North Pacific Research Board Enhancement Act

The North Pacific Research Board Enhancement Act would modify how the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) is governed and funded under the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1998. The bill adds an Alaska Native representative to the NPRB who has firsthand knowledge of subsistence uses, with the appointment process and term specified. This change is intended to strengthen Alaska Native input on NPRB decisions related to research priorities and grants. The bill also adjusts the administrative expense cap for NPRB operations and grants, creating a temporary flexibility in how much funding can be used for administration, and it includes a five-year waiver of the existing cap to ensure NPRB operations are not hampered during the early years after enactment. In short, the bill aims to (1) broaden Alaska Native representation on the NPRB, (2) provide NOAA/NPRB with more discretion to spend on administration in response to changing funding levels, and (3) temporarily suspend the usual 15% cap on administrative costs for a five-year period to support operations and research funding continuity.