Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act of 2005
Latest action. Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act of 2005 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 to extend the award of remaining grant funds under the coral reef conservation program, in addition to projects addressing emerging priorities or threats, to other appropriate projects, as identified by the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including monitoring and assessment, research, pollution reduction, education, and technical support.
Prohibits the Administrator from approving a coral reef conservation project unless it is consistent with a certain coral reef action strategy and will enhance conservation by: (1) promoting activities designed to minimize vessel impacts on coral reefs; and (2) assisting entities to work with local communities, and appropriate governmental and nongovernmental organizations, to support community-based planning and management initiatives for the protection of coral reef systems.
(Sec. 3) Authorizes the Administrator to undertake emergency response actions to prevent or minimize the destruction or loss of, or injury to, coral reefs or coral ecosystems from vessel impacts, derelict fishing gear, vessel anchors and anchor chains, or damage from unforeseen or disaster-related circumstances.
Requires the Administrator, when possible, to partner with other specified federal agencies and to leverage their resources for such purposes.
(Sec. 4) Authorizes, under the national program to conserve coral reefs and coral ecosystems, any activities designed to minimize the likelihood of vessel impacts or other physical damage to coral reefs, including activities to identify certain at-risk coral reefs.
(Sec. 5) Directs the Administrator to report triennially to Congress on all activities undertaken to implement the national coral reef action strategy, including: (1) a description of funds obligated by each participating federal agency to advance coral reef conservation; (2) a description of federal interagency and cooperative efforts with states and U.S. territories to prevent overharvesting, coastal runoff, or other anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs; (3) a summary of the information contained in the vessel grounding inventory, including additional funding, needed for response and removal of such vessels; (4) a description of federal disaster response actions taken under the National Response Plan to address damage to coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems; and (5) an assessment of the condition of U.S. coral reefs, accomplishments under this Act, and the effectiveness of management actions to address threats to coral reefs.
The summary continues for 5 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed Senate amended" stage on December 15, 2005. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on December 15, 2005: Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
DANIEL INOUYE (D-HI) introduced it on July 13, 2005, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 13, 2005, 7729 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7574 days ago, on December 15, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers