Sponsors
The bill broadens access to federal marine-debris funding for tribes and strengthens local cleanup capacity, at the cost of modestly increased competition/administrative demands and some legal/operational uncertainty from an unspecified statutory insertion.
Indian Tribes (indigenous and tribal communities) gain eligibility to receive grants and assistance under the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, increasing their access to federal funding for coastal and marine projects.
Coastal and rural communities benefit from improved local stewardship and marine-debris cleanup because a broader set of eligible recipients (including tribes) can implement on-the-ground projects that reduce pollution and improve safety.
Program applicants and administrators face legal and operational uncertainty because the bill inserts unspecified text into §4282(d)(1), which could change program requirements or eligibility in unclear ways.
Local governments and nonprofits may face modestly increased competition for grants and slightly reduced per-project funding because expanding eligibility increases the applicant pool and administrative burden.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 12, 2025 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress February 12, 2025
Amends the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act’s grant/assistance language to add Indian Tribes as explicitly eligible recipients and makes a small related text insertion in a companion subsection. The change broadens who can receive assistance under the cited authority so tribal governments and tribal entities can be direct recipients of the program covered by that statutory provision.