Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4008 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1994

(House)
(Ortiz (D) Texas and 7 others)

The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 4008 with amendments, including amendments to:

• Delete the restrictions on contracting for modernization of the NOAA fleet; to delete the cap on the amount that can be spent for repairs and maintenance of ships; and to delete the requirement for funding for non-NOAA vessels (Section 409)  . These limitations would interfere with NOAA's fleet modernization plan.
  
  
• Delete Title VI which would statutorily establish a National Undersea Research Program (NURP). The Title is overly prescriptive and would interfere with the Department's ability to administer the program.
  
  
• Provide for the National Research Council, instead of the Council's Marine Board, to study the NOAA Corps (Section 410)  . The Council is the appropriate entity to review the broad mission of the Corps.

Pay-As-You-Go Scoring

H.R. 4008 would affect direct spending; therefore, it is subject to the pay-as-you-go requirement of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. OMB's preliminary PAYGO estimate is that H.R. 4008 would increase direct spending by about $1 million per year. Final scoring of this legislation may differ from this estimate.