H.R. 1461 · 118th Congress
Coastal Seaweed Farm Act of 2023
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 118th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
HuffmanSponsor6 cosponsors · 6 D
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to (1) establish the Indigenous Seaweed Farming Fund, (2) prepare a joint study of coastal seaweed farming, and (3) issue regulations addressing seaweed farming.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Mar 8, 2023
Coastal Seaweed Farm Act of 2023
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to (1) establish the Indigenous Seaweed Farming Fund, (2) prepare a joint study of coastal seaweed farming, and (3) issue regulations addressing seaweed farming.
The Indigenous Seaweed Farming Fund must provide grants to tribes, Native villages, tribal reservations, and specified Native people to support coastal seaweed farming, including for creating and maintaining coastal seaweed farms, purchasing equipment, and identifying and mitigating adverse impacts.
The joint study must analyze best practices for coastal seaweed farming that maximize potential benefits and avoid adverse effects on the surrounding environment. Within one year of the publication of the joint study, USDA and NOAA must issue regulations that
- ensure that systems of coastal seaweed farming maximize potential benefits and avoid potential adverse effects on the marine ecosystem, wildlife, fisheries, and surrounding communities;
- establish evaluation metrics to measure the impact and benefits of coastal seaweed farming on the marine ecosystem and surrounding communities; and
- establish related monitoring and reporting requirements.
The bill also requires the Food and Drug Administration to report to Congress on recommendations for improving the regulation of seaweed for human consumption. The recommendations must focus on standards and testing methods to identify, address, and prevent contamination by bacteria, heavy metals, and pathogens.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Coastal Seaweed Farm Act of 2023
Latest action (Apr 14, 2023): Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 8, 2023
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.