Weather and Oceans Resources Realignment Act

Weather and Oceans Resources Realignment Act - Transfers all functions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the Department of the Interior.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4368 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4368

To transfer the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the 
                      Department of the Interior.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 2004

    Mr. Saxton (for himself and Mr. Young of Alaska) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources, and 
      in addition to the Committee on Science, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To transfer the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the 
                      Department of the Interior.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Weather and Oceans Resources 
Realignment Act''.

SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION TO 
              DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.

    (a) Transfer of Administration.--The National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration is transferred to the Department of the 
Interior.
    (b) Transfer of Functions.--All functions that are authorized to be 
performed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
immediately before the enactment of this Act are transferred to the 
Secretary of the Interior.
    (c) Maintenance as Separate Entity.--The National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, including all functions of the Secretary of 
the Interior relating thereto, shall be maintained as a distinct entity 
in the Department of the Interior.

SEC. 3. REFERENCES.

    Any reference in any other Federal law, Executive order, rule, 
regulation, or delegation of authority, or any document of or 
pertaining to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, any 
agency or other component of such administration, or a function 
performed by such administration immediately before the enactment of 
this Act--
            (1) to the Secretary of Commerce or another officer of the 
        Department of Commerce is deemed to refer to the Secretary of 
        the Interior; or
            (2) to the Department of Commerce is deemed to refer to the 
        Department of the Interior.

SEC. 4. EXERCISE OF AUTHORITIES.

    Except as otherwise provided by law, a Federal official to whom a 
function is transferred by this Act may, for purposes of performing the 
function, exercise all authorities under any other provision of law 
that were available with respect to the performance of that function to 
the official responsible for the performance of the function 
immediately before the effective date of the transfer of the function 
under this Act.

SEC. 5. SAVINGS PROVISIONS.

    (a) Legal Documents.--All orders, determinations, rules, 
regulations, permits, grants, loans, contracts, agreements, 
certificates, licenses, and privileges--
            (1) that have been issued, made, granted, or allowed to 
        become effective by the President, the Secretary of Commerce, 
        any officer or employee of any office transferred by this Act, 
        or any other Government official, or by a court of competent 
        jurisdiction, in the performance of any function that is 
        transferred by this Act, and
            (2) that are in effect on the effective date of such 
        transfer (or become effective after such date pursuant to their 
        terms as in effect on such effective date),
shall continue in effect according to their terms until modified, 
terminated, superseded, set aside, or revoked in accordance with law by 
the President, any other authorized official, a court of competent 
jurisdiction, or operation of law.
    (b) Proceedings.--This Act shall not affect any proceedings or any 
application for any benefits, service, license, permit, certificate, or 
financial assistance pending on the date of the enactment of this Act 
before an office transferred by this Act, but such proceedings and 
applications shall be continued. Orders shall be issued in such 
proceedings, appeals shall be taken therefrom, and payments shall be 
made pursuant to such orders, as if this Act had not been enacted, and 
orders issued in any such proceeding shall continue in effect until 
modified, terminated, superseded, or revoked by a duly authorized 
official, by a court of competent jurisdiction, or by operation of law. 
Nothing in this subsection shall be considered to prohibit the 
discontinuance or modification of any such proceeding under the same 
terms and conditions and to the same extent that such proceeding could 
have been discontinued or modified if this Act had not been enacted.
    (c) Suits.--This Act shall not affect suits commenced before the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and in all such suits, proceeding 
shall be had, appeals taken, and judgments rendered in the same manner 
and with the same effect as if this Act had not been enacted.
    (d) Nonabatement of Actions.--No suit, action, or other proceeding 
commenced by or against the Department of Commerce or the Secretary of 
Commerce, or by or against any individual in the official capacity of 
such individual as an officer or employee of an office transferred by 
this Act, shall abate by reason of the enactment of this Act.
    (e) Continuance of Suits.--If any Government officer in the 
official capacity of such officer is party to a suit with respect to a 
function of the officer, and under this Act such function is 
transferred to any other officer or office, then such suit shall be 
continued with the other officer or the head of such other office, as 
applicable, substituted or added as a party.
    (f) Administrative Procedure and Judicial Review.--Except as 
otherwise provided by this Act, any statutory requirements relating to 
notice, hearings, action upon the record, or administrative or judicial 
review that apply to any function transferred by this Act shall apply 
to the exercise of such function by the head of the Federal agency, and 
other officers of the agency, to which such function is transferred by 
this Act.

SEC. 6. TRANSFER OF ASSETS.

    Except as otherwise provided in this Act, so much of the personnel, 
property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, 
allocations, and other funds employed, used, held, available, or to be 
made available in connection with a function transferred to an official 
or agency by this Act shall be available to the official or the head of 
that agency, respectively, at such time or times as the Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget directs for use in connection with the 
functions transferred.

SEC. 7. DELEGATION AND ASSIGNMENT.

    Except as otherwise expressly prohibited by law or otherwise 
provided in this Act, an official to whom functions are transferred 
under this Act (including the head of any office to which functions are 
transferred under this Act) may delegate any of the functions so 
transferred to such officers and employees of the office of the 
official as the official may designate, and may authorize successive 
redelegations of such functions as may be necessary or appropriate. No 
delegation of functions under this section or under any other provision 
of this Act shall relieve the official to whom a function is 
transferred under this Act of responsibility for the administration of 
the function.

SEC. 8. AUTHORITY OF DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET 
              WITH RESPECT TO FUNCTIONS TRANSFERRED.

    (a) Determinations.--If necessary, the Director shall make any 
determination of the functions that are transferred under this Act.
    (b) Incidental Transfers.--The Director, at such time or times as 
the Director shall provide, may make such determinations as may be 
necessary with regard to the functions transferred by this Act, and to 
make such additional incidental dispositions of personnel, assets, 
liabilities, grants, contracts, property, records, and unexpended 
balances of appropriations, authorizations, allocations, and other 
funds held, used, arising from, available to, or to be made available 
in connection with such functions, as may be necessary to carry out the 
provisions of this Act. The Director shall provide for such further 
measures and dispositions as may be necessary to effectuate the 
purposes of this Act.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``function'' includes any duty, obligation, 
        power, authority, responsibility, right, privilege, activity, 
        or program; and
            (2) the term ``office'' includes any office, 
        administration, agency, bureau, institute, council, unit, 
        organizational entity, or component thereof.
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