Marine Ferry and High-Speed Marine Ferry Act

Summary: Marine Ferry and High-Speed Marine Ferry Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to specified congressional committees on ferry transportation in the United States and its possessions in order to identify:  (1) existing ferry operations; and (2) potential U.S. ferry routes in the United States and its possessions and to develop certain information on them. Directs the Secretary to meet with State and municipal planning organizations to discuss the results of the study and the availability of both Federal and State resources for providing marine ferry service. 
Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations for ferry operations providing daily transportation for workers, students, or both who reside on one or more islands in the noncontiguous United States. 
Authorizes the Secretary to guarantee loans for marine ferry operations in the transportation of passengers or passengers and vehicles in the United States and its possessions. 
Authorizes appropriations. 
Amends Federal shipping law, with regard to the issuance of a certificate of documentation for a small passenger vessel, passenger vessel, or a ferry, to declare that the members of an association, trust, joint venture, or other entity that owns a vessel that is not registered under the laws of a foreign country or titled in a State do not all have to be U.S. citizens provided the vessel is subject to a charter to a U.S. citizen. 
Directs the Coast Guard to review the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft to:  (1) determine whether its safety regulations are suitable for high-speed vessels not currently regulated; and (2) make recommendations to specified congressional committees. 
Requires certain manning requirements imposed on a high-speed passenger vessel to consider the specialized nature of the vessel and its navigation, handling, and maintenance functions for protection of life, property, and the environment.  Directs the Secretary to prescribe manning standards related to the duties, qualifications, and training of the officers and crew of such vessel operating on the waters of the United States or the waters of an exclusive economic zone. 
Directs the Transportation Research Board to evaluate and report to specified congressional committees on different technological approaches to the provision of high-speed marine ferry service and potential for U.S. utilization.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Ferry and High-Speed Marine 
Ferry Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) today's ferries are a critical transportation component 
        in many communities, providing vital transportation services 
        for passengers, automobiles, buses, and trucks in locations 
        where practical alternatives are insufficient or do not exist;
            (2) ferries provide alternatives to other transport modes 
        that are facing severe capacity constraints;
            (3) ferries do not require the construction of costly 
        infrastructure such as roads, bridges, or tunnels, thereby 
        reducing environmental impacts, capital investment, and 
        initiation times;
            (4) ferries reduce single-occupancy vehicle travel thereby 
        reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and energy use;
            (5) ferries are flexible because vessels and some loading 
        facilities may be shifted to new locations due to changes in 
        demand or in times of national emergency;
            (6) joint efforts by private operators and local 
        governments already have resulted in highly innovative and 
        successful ferry operations in many urban areas;
            (7) recent technological developments have further 
        developed the potential for the use of high speed marine 
        vessels;
            (8) the Department of Transportation strategic plan for the 
        National Transportation System urges emphasis on those modes of 
        transportation that promote those interests ``of critical 
        importance to our country, including clean air, reduced energy 
        consumption and safe, comfortable, and cost effective 
        transportation'';
            (9) ferry transportation provides cost-effective 
        transportation in an environmentally sound manner; and
            (10) ferry transportation is an important and unique 
        component of the national transportation system which should be 
        encouraged and supported in those communities for which it is 
        applicable.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON UTILIZATION POTENTIAL.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a study 
of ferry transportation in the United States and its possessions--
            (1) to identify existing ferry operations, including--
                    (A) the locations and routes served;
                    (B) the name, United States official number, and a 
                description of each vessel operated as a ferry;
                    (C) the source and amount, if any, of funds derived 
                from Federal, State, or local government sources 
                supporting ferry construction or operations;
                    (D) the impact of ferry transportation on local and 
                regional economies; and
                    (E) the potential for use of high-speed ferry 
                services.
            (2) identify potential domestic ferry routes in the United 
        States and its possessions and to develop information on those 
        routes, including--
                    (A) locations and routes that might be served;
                    (B) estimates of capacity required;
                    (C) estimates of capital costs of developing these 
                routes;
                    (D) estimates of annual operating costs for these 
                routes;
                    (E) estimates of the economic impact of these 
                routes on local and regional economies; and
                    (F) the potential for use of high-speed ferry 
                services.
    (b) Report.--The Secretary shall report the results of the study 
under subsection (a) within 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
United States Senate and the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the United States House of Representatives.

SEC. 4. MEETING WITH STATE MUNICIPAL PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS.

    After reporting the results of the study required by section 3, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall meet with the relevant State and 
Municipal planning organizations to discuss the results of the study 
and the availability of resources, both Federal and State, for 
providing marine ferry service.

