H.R. 221 Text - Placed on Calendar Senate - 115th Congress (2017-2018)

To reauthorize the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998, and for other purposes.

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 “Hydrographic Services Improvement Amendments Act”.

SEC. 2. Reauthorization of Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998.

(a) Reauthorizations.—Section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d) is amended—

(1) by inserting before “There are authorized” the following: “(a) In general.—”;

(2) in subsection (a) (as designated by paragraph (1))—

(A) in paragraph (1), by striking “surveys—” and all that follows through the end of the paragraph and inserting “surveys, $70,814,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.”;

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking “vessels—” and all that follows through the end of the paragraph and inserting “vessels, $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.”;

(C) in paragraph (3), by striking “Administration—” and all that follows through the end of the paragraph and inserting “Administration, $29,932,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.”;

(D) in paragraph (4), by striking “title—” and all that follows through the end of the paragraph and inserting “title, $26,800,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.”; and

(E) in paragraph (5), by striking “title—” and all that follows through the end of the paragraph and inserting “title, $30,564,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(b) Arctic programs.—Of the amount authorized by this section for each fiscal year—

“(1) $10,000,000 is authorized for use to acquire hydrographic data, provide hydrographic services, conduct coastal change analyses necessary to ensure safe navigation, and improve the management of coastal change in the Arctic; and

“(2) $2,000,000 is authorized for use to acquire hydrographic data and provide hydrographic services in the Arctic necessary to delineate the United States extended Continental Shelf.”.

(b) Limitation on administrative expenses for surveys.—Section 306 of such Act (33 U.S.C. 892d) is further amended by adding at the end the following:

“(c) Limitation on administrative expenses for surveys.—Of amounts authorized by this section for each fiscal year for hydrographic surveys, not more than 5 percent is authorized for administrative costs.”.

SEC. 3. GAO study.

The Comptroller General of the United States shall, by not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act—

(1) conduct a study comparing the unit costs of hydrographic surveys conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the unit costs of procuring performance of such surveys; and

(2) report to the Congress on the findings of such study.