,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eaag  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #ae1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,posey 7for himself and ,mr4 ,murphy of
 ,florida7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,transportation and       
,infrastructure  ,a ,,bill  ,to make    
competitive awards to national estuary  
programs1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,estuary ,urgent ,needs ,priority   
,program ,act4  #b4 ,competitive awards 
,section #cbj7;g7 of the ,federal ,water
 ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4
 #accj7;g77 is amended by adding at the 
end the following3  7#d7 ,competitive   
awards  7,a7 ,in general ,of the amount 
made available under subsection 7i71 the
 ,administrator shall make competitive  
awards under this paragraph4  7,b7      
,application for awards ,the            
,administrator shall solicit            
applications for awards under this      
paragraph from ,state1 interstate1 and  

regional water pollution control        
agencies and entities1 ,state coastal   
zone management agencies1 interstate    
agencies1 other public or nonprofit     
private agencies1 institutions1         
organizations1 and individuals4  7,c7   
,selection of recipients ,in selecting  
award recipients under this paragraph1  
the ,administrator shall select         
recipients that are best able to address
 urgent and challenging issues that     
threaten the economic and ecological    
well-being of coastal areas4 ,such      
issues shall include--  7i7 extensive   
seagrass habitat losses resulting in    
significant impacts on fisheries and    
water quality2  7ii7 recurring harmful  
algae blooms1 unusual marine mammal     
mortalities2  7iii7 invasive exotic     
species which can threaten wastewater   
systems and cause other damage2 or  7iv7
 jellyfish proliferation limiting       
community access to water during peak   
tourism seasons4  7,d7 ,priority ,the   
,administrator shall give priority for  

the competitive awards described in     
subparagraph 7,a7 to national estuary   
programs that are not part of the       
,geographic ,programs as described in   
the explanatory statement referred to in
 section #d of the ,consolidated        
,appropriations ,act1 #bjad 7,public    
,law #aac-gf2 #abh ,stat4 #g and printed
 on page ,h#igh of the ,congressional   
,record on ,january #ae1 #bjad74  7,e7  
,authorization of appropriations ,from  
the amounts made available under        
subsection 7i71 #ae percent shall be    
made available for the competitive      
awards program under this subsection4  4