S 318 United States Senate · 118th Congress

Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act

This bill amends the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act to revise the governance and operations of the Marine Debris Foundation. It redefines "Tribal organization" to align with the Indian Self-Determination Act, requires the Foundation to operate as a corporation (not an organization), and mandates new best practices for outreach to Indian Tribes. Key changes include allowing the Foundation to locate its main office outside Washington, D.C. in a coastal state, and permitting salary payments for 24 months using federal funds. The bill directly affects the Foundation’s structure, its engagement with Tribal organizations, and how it manages federal funds for marine debris programs.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
Committee Review
Dec 2023
Senate Passage
Dec 2023
House Passage
President
Introduced Feb 9, 2023 Last action Dec 15, 2023
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in Senate → Engrossed in Senate · 10 edits · Dec 13, 2023
MAJOR
The Engrossed version of S 318 adds a new definition for 'Tribal government' distinct from 'Tribal organization,' expands the Foundation's purposes to explicitly include Indian Tribes, converts a prohibition on administrative spending into a 12 percent cap with a 24-month salary limit, narrows eligible fund recipients by removing NGOs and foreign entities, adds a rule of construction protecting tribal treaty rights and consultation requirements, and removes NOAA's authority to receive funds from outside sources and use outside resources for the Marine Debris Program.
DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'Tribal government' meaning the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native Tribe as listed under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994. This is distinct from the existing 'Tribal organization' definition.

Removed the definition of 'Indian tribe' in Section 7 of the Marine Debris Act that referenced the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.

SCOPE

Added a new subsection (c) 'Purposes' that amends the Foundation's stated purposes to explicitly include Indian Tribes alongside Tribal governments.

Expanded the Foundation's best practices outreach obligation from 'Indian Tribes' to 'Indian Tribes and Tribal governments.'

REQUIREMENT

Changed the administrative spending rule from a prohibition ('no Federal funds may be used for administrative costs') to a limitation capping such use at 12 percent, and added a 24-month time limit on using Federal funds to pay salaries.

ELIGIBILITY

Narrowed the list of entities eligible to receive Foundation funds under Section 118(a)(2) by removing 'United States and international nongovernmental organizations' and 'foreign government entities,' while retaining regional organizations, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a rule of construction stating that nothing in the Act satisfies any requirement for government-to-government consultation with Tribal governments or affects or modifies any treaty or other right of any Tribal government.

FISCAL

Removed NOAA's authority (Section 3(e)) to receive funds from federal agencies, state/local governments, Indian tribes, foreign governments, international organizations, public/private organizations, or individuals for the Marine Debris Program.

Removed NOAA's authority (Section 3(f)) to use, with consent and reimbursement, the land, services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of various entities for the Marine Debris Program.

TECHNICAL

Changed the Foundation's legal status language from 'organization' to 'corporation' in Section 111(a).

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate. No roll call record of that vote is available.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
4
Committee
3
Dec 13, 2023
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5967-5968; text: CR S5967-5968)
upper
Dec 13, 2023
Upper · Passed
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S5967-5968; text: CR S5967-5968)
upper
Dec 5, 2023
Upper · Passed
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cantwell with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
upper
Mar 22, 2023
Upper · Passed
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
upper
Feb 9, 2023
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
upper
Feb 9, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors

Sponsors