UNUSUAL MORTALITY EVENT ACTIVITY FUNDING.

SEC. 10403. UNUSUAL MORTALITY EVENT ACTIVITY FUNDING. Section 405(b) the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1421d(b)) is amended to read as follows: “(b) Uses.—Amounts in the Fund shall be available only for use by the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, and dispersed among claimants based on budgets approved by the Secretary prior to expenditure— “(1) to make advance, partial, or progress payments under contracts or other funding mechanisms for property, supplies, salaries, services, and travel costs incurred in acting in accordance with the contingency plan issued under section 404(b) or under the direction of an Onsite Coordinator for an unusual mortality event designated under section 404(a)(2)(B)(iii); “(2) for reimbursing any stranding network participant for costs incurred in the collection, preparation, analysis, and transportation of marine mammal tissues and samples collected with respect to an unusual mortality event for the Tissue Bank; and “(3) for the care and maintenance of a marine mammal seized under section 104(c)(2)(D); and” .