Oceans and Human Health Act

3-24-04
Bill Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent

108th CONGRESS
2d Session

S. 1218

AN ACT

To provide for Presidential support and coordination of interagency ocean science programs and development and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated United States research and monitoring program.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Oceans and Human Health Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) FINDINGS- The Congress makes the following findings:

(1) The rich biodiversity of marine organisms provides society with an essential biomedical resource, a promising source of novel compounds with therapeutic potential, and a potentially important contribution to the national economy.

(2) The diversity of ocean life and research on the health of marine organisms, including marine mammals and other sentinel species, helps scientists in their efforts to investigate and understand human physiology and biochemical processes, as well as providing a means for monitoring the health of marine ecosystems.

(3) The oceans drive climate and weather factors causing severe weather events and shifts in temperature and rainfall patterns that affect the density and distribution of disease-causing organisms and the ability of public health systems to address them.

(4) The oceans act as a route of exposure for human disease and illnesses through ingestion of contaminated seafood and direct contact with seawater containing toxins and disease-causing organisms.

(5) During the past two decades, the incidence of harmful blooms of algae and hypoxia has increased in United States coastal waters, including the Great Lakes, and around the world, contaminating shellfish, causing widespread fish kills, threatening marine environmental quality and resulting in substantial economic losses to coastal communities.

(6) Existing Federal programs and resources support research in a number of these areas, but gaps in funding, coordination, and outreach have impeded national progress in addressing ocean health issues.

(7) National investment in a coordinated program of research and monitoring would improve understanding of marine ecosystems, allow prediction and prevention of marine public health problems and assist in realizing the potential of the oceans to contribute to the development of effective new treatments of human diseases and a greater understanding of human biology.

(b) PURPOSES- The purposes of this Act are to provide for--

(1) Presidential support and coordination of interagency ocean science programs; and

(2) development and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated United States ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes research and monitoring program that will assist this Nation and the world to understand, use and respond to the role of the oceans in human health.

SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH RESEARCH PROGRAM.

(a) COORDINATION- The President, through the National Science and Technology Council, shall coordinate and support a national research program to improve understanding of the role of the oceans in human health.

(b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN- Within 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the National Science and Technology Council, through the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall develop and submit to the Congress a plan for coordinated Federal activities under the program. Nothing in this subsection is intended to duplicate or supersede the activities of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia established under section 603 of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 1451 note). In developing the plan, the Committee will consult with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia. Such plan will build on and complement the ongoing activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, and other departments and agencies and shall--

(1) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year it is submitted, the goals and priorities for Federal research which most effectively advance scientific understanding of the connections between the oceans and human health, provide usable information for the prediction of marine-related public health problems and use the biological potential of the oceans for development of new treatments of human diseases and a greater understanding of human biology;

(2) describe specific activities required to achieve such goals and priorities, including the funding of competitive research grants, ocean and coastal observations, training and support for scientists, and participation in international research efforts;

(3) identify and address, as appropriate, relevant programs and activities of the Federal agencies and departments that would contribute to the program;

(4) consider and use, as appropriate, reports and studies conducted by Federal agencies and departments, the National Research Council, the Ocean Research Advisory Panel, the Commission on Ocean Policy and other expert scientific bodies;

(5) make recommendations for the coordination of program activities with ocean and human health-related activities of other national and international organizations; and

(6) estimate Federal funding for research activities to be conducted under the program.

(1) Interdisciplinary research among the ocean and medical sciences, and coordinated research and activities to improve understanding of processes within the ocean that may affect human health and to explore the potential contribution of marine organisms to medicine and research, including--

(A) vector- and water-borne diseases of humans and marine organisms, including marine mammals and fish;

(B) harmful algal blooms and hypoxia (through the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia);

(D) marine organisms as models for biomedical research and as indicators of marine environmental health;

(E) marine environmental microbiology;

(F) bioaccumulative and endocrine-disrupting chemical contaminants; and

(G) predictive models based on indicators of marine environmental health or public health threats.

(2) Coordination with the National Ocean Research Leadership Council (10 U.S.C. 7902(a)) to ensure that any integrated ocean and coastal observing system provides information necessary to monitor and reduce marine public health problems including health-related data on biological populations and detection of contaminants in marine waters and seafood.

(3) Development through partnerships among Federal agencies, States, or academic institutions of new technologies and approaches for detecting and reducing hazards to human health from ocean sources and to strengthen understanding of the value of marine biodiversity to biomedicine, including--

(A) genomics and proteomics to develop genetic and immunological detection approaches and predictive tools and to discover new biomedical resources;

(B) biomaterials and bioengineering;

(C) in situ and remote sensors used to detect, quantify, and predict the presence and spread of contaminants in marine waters and organisms and to identify new genetic resources for biomedical purposes;

(D) techniques for supplying marine resources, including chemical synthesis, culturing and aquaculturing marine organisms, new fermentation methods and recombinant techniques; and

(E) adaptation of equipment and technologies from human health fields.

