#aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,in the ,house of ,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41 ,december #aj1 #bjah ,,amendment3 ,that the bill from the ,senate 7,s4 #beaa7 entitled ,an ,act to require the ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,oceans and ,atmosphere to carry out a program on coordinating the assessment and acquisition by the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration of unmanned maritime systems1 to make available to the public data collected by the ,administration using such systems1 and for other purposes41 do pass with the following ,strike out all after the enacting clause and insert3 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,commercial ,engagement ,through ,ocean ,technology ,act of #bjah or the ,,cenote ,act of #bjah4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents4 ,sec4 #b4 ,definitions4 ,sec4 #c4 ,coordination regarding assessment and acquisition by ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration of unmanned maritime systems4 ,sec4 #d4 ,regular assessment of unmanned maritime systems to support ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration missions4 ,sec4 #e4 ,acquisition of unmanned maritime systems4 ,sec4 #f4 ,reports on unmanned maritime systems and usage for mission of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 ,sec4 #g4 ,funding and additional authorities4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,administration ,the term ,administration means the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#b7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,oceans and ,atmosphere and ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#c7 ,cooperative activities of the ,administration ,the terms cooperative activities of the ,administration means cooperative activities between the ,administration and an external entity1 such as the ,cooperative ,institutes1 ,sea ,grant ,colleges1 ,national ,estuarine ,research ,reserves1 the ,national ,oceanographic ,partnership ,program established under chapter #ffe of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 and regional associations of the ,integrated ,ocean ,observing ,system4 7#d7 ,data specifications ,the term data specifications shall refer to the type1 resolution1 periodicity1 and quality of data required by an program of the ,administration4 7#e7 ,test or training range 7,a7 ,in general ,the term test or training range means an area designated for operating unmanned maritime systems and other types of systems for the purpose of-- 7i7 evaluating the performance of such systems2 or 7ii7 training personnel on operating procedures for such systems4 7,b7 ,inclusions ,the term test or training range may include specialized fixed or portable instrumentation for the operation of unmanned maritime systems and other types of systems4 7#f7 ,unmanned maritime systems 7,a7 ,in general ,the term unmanned maritime systems means remotely operated or autonomous vehicles produced by the commercial sector-- 7i7 designed to function without an on-board human presence2 and 7ii7 that may include associated components such as control and communications1 instrumentation1 data transmission1 and processing systems4 7,b7 ,examples ,the term unmanned maritime systems includes the following3 7i7 ,unmanned undersea vehicles4 7ii7 ,unmanned surface vehicles4 7iii7 ,autonomous underwater vehicles4 7iv7 ,autonomous surface vehicles4 7,c7 ,treatment of aerial vehicles ,the term unmanned maritime systems includes unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous aerial vehicles that are used to address maritime issues to the extent the ,administrator determines it is necessary and appropriate to achieve the purposes of this ,act4 #c4 ,coordination regarding assessment and acquisition by ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration of unmanned maritime systems 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator shall direct the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research 7in this ,act referred to as ,,oar7 and the ,office of ,marine and ,aviation ,operations 7in this ,act referred to as ,,omao7-- 7#a7 to coordinate the ,administration's research1 assessment1 and acquisition of unmanned maritime systems2 and 7#b7 to consider the use of unmanned maritime systems in cooperative activities of the ,administration4 7b7 ,coordination within the ,administration 7#a7 ,unmanned ,systems ,executive ,oversight ,board ,in meeting the requirements described in subsection 7a71 the ,administrator shall-- 7,a7 utilize the ,unmanned ,systems ,executive ,oversight ,board 7in this ,act referred to as the ,,useob7 as the coordinating mechanism2 and 7,b7 ensure that ,,oar and ,,omao address requirements throughout the ,administration4 7#b7 ,included ,in utilizing the ,,useob under paragraph 7#a71 the ,administrator shall ensure that representation on the ,,useob is included from the following3 7,a7 ,the ,office of ,ocean ,exploration 7,,oer74 7,b7 ,the program office of the ,integrated ,ocean ,observing ,system4 7,c7 ,such other offices of the ,administration as the ,administrator determines are actively engaged with unmanned maritime systems4 7c7 ,coordination with the ,navy 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out this ,act1 the ,administrator shall-- 7,a7 make efforts to coordinate with the ,secretary of the ,navy to leverage expertise in the development and operational transition of unmanned maritime systems2 7,b7 align with1 utilize1 and inform the ,deputy ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,operations and the ,oceanographer of the ,navy's strategic and operational priorities1 particularly for missions and geography within the ,administration's purview2 7,c7 seek to utilize ,naval unmanned systems test or training ranges1 such as the ,gulf of ,mexico ,unmanned ,systems ,test and ,training ,range of the ,naval ,meteorology and ,oceanography ,command1 and maximize interagency cooperation and sharing of best practices2 and 7,d7 to formalize coordination1 execute a memorandum of understanding with the ,secretary of the ,navy that includes-- 7i7 incorporating consideration of priorities and requirements of the ,administration into research and development activities conducted by the ,secretary of the ,navy2 7ii7 consultation intended to encourage and facilitate efforts by the ,administration to partner with the ,navy to procure unmanned maritime systems and to establish1 instrument1 and operate test or training ranges and related facilities2 7iii7 adopting procedures defined by the ,secretary of the ,navy for the ,administration to access and utilize test or training ranges or related ,naval facilities for purposes identified in paragraph 7#b77;,b72 and 7iv7 such other topics as the ,administrator considers necessary or advisable1 including mapping1 bathymetry1 observations1 and ocean exploration4 7#b7 ,location ,the ,administrator shall1 if practicable1 carry out the activities authorized by this ,act at a facility where the ,navy and the ,administration are co-located1 for the following purposes3 7,a7 ,gaining efficiencies through collaboration4 7,b7 ,advancing development of unmanned maritime systems1 including-- 7i7 systems research and development2 7ii7 systems testing2 7iii7 systems modifications2 and 7iv7 systems integration4 7,c7 ,accelerating transition from concept to manufacturing and acquisition4 7d7 ,coordination with other ,federal agencies ,in carrying out this ,act1 the ,administrator and the ,secretary of the ,navy may utilize the ,national ,oceanographic ,partnership ,program1 established under chapter #ffe of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 as a mechanism for providing interagency coordination for the advancement of unmanned maritime systems4 7e7 ,coordination with academic sector ,in carrying out this ,act1 the ,administrator1 in consultation with the ,secretary of the ,navy1 may coordinate and co-locate with an academic research institution1 or consortium of academic research institutions1 for the following purposes3 7#a7 ,maximizing opportunities for research and development of unmanned maritime systems4 7#b7 ,providing training in unmanned maritime systems as part of an accredited certificate or degree program of education4 7#c7 ,facilitating the commercialization of unmanned maritime systems through public-private partnerships that includes academic research institutions1 private industry1 and public safety agencies4 7#d7 ,arranging access to and use of additional facilities that support testing and assessment of or training with respect to unmanned maritime systems under environmental conditions of interest1 increasing operational tolerance under such conditions1 certifying operational capacity under such conditions1 whether real or simulated1 and training operators of unmanned maritime systems in real or simulated environments4 7#e7 ,facilitating engagement with other academic institutions with interest or relevant expertise in unmanned maritime systems4 7#f7 ,promoting information sharing between the academic1 environmental1 and military institutions to lead to more robust1 mission-oriented unmanned maritime systems4 7f7 ,engagement with the private sector ,other than as described in subsection 7e71 the ,administrator1 in consultation with the ,secretary of the ,navy1 may1 in carrying out this ,act1 to the extent practicable1 coordinate and consult with the private sector-- 7#a7 to support the commercialization of unmanned maritime systems2 and 7#b7 to assist with their assessment of commercially available unmanned maritime systems to support the missions and goals of the ,navy1 the ,administration1 and cooperative activities of the ,administration4 #d4 ,regular assessment of unmanned maritime systems to support ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration missions 7a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator1 acting through the ,assistant ,administrator for ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research and the ,director of the ,office of ,marine and ,aviation ,operations