In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Gulf of Mexico Restoration and
Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Gulf of Mexico is a valuable resource of national
and international importance, continuously serving the people
of the United States and other countries as an important source
of food, economic productivity, recreation, beauty, and
enjoyment;
(2) over many years, the resource productivity and water
quality of the Gulf of Mexico and its watershed have been
diminished by point and nonpoint source pollution resulting
largely from the impacts of agricultural runoff, increasing
population growth and development in the Gulf of Mexico
watershed, and other factors;
(3) the United States should seek to attain the protection
and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem as a
collaborative regional goal of the Gulf of Mexico Program; and
(4) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency, in consultation with other Federal agencies and State
and local authorities, should coordinate the effort to meet
those goals.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to expand and strengthen cooperative efforts to restore
and protect the Gulf of Mexico;
(2) to expand Federal support for monitoring, management,
and restoration activities in the Gulf of Mexico and its
watershed;
(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, the
Gulf of Mexico; and
(4) to establish a Gulf of Mexico Program to serve as a
national and international model for the collaborative
management of large marine ecosystems.

SEC. 3. GULF OF MEXICO RESTORATION AND PROTECTION.

Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251
et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating the second section 121 (33 U.S.C.
1274) (relating to wet weather watershed pilot projects) as
section 122; and
(2) by inserting after section 122 (as designated by
paragraph (1)) the following:

''SEC. 123. GULF OF MEXICO RESTORATION AND PROTECTION.

''(a) Definitions.--In this section;
''(1) Gulf of mexico ecosystem.--The term 'Gulf of Mexico
ecosystem' means the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico and its
watershed.
''(2) Gulf of mexico executive council.--The term 'Gulf of
Mexico Executive Council' means the formal collaborative
Federal, State, local, and private participants in the Program.
''(3) Program.--The term 'Program' means the Gulf of Mexico
Program established by the Administrator in 1988 as a
nonregulatory, inclusive partnership to provide a broad
geographic focus on the primary environmental issues affecting
the Gulf of Mexico.
''(4) Program office.--The term 'Program Office' means the
office established by the Administrator to administer the
Program that is reestablished by subsection (b)(1)(A).
''(b) Continuation of Gulf of Mexico Program.--
''(1) Gulf of mexico program office.--
''(A) Reestablishment.--The Program Office
established before the date of enactment of this
section by the Administrator is reestablished as an
office of the Environmental Protection Agency.
''(B) Requirements.--The Program Office shall be--
''(i) headed by a Director who, by reason
of management experience and technical
expertise relating to the Gulf of Mexico, is
highly qualified to direct the development of
plans and programs on a variety of Gulf of
Mexico issues, as determined by the
Administrator; and
''(ii) located in a State all or a portion
of the coastline of which is on the Gulf of
Mexico.
''(C) Functions.--The Program Office shall--
''(i) coordinate the actions of the
Environmental Protection Agency with the
actions of the appropriate officials of other
Federal agencies and State and local
authorities in developing strategies--
''(I) to improve the water quality
and living resources in the Gulf of
Mexico ecosystem; and
''(II) to obtain the support of
appropriate officials;
''(ii) in cooperation with appropriate
Federal, State, and local authorities, assist
in developing and implementing specific action
plans to carry out the Program;
''(iii) coordinate and implement priority
State-led and community-led restoration plans
and projects and facilitate science, research,
modeling, monitoring, data collection, and
other activities that support the Program;
''(iv) implement outreach programs for
public information, education, and
participation to foster stewardship of the
resources of the Gulf of Mexico;
''(v) develop and make available, through
publications, technical assistance, and other
appropriate means, information pertaining to
the environmental quality and living resources
of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem; and
''(vi) serve as the liaison with, and
provide information to, the Mexican members of
the Gulf of Mexico States Accord and Mexican
counterparts of the Environmental Protection
Agency.
''(c) Interagency Agreements.--The Administrator may enter into 1
or more interagency agreements with other Federal agencies to carry out
this section.
''(d) Grants.--
''(1) In general.--In accordance with the Program, the
Administrator may provide grants to nonprofit organizations,
State and local governments, colleges, universities, interstate
agencies, and individuals to carry out this section for use
in--
''(A) monitoring the water quality and living
resources of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem;
''(B) researching the effects of natural and human-
induced environmental changes on the water quality and
living resources of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem;
''(C) developing and executing cooperative
strategies that address the water quality and living
resource needs in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem;
''(D) developing and implementing locally-based
protection and restoration programs or projects within
a watershed that complement those strategies, including
the creation, restoration, protection, or enhancement
of habitat associated with the Gulf of Mexico
ecosystem; and
''(E) eliminating or reducing point sources that
discharge pollutants that contaminate the Gulf of
Mexico ecosystem, including activities to eliminate
leaking septic systems and construct connections to
local sewage systems.
''(2) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of any
project or activity carried out using a grant provided under
this section shall not exceed 75 percent, as determined by the
Administrator.
''(3) Administrative costs.--Administrative costs in the
form of salaries, overhead, or indirect costs for services
provided and charged against programs or projects carried out
using funds made available through a grant under this
subsection shall not exceed 15 percent of the amount of the
grant.
''(e) Reports.--
''(1) Annual report.--Not later than December 30, 2006, and
annually thereafter, the Director of the Program Office shall
submit to the Administrator and make available to the public a
report that describes--
''(A) each project and activity funded under this
section during the previous fiscal year;
''(B) the goals and objectives of those projects
and activities; and
''(C) the net benefits of projects and activities
funded under this section during previous fiscal years.
''(2) Assessment.--
''(A) In general.--Not later than April 30, 2007,
and every 5 years thereafter, the Administrator, in
coordination with the Gulf of Mexico Executive Council,
shall complete an assessment, and submit to Congress a
comprehensive report on the performance, of the
Program.
''(B) Requirements.--The assessment and report
described in subparagraph (A) shall--
''(i) assess the overall state of the Gulf
of Mexico ecosystem;
''(ii) compare the current state of the
Gulf of Mexico ecosystem with a baseline
assessment;
''(iii) assess the effectiveness of the
Program management strategies being
implemented, and the extent to which the
priority needs of the region are being met
through that implementation; and
''(iv) make recommendations for the
improved management of the Program, including
strengthening strategies being implemented or
adopting improved strategies.
''(f) Budget Item.--The Administrator, in the annual submission to
Congress of the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall
include a funding line item request for the Program Office as a
separate budget line item.
''(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section, to remain available until
expended--
''(1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
''(2) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
''(3) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through
2010.''.
A:
Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reestablish the Program Office of the Gulf of Mexico Program as an office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to be headed by a Director. Requires the Office to: (1) coordinate the actions of EPA and of other federal agencies and state and local authorities; (2) assist in developing specific action plans to carry out the program; (3) coordinate and implement priority state- and community-led restoration plans and projects and facilitate activities that support the program; (4) implement outreach programs to foster stewardship of the Gulf's resources; (5) develop and make available information about the environmental quality and living resources of the Gulf; and (6) serve as the liaison with the Mexican members of the Gulf of Mexico States Accord and Mexican counterparts of the EPA.

Authorizes the EPA Administrator to enter into interagency agreements to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to provide grants for use in: (1) monitoring the water quality and living resources of the Gulf ecosystem; (2) researching the effects of environmental changes on such water quality and resources; (3) developing cooperative strategies that address the water quality and needs of Gulf resources; (4) developing locally-based protection and restoration programs or projects within a watershed that complement those strategies; and (5) eliminating or reducing point sources that discharge pollutants that contaminate the Gulf ecosystem.