[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3925 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3925
To direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to
establish a grant program to fund youth fishing projects.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 7, 2023
Ms. Salazar (for herself, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Kim of New Jersey,
Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Kildee, Mrs. Cammack,
Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Gimenez, and Mr. Pallone) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to
establish a grant program to fund youth fishing projects.
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 ``Youth Coastal Fishing Program Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. YOUTH COASTAL FISHING GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a program to award
grants and provide technical assistance to eligible entities for the
purpose of establishing youth fishing projects.
(b) Applications.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this
section shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c) Determinations of Eligibility.--The Secretary shall develop
criteria for purposes of determining whether an entity is eligible to
receive a grant under this section in consultation with relevant
offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, such as
the Office of Coastal Management, the National Sea Grant Office, the
National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries.
(d) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant award
under this section shall use the amount of the award for purposes
related to conducting a youth fishing project, including--
(1) the purchase or rental of fishing equipment;
(2) the cost of transporting participants to and from a
youth fishing project;
(3) fees associated with boat rental, pier access, or other
facilities;
(4) fishing license purchases;
(5) fishing guide costs; or
(6) such other expenses related to conducting a youth
fishing project as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
shall give priority to applications containing proposals for youth
fishing projects focused on an underserved community.
(f) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
on--
(1) the eligible entities awarded grants under this
section;
(2) the amount each such entity received;
(3) how those entities used the grant award; and
(4) the number of participants in youth fishing projects
funded by grants under this section.
(g) Funding.--
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary $2,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this section.
(2) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) shall
remain available until expended.
(3) Administrative costs.--Not more than 3 percent of
amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of
appropriations under paragraph (1) may be used by the Secretary
for the administrative costs of carrying out this section.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a nonprofit organization;
(B) an educational institution;
(C) a State, local, or Tribal government; or
(D) a Native Hawaiian organization (as defined in
section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517)).
(2) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit
organization'' means an organization described in section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from
taxation under 501(a) of that Code.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United
States, and any other territory or possession of the United
States.
(5) Tribal government.--The term ``Tribal government''
means the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska
Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community,
component band, or component reservation, individually
identified (including parenthetically) in the list published
most recently as of the date of the enactment of this Act
pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian
Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).
(6) Underserved community.--The term ``underserved
community'' means a population of individuals sharing a
particular characteristic, or a geographic community, that has
been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in
aspects of economic, social, and civic life, such as--
(A) racial and ethnic minorities;
(B) individuals with access and functional needs;
or
(C) individuals otherwise adversely affected by
persistent poverty or inequality.
(7) Youth fishing project.--The term ``youth fishing
project'' means a project that provides youth with--
(A) a recreational fishing experience conducted
from a shore, pier, or boat located in the Great Lakes,
coastal waters, ocean waters, or a tidal river;
(B) education about marine science, conservation,
and fishing regulations; and
(C) information on where and how to continue
fishing.
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