InsideGov
Congress · Laws

Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act

Public Law 109-449 · S. 362 · 109th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 22, 2006 · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor: Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

Cosponsors (8): Sen. Ted Stevens,

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

Report a correction

Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act - (Sec. 3) Establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) a Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Program to reduce and prevent the occurrence and adverse impacts of marine debris on the marine environment and navigation safety.

Requires the Administrator of NOAA (Administrator), subject to the availability of appropriations, to: (1) undertake marine debris mapping, impact assessment, prevention, and removal efforts, with a focus on marine debris posing a threat to living marine resources and navigation safety; (2) improve efforts to reduce adverse impacts of lost and discarded fishing gear on living marine resources and navigation safety; and (3) undertake outreach and education of the public and other stakeholders in the fishing, fishing gear manufacturers, other marine-dependent, and plastic and waste management industries, on sources of, and threats associated with, marine debris and approaches to identify, determine sources of, assess, reduce, and prevent such debris and its adverse impacts on the marine environment and navigational safety.

Prescribes guidelines for the Administrator to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts and provide financial assistance in the form of grants through the Program for such projects.

(Sec. 4) Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard (CG) to: (1) take actions to reduce violations of and improve implementation of MARPOL Annex V (Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973) and the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships with respect to the discard of plastics and other garbage from vessels; (2) develop and implement a plan to improve ship-board waste management; (3) take actions to improve international cooperation to reduce marine debris; and (4) establish a voluntary reporting program for commercial vessel operators and recreational boaters to report incidents of damage to vessels and disruption of navigation caused by marine debris, including observed violations relating to disposal of plastics and other marine debris. Requires the Commandant of the CG to report to Congress on the CG's progress in implementing such actions.

Requires the Commandant of the CG to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council to conduct, and submit to Congress, a report on the effectiveness of international and national measures to prevent and reduce marine debris and its impact.

(Sec. 5) Amends the the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 to establish an Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (eliminates the existing Department of Commerce Marine Debris Coordinating Committee) to coordinate a comprehensive program of marine debris research and activities among federal agencies, in cooperation with nongovernmental organizations, industry, universities, states, Indian tribes, and other nations.

Directs the Interagency Committee to report to Congress on the source of marine debris, its ecological and economic impact, alternatives for reducing, mitigating, preventing, and controlling its harmful affects, the social and economic costs and benefits of such alternatives, and recommendations to reduce marine debris both domestically and internationally. Requires a biennial status update to Congress.

(Sec. 6) Directs the Administrator, in coordination with the Interagency Committee, to: (1) maintain a federal information clearinghouse on marine debris that will be available to researchers and other interested parties to improve marine debris source identification, data sharing, and monitoring efforts through collaborative research and open sharing of data; and (2) take steps to ensure confidentiality of such data, especially proprietary information required by the Administrator to be submitted by the fishing industry.

(Sec. 8) Prohibits anything in this Act from superseding, or limiting the authority of the Secretary of the Interior under, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

(Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2010.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

Report a correction

Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 3692Related billText similarities

    Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

Report a correction

Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 36 actions.

  1. Dec 22, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-449.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 20, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 9, 2006Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  5. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Sep 28, 2006FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
  7. Sep 27, 2006FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  9. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 362.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  11. FloorFloor · Mr. Gilchrest moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  12. Jul 25, 2006CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 345.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation. H. Rept. 109-332, Part II.
  14. Jun 28, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Discharged.
  17. Dec 8, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 109-332, Part I.
  18. Nov 16, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  20. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans Discharged.
  21. Sep 29, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
  22. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  23. Jul 25, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Executive Comment Requested from Commerce.
  24. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans.
  25. Jul 12, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
  26. Jul 11, 2005FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  27. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  28. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  29. Jul 1, 2005FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  30. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

Report a correction

Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 1099SenateSen. Ted StevensR-AK· offered Jul 1, 2005Agreed to

    To make minor and technical changes in the bill as reported.

    Jul 1, 2005: Amendment SA 1099 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

Report a correction

Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.