1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act of 2023 . 2. Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Grant Program (a) Establishment The Secretary shall establish a grant program, to be known as the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Grant Program , to encourage and facilitate coordinated rapid response and rescue by awarding grants for the purposes described in subsection (c). (b) Designation of stranding and rehabilitation regions The Secretary shall designate geographic regions of the United States as stranding and rehabilitation regions for the purposes of carrying out this section. (c) Purposes The purposes of the Program are to provide for— (1) the recovery, short- or long-term care, transportation, and treatment of stranded marine turtles; (2) the release of rescued and recovered marine turtles; (3) the collection of data and samples from stranded marine turtles for scientific research related to marine turtle health; and (4) facility operation costs that are directly related to activities described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3). (d) Equitable distribution of funds The Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that funds awarded under this section are distributed equitably among stranding and rehabilitation regions, taking into account— (1) the number of stranding and rehabilitation events that occurred in each stranding and rehabilitation region in the preceding 5 years