HR 3644 · 111th Congress 2009–2011, ended

Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act

Latest action · Mar 22, 2010 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedSep 24, 2009
  2. Passed HouseMar 19, 2010
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act - (Sec. 4) Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish the Environmental Literacy Grant Program, a competitive grant program that provides financial assistance to: (1) expand the adoption of coastal, ocean, Great Lakes, and climate on all time scales education; (2) build administrative and technical capacity with coastal, ocean, and watershed communities and stakeholder groups to enhance their effectiveness; (3) encourage water- and wildlife-dependent and other outdoor recreation, experiential learning, and hands-on involvement with coastal and watershed resources as a method of promoting stewardship and sustainable economic development of those resources; and (4) develop and implement new approaches to advance coastal, ocean, Great Lakes, and climate on all time scales and education and environmental literacy.

Requires the Administrator to: (1) give priority, in awarding environmental literacy grants, to innovative, strategic, high-leverage projects that demonstrate strong potential for being sustained; and (2) publish guidelines regarding implementation of the Environmental Literacy Grant Program.

(Sec. 5) Directs the Administrator to conduct the Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program, including each of the regional programs conducted or under active consideration for creation under the B-WET Program. Authorizes the Administrator to create new regional programs under the B-WET Program. Requires the Administrator to issue and report to Congress on a strategy for establishing such new regional programs. Requires the Administrator, in creating new regional programs, to give priority to the needs of U.S. territories, the Great Lakes states, Alaska, and the mid-Atlantic region.

Authorizes the Administrator to modify or realign regional B-WET programs, based on specified factors. Makes the Administrator responsible for the selection, appointment, and replacement of regional program managers. Establishes managers' duties.

Requires the Administrator to create B-WET Program guidelines through which managers may: (1) enter into contracts to support projects to design, demonstrate, evaluate, or disseminate practices, methods, or techniques related to bay-watershed education and training; and (2) provide grants or a cooperative agreement to support projects that advance environmental literacy, develop public awareness and appreciation of the economic, social, recreational, and environmental benefits of coastal watersheds, and emphasize stewardship of critical coastal and marine resources.

Requires managers, in awarding grants under the B-WET Program, to give priority to projects that will: (1) promote bay-watershed education throughout the region concerned; (2) advance strategic initiatives to incorporate bay-watershed education into education systems; (3) build capacity within bay-watershed education communities and stakeholder groups for expanding and strengthening their work; (4) build bay-watershed education into professional development or training activities for educators; (5) broadly replicate existing, proven bay-watershed education programs; (6) be conducted by or benefit under-served communities and any community that has an inability to draw on other funding sources because of its small population or low income; and (7) require a federal share not exceeding 75% of the aggregate cost of such project.

Requires NOAA's Office of Education to work with managers on the following regional B-WET Program functions: (1) strategic planning efforts; (2) integration and coordination of programs; (3) coordination of national evaluation efforts; (4) promotion of network-wide communications; (5) selection of new managers; and (6) management, tracking, and oversight of the B-WET Program.

(Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to report biennially to Congress on grant programs.

(Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015 for the Environmental Literacy Grant Program and the B-WET Program. Prohibits such appropriated funds from being used for congressional earmarks.

Recorded votes 4

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll callQuestionResultDate
House 142Passed244–170Mar 19, 2010
House 141Failed200–215Mar 19, 2010
House 140Agreed to233–178Mar 19, 2010
House 139Agreed to376–37Mar 19, 2010

Cosponsors 30

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 24, 2009 to Nov 18, 2009; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-CASam FarrOriginalSep 24, 2009
R-MIVernon J. EhlersOriginalSep 24, 2009
D-GUMadeleine Z. BordalloSep 29, 2009
D-MICarolyn C. KilpatrickOct 6, 2009
D-VIDonna M. ChristensenOct 6, 2009
D-OREarl BlumenauerOct 6, 2009
D-CALaura RichardsonOct 6, 2009
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaOct 6, 2009
D-CAMike ThompsonOct 13, 2009
D-CABarbara LeeOct 14, 2009
D-MPGregorio Kilili Camacho SablanOct 14, 2009
D-MEChellie PingreeOct 15, 2009
D-PRPedro R. PierluisiOct 15, 2009
D-VAGerald E. ConnollyOct 20, 2009
D-NHCarol Shea-PorterOct 29, 2009

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseNatural Resources Committee
Referred Sep 24, 2009Markup Nov 18, 2009Reported Jan 12, 2010
Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs Subcommittee
Referred Sep 28, 2009Hearings Oct 15, 2009Discharged Nov 18, 2009
SenateCommerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Referred Mar 22, 2010

Actions 23

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 22, 2010Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  2. Mar 19, 2010Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1192. (consideration: CR H1669-1674, H1675-1676, H1676-1686; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H1669-1671)
  3. Mar 19, 2010Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3644 and H.R. 1612. It shall be in order to consider in the House, H.R. 3644 and H.R. 1612. All points of order against consideration of each bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Natural Resources now printed in each bill shall be considered as adopted. The bills, as amended, shall be considered read. Further amendments are in order. Each bill shall be debatable for one hour.
  4. Mar 19, 2010DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 3644.
  5. Mar 19, 2010DEBATE - The House proceeded with 20 minutes of debate on the Capps amendment in the nature of a substitute.

In the Congressional Record 2

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
HouseDebate and remarks H1661–H1665, H1669–H1686Text printed H1661, H1669–H1671Amendments H1677, H1681Motions H1684Recorded votes H1667, H1683, H1684, H1685, H1686Capps amendment (substitute)Chaffetz motion to recommit (freeze funding, prohibit entities suing the Government from receiving grants, and expand areas which grants may be offered)enactFlake amendment (prohibit use of education and watershed programs funds for earmarks)Declaratory Statements H1745Chaka Fattah D-PA, Chellie Pingree D-ME, Daniel E. Lungren R-CA, Donna F. Edwards D-MD, Gerald E. Connolly D-VA, James P. McGovern D-MA, Jared Polis D-CO, Jason Chaffetz R-UT (motion), Jay Inslee D-WA, Jeff Flake R-AZ (amendment), John P. Sarbanes D-MD, Keith Ellison D-MN, Lincoln Diaz-Balart R-FL, Lois Capps D-CA (amendment), Rush Holt D-NJ, Sam Farr D-CA, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Steve Scalise R-LAMar 19, 2010
HouseDeclaratory Statements H1657—Mar 18, 2010

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Committee report

Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2

  1. Dec 4, 2009H.R. 3644, Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on November 18, 2009</p>
  2. Dec 4, 2009H.R. 3644, Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on November 18, 2009

Printed hearings 2

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 111-61DISCUSSION DRAFT, AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3534, DATED JUNE 22, 2010 (5:25 P.M.)123 pagesNatural Resources CommitteeJun 22, 2010–Jun 30, 2010
—COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 2011525 pagesAppropriations CommitteeApr 14, 2010

CRS reports 1

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 1

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

ProductTitleKindPublished
RL33603Ocean Commissions: Ocean Policy Review and Outlook ArchivedReportJul 20, 2010

Amendments 2

Amendments offered to this bill.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Titles 4

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish education and watershed programs which advance environmental literacy, including preparedness and adaptability for the likely impacts of climate change in coastal watershed regions.
Short Titles as Introduced
Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Regional Program and National Environmental Literacy Grant Program Act
Short Titles as Reported to House
Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act
Short Titles as Passed House
Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources.

Text 4

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Mar 22, 2010Referred in Senate
  2. Mar 19, 2010Engrossed in House
  3. Jan 12, 2010Reported in House
  4. Sep 24, 2009Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.