To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a grant program to facilitate the training and employment of veterans for certain conservation activities, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Don Young Veterans Advancing Conservation Act creates a federal grant program within the Department of Commerce to fund nonprofit organizations that train and employ military veterans in underwater marine and coastal conservation work. The program aims to address two goals simultaneously: protecting marine ecosystems while providing meaningful employment and therapeutic activities for veterans, particularly those dealing with PTSD and combat-related trauma.
Who Benefits and How
Veterans are the primary beneficiaries, gaining access to paid employment and training in scuba diving and marine conservation activities, which research suggests can help improve mental, physical, and emotional health, particularly for those with PTSD symptoms.
Nonprofit conservation organizations benefit by receiving competitive federal grants (ranging from $1 million to $1.8 million annually from 2024-2028) to fund their veteran training and employment programs focused on marine conservation.
Coastal and marine ecosystems benefit indirectly from increased conservation workforce capacity for activities like coral restoration, invasive species removal, marine debris cleanup, and hurricane recovery efforts.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Commerce and NOAA bear the administrative burden of establishing and managing the grant program within 120 days of enactment, including developing application processes, reviewing grant submissions, and coordinating with the Department of the Interior.
Federal taxpayers fund the program through authorized appropriations totaling $7 million over five years (fiscal years 2024-2028).
Key Provisions
- Establishes the "Veterans Advancing Conservation Grant Program" under the Secretary of Commerce, administered through NOAA
- Authorizes competitive grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that train or employ veterans in marine conservation
- Specifies eligible activities including coral disease response, coral restoration, invasive species removal, marine debris cleanup, marine animal rescue and tagging, shipwreck mapping, underwater surveys, and coastal resilience work
- Authorizes $7 million in total funding over five years, with annual amounts increasing from $1 million (FY2024) to $1.8 million (FY2028)
- Requires coordination between the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
This bill establishes a grant program under the Department of Commerce to fund nonprofit organizations training and employing veterans for underwater marine and coastal conservation activities.
Key Policy Areas
Environment, Veterans_affairs
Primary Purpose
This bill establishes a grant program under the Department of Commerce to fund nonprofit organizations training and employing veterans for underwater marine and coastal conservation activities.
Policy Domains
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Sullivan, and Ms. …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Commerce
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
As defined in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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