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) In General.--Section 1064 of the Intermodal Surface 
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (23 U.S.C. 129 note) is amended 
by adding at the end thereof the following:
    ``(e) Authorization.--In addition to any amounts otherwise 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this 
section, there are authorized to be appropriated $18,000,000 for each 
fiscal year for which funds are authorized to be appropriated under the 
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 for fiscal 
years beginning with fiscal year 1997.
    ``(f) Operational Funding.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
make available under this section such amounts as may be necessary to 
support ferry operations providing daily transportation for workers, 
students, or both who reside on one or more islands in the 
noncontiguous United States, without regard to section 129(c)(3), or 
the second sentence of section 129(c)(5), of title 23, United States 
Code.''.
    (b) Operating and Leasing Amendments.--Subsection (c) of section 
1064 of that Act (23 U.S.C. 129 note) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``owned.'' in paragraph (3) and inserting 
        ``owned or operated.''; and
            (2) by striking ``sold, leased, or'' in paragraph (6) and 
        inserting ``sold or''.

SEC. 6. LOAN GUARANTEES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation may guarantee, or 
make a commitment to guarantee, the payment of the principal of, and 
the interest on, an obligation for marine ferry operations in the 
transportation of passengers or passengers and vehicles in the United 
States and its possessions. A guarantee or commitment under this 
subsection shall be made--
            (1) under standards and requirements substantially 
        equivalent to those under title XI of the Merchant Marine Act, 
        1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1271 et seq.); and
            (2) subject to such terms as the Secretary may prescribe.
    (b) Applicable Laws, Etc.--A guarantee or commitment made under 
subsection (a) is subject to all laws, requirements, regulations, and 
procedures applicable to guarantees or commitments made under title XI 
of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1271 et seq.), but the 
Secretary shall by rule provide a simplified application and compliance 
process for guarantees and commitments made under subsection (a).
    (c) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out the provisions of this section $7,000,000 for each fiscal 
year for which funds are authorized to be appropriated under the 
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 for fiscal 
years beginning after fiscal year 1997.

SEC. 7. CROSS-BORDER LEASING FOR CERTAIN VESSELS.

    Section 12102(d)(1) of title 46, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting ``or for a small passenger vessel, a passenger vessel, or a 
ferry,'' after ``endorsement,''.

SEC. 8. MARINE HIGH-SPEED FERRY SAFETY.

    (a) Coast Guard Review.-- The Coast Guard shall review the 
provisions of the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft to 
determine whether the provisions are suitable safety regulations for 
high-speed vessels not currently regulated, and make recommendations to 
the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
    (b) Manning Requirement.--Section 8101(a) of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (2);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph;
                    ``(4) a high-speed passenger vessel shall consider 
                the specialized nature of the vessel and the 
                navigation, handling, and maintenance functions of that 
                vessel for protection of life, property, and the 
                environment, and, for purposes of this paragraph, the 
                term `high-speed passenger vessel' means a vessel as 
                defined by Section 2101(22) or 2101(35) of this title, 
                which conforms to the definition of high-speed craft of 
                Chapter 1.4.24 of the International Code of Safety for 
                High-Speed Craft of the International Maritime 
                Organization.''.
    (c) Manning Standards.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
prescribe standards for the manning of each high speed passenger vessel 
operating on the waters of the United States or the waters of the 
exclusive economic zone, related to the duties, qualifications, and 
training of the officers and crew of the vessel, including standards 
related to--
            (1) appropriate crew sizes;
            (2) the adequacy of qualifications and training of 
        crewmembers;
            (3) the ability of crewmembers to take emergency actions, 
        including the safe evacuation of passengers;
            (4) the use of computer simulator courses and other courses 
        for training bridge officers and crewmembers, and the 
        feasibility and practicality of mandating such training;
            (5) the advisability of cross-training of crewmembers and 
        the need for more than one crew member to be trained to perform 
        all essential operational tasks in both normal and emergency 
        situations;
            (6) the need to specify an appropriate period of 
        operational training for the master and each crewmember and the 
        periods at which appropriate re-training should be carried out; 
        and
            (7) the need for a type rating certificate for the master 
        and all officers having an operational role on the vessel.
In prescribing the standards, the Secretary shall consider the 
provisions of the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft of 
the International Maritime Organization, particularly its provisions on 
training and qualifications and emergency instructions and drills. A 
high-speed passenger vessel is a vessel as defined by section 2101(22) 
or 2101(35) of title 46, United States Code, which conforms to the 
definition of High-speed craft of Chapter 1.4.24 of the International 
Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft of the International Maritime 
Organization.

SEC. 9. STUDY OF HIGH-SPEED MARINE FERRY TECHNOLOGY.

    The Transportation Research Board shall conduct a study to evaluate 
different technological approaches to the provision of high-speed 
marine ferry service and potential for United States utilization and 
report its findings to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Technology of the United States Senate and the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the United States House of 
Representatives within 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.