More than 200 fragmented, individual laws currently govern the agency

WASHINGTON – Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers has reintroduced a bill that would codify the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in one authorization for the first time since the agency’s creation in 1970. The NOAA Organic Act (H.R. 300) would provide comprehensive administrative, organizational, and budgetary direction for NOAA. Currently, NOAA is authorized by over 200 individual laws, creating a fragmented framework under which the agency must conduct its important activities, including research and education contributing to the stewardship of the Great Lakes, and the operation of satellites which accurately predict weather forecasts around the country.

      “The work at NOAA is too important for it to operate without comprehensive guidance,” said Congressman Ehlers, a member of the House Committee on Science and Technology. “From research and monitoring in the Great Lakes and oceans, to drought predictions and storm warnings, this legislation is crucial in strengthening NOAA’s ability to successfully carry out its work. It is time for Congress to pass this bill so NOAA can better manage our oceans, atmosphere, and coastal areas.”

       NOAA was established by an executive order by President Richard Nixon in 1970, but the functions and responsibilities of NOAA have never officially been codified by Congress through an organic act. Such an act is used to establish federal agencies or a territory of the United States. The NOAA Organic Act would provide funding authorization for all of NOAA’s programs under a single law, rather than the more than 200 laws currently authorizing the agency.

      Reports by the Joint Ocean Commission and the Pew Commission on Ocean Policy concluded that an organic act for NOAA was necessary for the agency to best function in its mission. The language in this bill provides the firm statutory basis for NOAA recommended by the commissions.

      H.R. 300 is identical to legislation introduced by Ehlers in the previous session of Congress, and that passed in the House during the 109^th Congress but was not considered by the Senate.