WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today celebrated Senate passage of his Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act, which would establish funding at the U.S. Department of Commerce for the rescue, recovery, and research of endangered sea turtles in Texas and across the United States:

“Sea turtles along the Texas Gulf Coast are experiencing increasing challenges and strandings that rescue organizations are struggling to keep up with,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I’m glad my bill to invest in rescue and recovery efforts and help identify the causes of sea turtle strandings has passed the Senate, making us one step closer to better protecting Texas’ endangered and storied sea turtle population.”

Background:

During the 2021 winter storm in Texas, more than 12,100 sea turtles were cold-stunned, and rescue organizations were able to save and return only 4,000 of the stranded turtles to the wild. Rescue efforts are predominantly volunteer-led and underfunded despite sea turtles facing increasing threats that make strandings more likely, including rapid temperature changes, red tide events, and entanglement in marine debris.

This bill would provide stability and support to organizations that rehabilitate and aid in the recovery of sea turtles along the coast. Specifically, the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act would create a new grant program within the U.S. Department of Commerce to fund rescue, recovery, and research of sea turtles in the United States, and authorize $5 million annually for the awarding of grants to further those efforts from 2025 through 2030. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) leads the bill with Senator Cornyn.