and the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration ,commissioned ,officer ,corps1 shall regularly assess publicly and commercially available unmanned maritime systems for potential use to support missions of the ,administration4 7b7 ,science-based assessments ,the ,administrator shall carry out subsection 7a7 through the ,assistant ,administrator for all matters relating to assessment of the suitability1 feasibility1 and cost-effectiveness of unmanned maritime systems to meet data specifications required by programs of the ,administration4 7c7 ,assessment of operational utility ,the ,administrator shall carry out subsection 7a7 through the ,director for all matters relating to assessment of whether unmanned maritime systems are operationally reliable1 feasible1 and cost effective enough to make observations required by programs of the ,administration4 7d7 ,engagement ,the ,assistant ,administrator and the ,director shall jointly-- 7#a7 convene and consult the ,unmanned ,maritime ,systems ,ocean ,technology ,coordinating ,committee established under section #c7;b72 and 7#b7 consult with the heads of other offices of the ,administration1 the academic sector1 and developers and manufacturers of unmanned maritime systems to conduct the assessments under subsection 7a74 #e4 ,acquisition of unmanned maritime systems 7a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall coordinate and centralize the acquisition by the ,administration of unmanned maritime systems to meet the prioritized list of data requirements identified by ,,oar and ,,omao in carrying out this ,act in their regular assessments and approved by the ,,useob4 7b7 ,memoranda of understanding ,in order to realize greater savings and efficiency1 the ,administrator may develop and execute a memorandum of agreement with the ,secretary of the ,navy to-- 7#a7 participate in procurements conducted by the signatories to the memorandum of understanding2 7#b7 accept decommissioned unmanned maritime systems from the ,navy2 7#c7 develop policies and procedures to share unmanned maritime systems2 or 7#d7 provide for other means of creating efficiency and savings in ,federal acquisition of unmanned maritime systems4 7c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to modify ,federal procurement law4 #f4 ,reports on unmanned maritime systems and usage for mission of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration 7a7 ,in general ,in carrying out this ,act1 the ,administrator shall1 not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and every #d years thereafter1 submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report on the usage of unmanned maritime systems for the mission of the ,administration4 7b7 ,contents ,each report submitted under subsection 7a7 shall include1 for the period covered by the report1 the following3 7#a7 ,an inventory of current unmanned maritime systems used by programs of the ,administration1 a summary of the data they have returned1 and the benefits realized from having such data4 7#b7 ,a prioritized list of data requirements of the ,administration that could be met with unmanned maritime systems1 and the commercially available unmanned maritime systems with the operational capabilities to collect such data4 7c7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress defined ,in this section1 the term appropriate committees of ,congress means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,appropriations1 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations1 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 the ,committee on ,natural ,resources1 and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives4 #g4 ,funding and additional authorities 7a7 ,funding ,the ,administrator shall carry out this ,act using existing amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the ,administration4 7b7 ,additional authorities ,in carrying out this ,act1 the ,administrator may-- 7#a7 enter into contracts1 cooperative agreements1 and other transactions with any domestic or foreign government2 7#b7 notwithstanding section #acdb of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 accept donations and voluntary and uncompensated services2 7#c7 accept funds from other ,federal departments and agencies2 7#d7 utilize the ,national ,oceanographic ,partnership ,program established under chapter #ffe of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 to accept funds from other ,federal departments and agencies1 to accept donations1 and to enter into contracts and award grants2 7#e7 under an agreement entered into under paragraph 7#a71 transfer funds appropriated to carry our this ,act to any organization2 and 7#f7 use1 with their consent1 with or without reimbursement1 and subject to the availability of appropriations1 the land1 services1 equipment1 personnel1 and facilities of-- 7,a7 any department1 agency1 or instrumentality of the ,united ,states2 7,b7 any ,state or local government or tribal government2 or 7,c7 any foreign government or international organization4 ,clerk4