,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #aid #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #aefh ,report ,no4 #aaf-bdd1 ,part ,i ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #f1 #bjai ,mr4 ,moulton 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,rutherford1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,mr4 ,posey1 and ,mr4 ,keating7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources1 and in addition to the ,committee on the ,budget1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,october #ah1 #bjai ,additional sponsors3 ,mr4 ,mast1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 ,ms4 ,brownley of ,california1 ,mr4 ,sablan1 ,mr4 ,casten of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,lipinski1 ,mr4 ,buchanan1 ,ms4 ,kuster of ,new ,hampshire1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,neguse1 ,mr4 ,van ,drew1 ,mr4 ,hastings1 ,mr4 ,case1 ,mr4 ,raskin1 ,mr4 ,beyer1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,ms4 ,clark of ,massachusetts1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,cunningham1 ,mr4 ,trone1 ,ms4 ,lofgren1 ,mr4 ,pappas1 ,ms4 ,pressley1 ,ms4 ,mucarsel-,powell1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,neal1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 ,mr4 ,crist1 ,mr4 ,schneider1 ,ms4 ,slotkin1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,ms4 ,castor of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,suozzi1 ,mrs4 ,davis of ,california1 ,mr4 ,ted ,lieu of ,california1 ,mr4 ,cisneros1 ,mr4 ,de,fazio1 ,mr4 ,lewis1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia1 ,mrs4 ,trahan1 ,mr4 ,harder of ,california1 and ,mr4 ,schiff ,october #ah1 #bjai ,reported from the ,committee on ,natural ,resources with an amendment ,strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic ,october #ah1 #bjai ,committee on the ,budget discharged2 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union and ordered to be printed ,for text of introduced bill1 see copy of bill as introduced on ,march #f1 #bjai ,a ,,bill ,to assist in the conservation of the ,north ,atlantic right whale by supporting and providing financial resources for ,north ,atlantic right whale conservation programs and projects of persons with expertise required for the conservation of ,north ,atlantic right whales1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,scientific ,assistance for ,very ,endangered ,north ,atlantic ,right ,whales ,act of #bjai or the ,,save ,right ,whales ,act4 ,i ,north ,atlantic ,right ,whale ,conservation #aja4 ,north ,atlantic right whale conservation assistance 7a7 ,assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,subject to the availability of funds and in consultation with other ,federal officials1 the ,secretary of ,commerce 7in this title referred to as the ,secretary7 shall provide competitive financial assistance1 including multiyear grants1 for projects for the conservation of ,north ,atlantic right whales for which project proposals are approved by the ,secretary in accordance with this section4 7#b7 ,use of existing authorities ,assistance provided under this section shall be carried out in a manner consistent with authorities available to the ,secretary under the ,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq47 and the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of #aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #acfa et seq474 7b7 ,project proposals 7#a7 ,eligible applicants ,a project proposal may be submitted to the ,secretary under this section by-- 7,a7 relevant ,state and tribal agencies1 research institutions1 and nonprofit organizations with expertise required for the conservation of ,north ,atlantic right whales2 and 7,b7 any other individual or entity1 as determined appropriate by the ,secretary1 with the expertise required for the conservation of ,north ,atlantic right whales1 including large whale disentanglement teams approved by the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration and members in good standing of the ,national ,marine ,mammal ,health and ,stranding ,response ,program1 sectors of the shipping and fishing industries1 fishing gear manufacturers1 and rope manufacturers4 7#b7 ,federal partnership opportunities ,a ,federal agency may not be a lead entity or receive funding for a project under this section1 but may be included as a partner or collaborator on a project that receives such funding4 7#c7 ,required elements ,a project proposal shall include-- 7,a7 a statement of the purposes of the project2 7,b7 the name of the entity or individual with overall responsibility for the project2 7,c7 a description of the qualifications of the entity or individuals that will conduct the project2 7,d7 a description of-- 7i7 methods for project implementation and outcome assessment2 7ii7 staffing and stakeholder engagement for the project2 7iii7 the logistics of the project2 7iv7 an estimated timeline for the project2 and 7v7 anticipated outcomes of the project2 7,e7 a proposed budget for the funds and time required to complete the project2 7,f7 information regarding the source and amount of matching funding available for the project2 7,g7 information that demonstrates the clear potential of the project to contribute to the conservation of ,north ,atlantic right whales2 and 7,h7 any other information that the ,secretary considers to be necessary for evaluating the eligibility of the project for funding under this ,act4 7c7 ,annual grant project proposal solicitation1 review1 and approval 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall annually-- 7,a7 solicit project proposals for grants under this section2 7,b7 provide to other ,federal officials1 as appropriate1 copies of each proposal submitted in response to the solicitation2 and 7,c7 review each such proposal on a timeline that recognizes the urgency of the declining ,north ,atlantic right whale population to determine whether the proposal meets the criteria specified in subsection 7d74 7#b7 ,consultation2 approval or disapproval ,subject to the availability of funds1 the ,secretary shall1 with respect to each project proposal submitted under this section1 and after consulting with other ,federal officials1 as appropriate-- 7,a7 consult with respect to the proposal with the government of each ,state and foreign country in which the project is to be conducted2 7,b7 after taking into consideration any comments resulting from the consultation and any potential losses that could be incurred to the fishing industry as a result of the proposal1 approve or disapprove the proposal2 and 7,c7 provide written notification of the approval or disapproval to the individual or entity that