Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 1.djvu/50

 112 STAT. 24 PUBLIC LAW 105-160—MAR. 6, 1998 "(d) DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PRO- GRAM. — "(1) The Secretary shall appoint, as the Director of the National Sea Grant College Program, a qualified individual who has appropriate administrative experience and knowledge or expertise in fields related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. The Director shall be appointed and compensated, without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, at a rate payable under section 5376 of title 5, United States Code. "(2) Subject to the supervision of the Secretary, the Director shall administer the national sea grant college program and oversee the operation of the national sea grant office. In addition to any other duty prescribed by law or assigned by the Secretary, the Director shall— "(A) facilitate and coordinate the development of a long-range strategic plan under subsection (c)(1); "(B) advise the Secretary with respect to the expertise and capabilities which are available within or through the national sea grant college program and encourage the use of such expertise and capabilities, on a cooperative or other basis, by other offices and activities within the Administration, and other Federal departments and agencies; "(C) advise the Secretary on the designation of sea grant colleges and sea grant institutes, and, if appropriate, on the termination or suspension of any such designation; and "(D) encourage the establishment and growth of sea grant programs, and cooperation and coordination with other Federal activities in fields related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. "(3) With respect to sea grant colleges and sea grant institutes, the Director shall— "(A) evaluate the programs of sea grant colleges and sea grant institutes, using the priorities, guidelines, and qualifications established by the Secretary; "(B) subject to the availability of appropriations, allocate funding among sea grant colleges and sea grant institutes so as to— "(i) promote healthy competition among sea grant colleges and institutes; "(ii) encourage successful implementation of sea grant programs; and "(iii) to the maximum extent consistent with other provisions of this Act, provide a stable base of funding for sea grant colleges and institutes; and "(C) ensure compliance with the guidelines for merit review under subsection (c)(2).". SEC. 6. REPEAL OF SEA GRANT INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM. Section 3 of the Sea Grant Program Improvement Act of 1976 (33 U.S.C. 1124a) is repealed. SEC. 7. SEA GRANT COLLEGES AND SEA GRANT INSTITUTES. Section 207 (33 U.S.C. 1126) is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 207. SEA GRANT COLLEGES AND SEA GRANT INSTITUTES. "(a) DESIGNATION.—

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