Bill Details
S.843 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2026-03-24 - Held at the desk.
Introduced Date
2025-03-04
Policy Area
Animals
Committees
View committees (1)
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would create a new federal grant program to help with the rescue, rehabilitation, and emergency response for sea turtles. It directs the Secretary of Commerce to set up a separate grant process for sea turtles, instead of treating them the same as marine mammals. The goal is to help organizations that care for injured or stranded sea turtles, support fast emergency response, and improve recovery efforts. The bill also creates a special fund for sea turtle emergencies and provides money for the program over several years.
- Sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation would become its own grant category under the existing law, with separate rules and review for sea turtles.
- To qualify for a grant, a group must apply to the Commerce Department, have the proper endangered species permission or agreement, follow care standards for captive sea turtles when needed, and report data as required.
- The bill creates a new Treasury fund for sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and rapid response, and says the money in it can only be used for emergency assistance.
- It authorizes $5 million each year from fiscal year 2025 through 2030 for the grant program, and $500,000 each year for the new sea turtle emergency fund.
Official Summaries
Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act of 2025
This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 and expands the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program to include separate grants to rescue sea turtles. The grants must be used for
- the recovery, care, or treatment of sick, injured, or entangled sea turtles;
- responses to rescue stranded sea turtles;
- the collection of data and samples from living or dead stranded sea turtles for scientific research or health assessments;
- facility operating costs that are directly related to activities to assist sea turtles; or
- development of stranding network capacity where facilities do not exist or are sparse.
In addition, the bill establishes the Sea Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Rapid Response Fund.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 843 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 843
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea Turtle Rescue
Assistance Grant Program.
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 ``Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and
Rehabilitation Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. SEA TURTLE RESCUE, REHABILITATION, AND RESPONSE.
Section 408 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1421f-1) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following:
``(10) Sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and response.--
``(A) In general.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations specific to address sea turtle rescue,
rehabilitation, and response, the Secretary of Commerce
and the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service shall include separate eligibility for grants
under this subsection to address the purposes described
in paragraph (2) with respect to sea turtles.
``(B) Conditions of grant.--A grant awarded under
this subsection to address sea turtle rescue,
rehabilitation, and response shall--
``(i) include the equivalent grant criteria
and administration authorities and requirements
described under paragraph (3), subparagraphs
(A) and (B) of paragraph (4), and paragraphs
(5) through (9), developed, as appropriate, and
awarded separately for sea turtles and in
consultation with the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service in lieu of the Marine Mammal
Commission; and
``(ii) in addition to the considerations
under paragraph (4)(B), also consider
rehabilitation of stranded sea turtles.
``(C) Eligibility criteria.--In order to apply for
a grant awarded under this subsection to address sea
turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and response, an entity
shall--
``(i) submit an application described in
paragraph (5) to the Secretary of Commerce with
respect to sea turtles;
``(ii) be authorized by and in compliance
with--
``(I) an authorization issued under
section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1539(a)(1)(A)) with respect to sea
turtles; or
``(II) a cooperative agreement
entered into under section 6 of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1535) with respect to sea
turtles;
``(iii) comply with the standard conditions
for care and maintenance of captive sea turtles
prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior
when relevant facilities will be utilized for
such purposes; and
``(iv) comply with all relevant data
reporting, requirements, such as the Sea Turtle
Stranding and Salvage Network data collection
requirements.'';
(2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
``(c) Rescue and Rapid Response Funds.--
``(1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury of
the United States--
``(A) an interest-bearing fund to be known as the
`Joseph R. Geraci Marine Mammal Rescue and Rapid
Response Fund'; and
``(B) an interest-bearing fund to be known as the
`Sea Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Rapid Response
Fund'.
``(2) Use of funds.--Amounts in the funds established under
paragraph (1) shall be available only for use by the Secretary
to provide emergency assistance.''; and
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting
``marine mammal rescue and response'' after
``to carry out the'';
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as
subparagraph (C);
(iii) by inserting after clause (ii) of
subparagraph (A) the following:
``(B) Authorization of appropriations with respect
to sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and response.--
There is authorized to be appropriated for the
Secretary of Commerce to carry out the sea turtle
rescue, rehabilitation, and response grant program
under subsection (b)(10), $5,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2025 through 2030, to remain available until
expended.''; and
(iv) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated
by clause (ii), by inserting ``or (B)'' after
``subparagraph (A)''; and
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the
following:
``(2) Rescue and rapid response funds.--There is authorized
to be appropriated--
``(A) to the Joseph R. Geraci Marine Mammal Rescue
and Rapid Response Fund $500,000 for each of fiscal
years 2025 through 2030; and
``(B) to the Sea Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation, and
Rapid Response Fund $500,000 for each of fiscal years
2025 through 2030.''.
Passed the Senate March 22, 2026.
Attest:
Secretary.
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 843
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Sea Turtle Rescue
Assistance Grant Program.