submitted the proposal1 other ,federal officials1 and each ,state and foreign country described in subparagraph 7,a74 7d7 ,criteria for approval ,the ,secretary may approve a project proposal under this section if the project shows promise for contributing to recovering and sustaining a viable population of ,north ,atlantic right whales in the wild by assisting efforts to-- 7#a7 implement conservation programs2 7#b7 address the unintentional conflicts between humans and ,north ,atlantic right whales through development1 testing1 and use of innovative technology or other methods to reduce the lethal and sub-lethal effects on ,north ,atlantic right whales from vessel collisions and fishing gear entanglements2 7#c7 promote cooperative projects on such topics with foreign governments2 or 7#d7 promote cooperative projects on such topics with affected local communities1 small businesses such as fishermen1 others in the private sector1 or nongovernmental organizations4 7e7 ,priority ,to the extent practicable1 in determining whether to approve project proposals under this section1 the ,secretary shall prioritize projects that are designed to reduce the lethal and sub-lethal effects of human activities on ,north ,atlantic right whales4 ,in prioritizing such projects1 the ,secretary shall prioritize1 among such projects1 projects that are cooperative in nature and include fishing or shipping sector participants4 7f7 ,matching requirement 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#c71 the non-,federal share of the costs of an activity conducted with financial assistance under this section shall be #be percent of such costs4 7#b7 ,in-kind contributions ,the ,secretary may apply to the non-,federal share of an activity conducted with financial assistance under this section the amount of funds1 and the fair market value of property and services1 provided by non-,federal sources and used for the activity4 7#c7 ,waiver of requirements ,the ,secretary may waive the application of paragraph 7#a7 if the ,secretary finds that such waiver is necessary to support a conservation project that the ,secretary has identified as of high priority4 7g7 ,project reporting 7#a7 ,in general ,each individual or entity that receives assistance under this section for a project shall submit to the ,secretary periodic reports 7at such intervals as the ,secretary may require7 that include all information that the ,secretary1 after consultation with other government officials1 determines is necessary to evaluate the progress and success of the project for the purposes of ensuring positive results1 assessing problems1 and fostering improvements4 7#b7 ,availability to the public ,reports under paragraph 7#a71 and any other documents relating to projects for which financial assistance is provided under this ,act1 shall be made available to the public in a timely manner4 #ajb4 ,north ,atlantic right whale interagency budget 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget shall include1 in the budget of the ,president submitted to ,congress under section #aaje7;a7 of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 for fiscal year #bjba and each fiscal year thereafter1 an interagency budget that displays for each ,federal agency that engages in ,north ,atlantic right whale activities-- 7#a7 the amount of appropriations and expenditures for the preceding fiscal year for such activities and a description of such activities2 7#b7 the estimated amount to be expended during the current fiscal year for such activities and a description of such activities2 and 7#c7 the amount estimated to be necessary for the next fiscal year for such activities and a description of such activities4 7b7 ,north ,atlantic right whale activities defined ,in this section1 the term ,north ,atlantic right whale activities means any activity of a ,federal agency to study1 observe1 monitor1 manage1 protect1 conserve1 or restore the ,north ,atlantic right whale population through direct or indirect means1 including through the provision of competitive financial assistance to non-,federal entities4 #ajc4 ,report to ,congress ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the results and effectiveness of projects receiving assistance provided under this title1 including recommendations concerning how this title might be improved and whether funding for this title should be continued in the future4 #ajd4 ,funding 7a7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,authorization ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this title #e1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjai through #bjbi4 7#b7 ,administrative expenses ,of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under this subsection for a fiscal year1 the ,secretary may expend not more than #e percent1 or up to #hj1jjj1 whichever is greater1 to pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry out this ,act4 7#c7 ,supplement not supplant ,the amount authorized to be appropriated by paragraph 7#a7 shall supplement and not supplant other amounts available to the ,secretary4 7b7 ,acceptance and use of donations ,the ,secretary may accept1 receive1 solicit1 hold1 administer1 and use any gift1 devise1 or bequest to provide assistance under section #e4 ,,ii ,continuous ,plankton ,recorder #bja4 ,survey 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and on an ongoing basis thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,commerce shall conduct a continuous plankton recorder survey4 7b7 ,required elements ,for the purpose of conducting the survey required under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,commerce shall-- 7#a7 to the extent possible1 utilize the resources of and partner with1 on a volunteer basis1 research institutions1 nonprofit organizations1 commercial vessels1 and other ,federal agencies2 7#b7 in as short a time as possible1 ensure relevant survey samples and results are analyzed1 stored1 archived1 and made publicly available2 7#c7 prioritize the collection of plankton samples and data that inform the conservation of ,north ,atlantic right whales2 and 7#d7 to the extent practicable1 coordinate with the ,government of ,canada to develop a transboundary understanding of plankton abundance and distribution4 7c7 ,authorization of ,appropriations ,to carry out this section there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary of ,commerce #cjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjai through #bjbi4 ,october #ah1 #bjai ,reported from the ,committee on ,natural ,resources with an amendment ,october #ah1 #bjai ,committee on the ,budget discharged2 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union and ordered to be printed