(4) Support for scholars, trainees and education opportunities that encourage an interdisciplinary and international approach to exploring the diversity of life in the oceans.

(d) ANNUAL REPORT- Beginning with the first year occurring more than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the National Science and Technology Council, through the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall prepare and submit to the President and the Congress not later than January 31st of each year an annual report on the activities conducted pursuant to this Act during the preceding fiscal year, including--

(1) a summary of the achievements of Federal oceans and human health research, including Federally supported external research, during the preceding fiscal year;

(2) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the goals and objectives of the plan developed under subsection (b), including identification of trends and emerging trends;

(3) a copy or summary of the plan and any changes made in the plan;

(4) a summary of agency budgets for oceans and human health activities for that preceding fiscal year; and

(5) any recommendations regarding additional action or legislation that may be required to assist in achieving the purposes of this title.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH INITIATIVE.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- As part of the interagency program planned and coordinated under section 3, the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to establish an Oceans and Human Health Initiative to coordinate and implement research and activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration related to the role of the oceans, the coasts, and the Great Lakes in human health. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consult with other Federal agencies conducting integrated oceans and human health research and research in related areas, including the National Science Foundation. The Oceans and Human Health Initiative is authorized to provide support for--

(1) centralized program and research coordination;

(2) an advisory panel;

(3) one or more National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration national centers of excellence;

(4) research grants; and

(5) distinguished scholars and traineeships.

(b) ADVISORY PANEL- The Secretary is authorized to establish an oceans and human health advisory panel to assist in the development and implementation of the Oceans and Human Health Initiative. Membership of the advisory group shall provide for balanced representation of individuals with multi-disciplinary expertise in the marine and biomedical sciences. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the oceans and human health advisory panel.

(c) NATIONAL CENTERS- (1) The Secretary is authorized to identify and provide financial support through a competitive process to develop, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for one or more centers of excellence that strengthen the capabilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out its programs and activities related to the oceans' role in human health.

(2) The centers shall focus on areas related to agency missions, including use of marine organisms as indicators for marine environmental health, ocean pollutants, marine toxins and pathogens, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, seafood testing, drug discovery, and biology and pathobiology of marine mammals, and on disciplines including marine genomics, marine environmental microbiology, ecological chemistry and conservation medicine.

(3) In selecting centers for funding, the Secretary will give priority to proposals with strong interdisciplinary scientific merit that encourage educational opportunities and provide for effective partnerships among the Administration, other Federal entities, State, academic, medical, and industry participants.

(d) EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH GRANTS- (1) The Secretary is authorized to provide grants of financial assistance to the scientific community for critical research and projects that explore the relationship between the oceans and human health and that complement or strengthen programs and activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration related to the ocean's role in human health. Officers and employees of Federal agencies may collaborate with, and participate in, such research and projects to the extent requested by the grant recipient. The Secretary shall consult with the oceans and human health advisory panel established under subsection (b) and may work cooperatively with other agencies participating in the interagency program under section 3 to establish joint criteria for such research and projects.

(2) Grants under this subsection shall be awarded through a competitive peer-reviewed, merit-based process that may be conducted jointly with other agencies participating in the interagency program established in section 3 or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program under section 7901 of title 10, United States Code.

(e) DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS AND TRAINEESHIPS- (1) The Secretary is authorized to designate and provide financial assistance to support distinguished scholars from academic institutions, industry, State governments, or other Federal agencies for collaborative work with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists and facilities.

(2) The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to establish a program to provide traineeships, training, and experience to pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students and to scientists at the beginning of their careers who are interested in the oceans in human health research conducted under the NOAA initiative.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND OUTREACH.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies shall design and implement a national information and outreach program on potential ocean-related human health risks, including health hazards associated with the human consumption of seafood. Under such program, the Secretary shall--

(1) collect information on the incidence and locations of ocean-related health hazards and illnesses;

(2) disseminate such information to any appropriate Federal or State agency, involved industries, and other interested persons; and

(3) assess and make recommendations for observing systems to support the program.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) NOAA OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH INITIATIVE- There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce to carry out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Oceans and Human Health Initiative established under section 4, $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 and 2008. Not less than 50 percent of the amounts appropriated to carry out the initiative for each fiscal year shall be utilized to support the programs described in subsections (d) and (e) of section 4.

(b) PUBLIC INFORMATION- There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the public information and outreach program established under section 5, $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2007.

Passed the Senate March 24, 2004.

Attest:

Secretary.

108th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 1218

AN ACT

END