,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #dae #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ddeh ,report ,no4 #aag-egd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #af1 #bjba,mr4 ,huffman 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,barragn1 ,mr4 ,lieu1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 ,mr4 ,panetta1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4 ,de,fazio1 ,ms4 ,bonamici1 and ,ms4 ,norton7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources ,november #af1 #bjbb;,additional sponsors3 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,ms4 ,jayapal1 ,ms4 ,del,bene1 and ,mr4 ,kilmer ,november #af1 #bjbb,reported with an amendment1 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union1 and ordered to be printed,strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic,for text of introduced bill1 see copy of bill as introduced on ,july #af1 #bjba ,a ,,bill ,to establish a grant program within the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to award grants to eligible entities for the purpose of carrying out projects on the conservation1 restoration1 or management of kelp forest ecosystems4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,keeping ,ecosystems ,living and ,productive ,act or the ,,kelp ,act4 #b4 ,grants for conserving1 recovering1 and maintaining kelp forest ecosystems 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator shall establish a grant program under which the ,administrator shall award grants to eligible entities described in subsection 7b7 to carry out projects relating to the conservation1 restoration1 or management of kelp forest ecosystems4 7b7 ,eligible entity ,to be eligible for a grant under this section1 an entity shall-- 7#a7 be a member of the fishing industry1 an institution of higher education1 a nonprofit organization1 an ,indian ,tribe1 or a ,state agency2 7#b7 propose or be conducting a project relating to the conservation1 restoration1 or management of kelp forest ecosystems developed through consultation with any of the other entities described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7#c7 submit to the ,administrator an application describing such project at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,administrator may require1 including information about what criteria will be used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the project and the qualifications of the applicant to conduct1 monitor1 and evaluate the project4 7c7 ,eligible projects ,the ,administrator shall award grants to eligible entities for projects that-- 7#a7 address greatest relative regional declines in kelp forest ecosystems2 7#b7 focus on elements such as-- 7,a7 long term ecosystem resilience2 7,b7 long term socioeconomic resilience2 7,c7 kelp forest seeding and connectivity2 7,d7 re-establishing trophic structure to support resilience through actions such as targeted urchin removal and predator control efforts2 7,e7 monitoring and assessment of kelp forest ecosystems2 or 7,f7 other efforts to restore kelp forest ecosystems and prevent large scale losses of kelp forests2 or 7#c7 are identified by ,federal or ,state restoration and management plans as focal areas for recovery of kelp forests and associated species4 7d7 ,matching requirement 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 the amount of ,federal funding received as a grant under this section by an eligible entity may not exceed #he percent of the total cost of the project for which a grant is awarded4 ,for the purposes of this subparagraph1 the non-,federal share of project costs may be provided by in-kind contributions and other noncash support4 7#b7 ,waiver ,the ,administrator may waive all or part of the requirement in paragraph 7#a7 if the ,administrator determines that no reasonable means are available through which an eligible entity applying for a grant under this section can meet such requirement and the probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in such requirement4 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section-- 7#a7 the term ,administrator means the ,secretary of ,commerce acting through the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#b7 the term fishing industry means processors1 commercial fishermen1 and recreational fishermen2 7#c7 the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given such term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd72 7#d7 the term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a772 7#e7 the term kelp forest ecosystem means a naturally occurring1 biotic system dominated by canopy-forming1 stipitate1 or prostrate benthic macroalgae and associated taxa2 and 7#f7 the term nonprofit organization means an organization described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from tax under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the purposes of this ,act and the grants authorized by section #b are to support native wild kelp forest ecosystems and restoration of native wild kelp to enable long term recovery of naturally functioning kelp forest ecosystems that do not involve commercial or mechanized harvesting4 ,november #af1 #bjbb,reported with an amendment1 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union1 and ordered to be printed