to identify critical interfaces and develop open standards for marine renewable energy; (8) transferring the resulting intellectual property to industry stakeholders as public information through published interface definitions, standards, and demonstration projects; and (9) developing incentives for industry to comply with such standards.

Requires DOE to establish a marine-based energy device verification program to provide a bridge from the wave, tidal, current, or thermal energy capture device design and development efforts underway across the industry to commercial deployment of marine renewable energy devices. Sets forth as purpose of the Program to fund, facilitate the development and installation of, and evaluate marine renewable energy projects, in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marine Sciences Laboratory, and the Sandia National Laboratories in order to: (1) increase marine renewable energy experience; and (2) build and operate enough candidate devices to obtain statistically significant operating and maintenance data.

Establishes an Adaptive Management and Environmental Fund to provide grants for complying with requirements through assessment and demonstration of the environmental effects of marine renewable energy projects.

PROBLEM: SECTION. 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Persian Gulf Security Cost Fairness
Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the several key oil-producing countries that relied on
the United States for their military protection in 1990 and
1991, including during the Persian Gulf conflict, and continue
to depend on the United States for their security and
stability, should share in the responsibility for that
stability and security commensurate with their national
capabilities; and
(2) the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab
Emirates) have the economic capability to contribute more
toward their own security and stability and therefore these
countries should contribute commensurate with that capability.

SEC. 3. EFFORTS TO INCREASE BURDENSHARING BY COUNTRIES IN THE PERSIAN
GULF REGION BENEFITTING FROM UNITED STATES MILITARY
PRESENCE.

The President shall seek to have each country in the Persian Gulf
region to which the United States extends military protection (either
through security agreements, basing arrangements, or mutual
participation in multinational military organizations or operations)
take one or more of the following actions:
(1) For any country in which United States military
personnel are assigned to permanent duty ashore, increase its
financial contributions to the payment of the nonpersonnel
costs incurred by the United States government for stationing
United States military personnel in that country, with the goal
of achieving by September 30, 2003, 75 percent of such costs.
An increase in financial contributions by any country under
this paragraph may include the elimination of taxes, fees, or
other charges levied on the United States military personnel,
equipment, or facilities stationed in that country.
(2) Increase its annual budgetary outlays for national
defense as a percentage of its gross domestic product by 10
percent or at least to a level commensurate to that of the
United States by September 30, 2001.
(3) Increase its annual budgetary outlays for foreign
assistance (to promote democratization, economic stabilization,
transparency arrangements, defense economic conversion, respect
for the rule of law, and internationally recognized human
rights) by 10 percent or at least to a level commensurate to
that of the United States by September 30, 2001.
(4) Increase the amount of military assets (including
personnel, equipment, logistics, support and other resources)
that it contributes, or would be prepared to contribute, to
military activities in the Persian Gulf region.

SEC. 4. AUTHORITIES TO ENCOURAGE ACTIONS BY UNITED STATES ALLIES.

In seeking the actions described in section 3 with respect to any
country, or in response to a failure by any country to undertake one or
more of such actions, the President may take any of the following
measures to the extent otherwise authorized by law:
(1) Reduce the end strength level of members of the Armed
Forces assigned to permanent or part-time duty in the Persian
Gulf region.
(2) Impose on those countries fees or other charges similar
to those that such countries impose on United States forces
stationed in such countries.
(3) Suspend, modify, or terminate any bilateral security
agreement the United States has with that country, consistent
with the terms of such agreement.
(4) Reduce (through rescission, impoundment, or other
appropriate procedures as authorized by law) any United States
bilateral assistance appropriated for that country.
(5) Take any other action the President determines to be
appropriate as authorized by law.

SEC. 5. REPORT ON PROGRESS IN INCREASING ALLIED BURDENSHARING.

Not later than March 1, 2001, the Secretary of Defense shall submit
to Congress a report on--
(1) steps taken by other countries to complete the actions
described in section 3;
(2) all measure taken by the President, including those
authorized in section 4, to achieve the actions described in
section 3;
(3) the difference between the amount allocated by other
countries for each of the actions described in section 3 during
the period beginning on October 1, 2000, and ending on
September 30, 2001, and during the period beginning on October
1, 2001, and ending on September 30, 2002; and
(4) the budgetary savings to the United States that are
expected to accrue as a result of the steps described under
paragraph (1).

SEC. 6. REVIEW AND REPORT ON NATIONAL SECURITY BASES FOR FORWARD
DEPLOYMENT AND BURDENSHARING RELATIONSHIPS.

(a) Review.--In order to ensure the best allocation of budgetary
resources, the President shall undertake a review of the status of
elements of the United States Armed Forces that are permanently
stationed outside the United States. The review shall include an
assessment of the following:
(1) The requirements that are to be found in agreements
between the United States and the allies of the United States
in the Persian Gulf region.
(2) The national security interests that support permanent
stationing of elements of the United States Armed Forces
outside the United States.
(3) The stationing costs associated with forward deployment
of elements of the United States Armed Forces.
(4) The alternatives available to forward deployment (such
as material prepositioning, enhanced airlift and sealift, or
joint training operations) to meet such requirements or
national security interests, with such alternatives identified
and described in detail.
(5) The costs and force structure configurations associated
with such alternatives to forward deployment.
(6) The financial contributions that allies of the United
States in the Persian Gulf region make to common defense
efforts (to promote democratization, economic stabilization,
transparency arrangements, defense economic conversion, respect
for the rule of law, and internationally recognized human
rights).
(7) The contributions that allies of the United States in
the Persian Gulf region make to meeting the stationing costs
associated with the forward deployment of elements of the
United States Armed Forces.
(8) The annual expenditures of the United States and its
allies in the Persian Gulf region on national defense, and the
relative percentages of each country's gross domestic product
constituted by those expenditures.
(b) Report.--The President shall submit to Congress a report on the
review under subsection (a). The report shall be submitted not later
than March 1, 2001, in classified and unclassified form.

SOLUTION:
Directs the President to seek to have each country in the Persian Gulf region to which the United States extends military protection take one or more specified financial and budgetary actions to increase their burdensharing.
Authorizes the President, in seeking such actions or in responding to a country's failure to undertake one or more of them, to: (1) reduce the end strength level of members of the Armed Forces assigned to permanent or part-time duty in the Persian Gulf region; (2) impose on the country fees or other charges similar to those such countries impose on U.S. forces stationed in them; (3) suspend, modify, or terminate any bilateral security agreement the United States has with that country; (4) reduce any U.S. bilateral assistance appropriated for that country; or (5) take any other appropriate action.
Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on: (1) steps taken by other countries to complete the actions required by this Act; (2) all measures taken by the President to achieve such actions; (3) amounts such countries have allocated to take such actions; and (4) the budgetary savings to the United States expected to accrue as a result of the steps taken under this Act.
Requires the President to review and report to Congress on the status of elements of the U.S. Armed Forces permanently stationed outside the United States, including the national security bases for forward deployment and burdensharing relationships.