In the Senate of the United States, 

December 18, 2015. 

Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R. 4188) entitled ‘‘An Act to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal years 2016 and 2017, 

and for other purposes.’’, do pass with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 

following: 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coast Guard Authoriza3 tion Act of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

5 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATIONS 

Sec. 101. Authorizations. 

Sec. 102. Conforming amendments. 

TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

Sec. 201. Vice Commandant. 

Sec. 202. Vice admirals. 
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Sec. 203. Coast Guard remission of indebtedness. 

Sec. 204. Acquisition reform. 

Sec. 205. Auxiliary jurisdiction. 

Sec. 206. Coast Guard communities. 

Sec. 207. Polar icebreakers. 

Sec. 208. Air facility closures. 

Sec. 209. Technical corrections to title 14, United States Code. 

Sec. 210. Discontinuance of an aid to navigation. 

Sec. 211. Mission performance measures. 

Sec. 212. Communications. 

Sec. 213. Coast Guard graduate maritime operations education. 

Sec. 214. Professional development. 

Sec. 215. Senior enlisted member continuation boards. 

Sec. 216. Coast Guard member pay. 

Sec. 217. Transfer of funds necessary to provide medical care. 

Sec. 218. Participation of the Coast Guard Academy in Federal, State, or other 

educational research grants. 

Sec. 219. National Coast Guard Museum. 

Sec. 220. Investigations. 

Sec. 221. Clarification of eligibility of members of the Coast Guard for combatrelated special compensation. 

Sec. 222. Leave policies for the Coast Guard. 

TITLE III—SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION 

Sec. 301. Survival craft. 

Sec. 302. Vessel replacement. 

Sec. 303. Model years for recreational vessels. 

Sec. 304. Merchant mariner credential expiration harmonization. 

Sec. 305. Safety zones for permitted marine events. 

Sec. 306. Technical corrections. 

Sec. 307. Recommendations for improvements of marine casualty reporting. 

Sec. 308. Recreational vessel engine weights. 

Sec. 309. Merchant mariner medical certification reform. 

Sec. 310. Atlantic Coast port access route study. 

Sec. 311. Certificates of documentation for recreational vessels. 

Sec. 312. Program guidelines. 

Sec. 313. Repeals. 

Sec. 314. Maritime drug law enforcement. 

Sec. 315. Examinations for merchant mariner credentials. 

Sec. 316. Higher volume port area regulatory definition change. 

Sec. 317. Recognition of port security assessments conducted by other entities. 

Sec. 318. Fishing vessel and fish tender vessel certification. 

Sec. 319. Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research. 

Sec. 320. International port and facility inspection coordination. 

TITLE IV—FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION 

Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 402. Duties of the Chairman. 

Sec. 403. Prohibition on awards. 
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TITLE V—CONVEYANCES 

Subtitle A—Miscellaneous Conveyances 

Sec. 501. Conveyance of Coast Guard property in Point Reyes Station, California. 

Sec. 502. Conveyance of Coast Guard property in Tok, Alaska. 

Subtitle B—Pribilof Islands 

Sec. 521. Short title. 

Sec. 522. Transfer and disposition of property. 

Sec. 523. Notice of certification. 

Sec. 524. Redundant capability. 

Subtitle C—Conveyance of Coast Guard Property at Point Spencer, Alaska 

Sec. 531. Findings. 

Sec. 532. Definitions. 

Sec. 533. Authority to convey land in Point Spencer. 

Sec. 534. Environmental compliance, liability, and monitoring. 

Sec. 535. Easements and access. 

Sec. 536. Relationship to Public Land Order 2650. 

Sec. 537. Archeological and cultural resources. 

Sec. 538. Maps and legal descriptions. 

Sec. 539. Chargeability for land conveyed. 

Sec. 540. Redundant capability. 

Sec. 541. Port Coordination Council for Point Spencer. 

TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 

Sec. 601. Modification of reports. 

Sec. 602. Safe vessel operation in the Great Lakes. 

Sec. 603. Use of vessel sale proceeds. 

Sec. 604. National Academy of Sciences cost assessment. 

Sec. 605. Coastwise endorsements. 

Sec. 606. International Ice Patrol. 

Sec. 607. Assessment of oil spill response and cleanup activities in the Great 

Lakes. 

Sec. 608. Report on status of technology detecting passengers who have fallen 

overboard. 

Sec. 609. Venue. 

Sec. 610. Disposition of infrastructure related to e-loran. 

Sec. 611. Parking. 

Sec. 612. Inapplicability of load line requirements to certain United States vessels traveling in the Gulf of Mexico. 

1 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATIONS 

2 SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title 14, United States Code, is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘PART III—COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATIONS AND 

2 REPORTS TO CONGRESS 

‘‘Chap. Sec. 

‘‘27. Authorizations ................................................................................ 2701 

‘‘29. Reports ................................................................................................ 2901. 

3 ‘‘CHAPTER 27—AUTHORIZATIONS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘2702. Authorization of appropriations. 

‘‘2704. Authorized levels of military strength and training. 

4 ‘‘§ 2702. Authorization of appropriations 

5 ‘‘Funds are authorized to be appropriated for each of 

6 fiscal years 2016 and 2017 for necessary expenses of the 

7 Coast Guard as follows: 

8 ‘‘(1) For the operation and maintenance of the 

9 Coast Guard, not otherwise provided for— 

10 ‘‘(A) $6,981,036,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) $6,981,036,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

13 ‘‘(2) For the acquisition, construction, renova14 tion, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore 

15 facilities, vessels, and aircraft, including equipment 

16 related thereto, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, 

17 lease, and operation of facilities and equipment— 

18 ‘‘(A) $1,945,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(B) $1,945,000,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

21 ‘‘(3) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, in22 cluding operations and maintenance of the program, 
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1 personnel and training costs, equipment, and serv2 ices— 

3 ‘‘(A) $140,016,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

4 ‘‘(B) $140,016,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

5 ‘‘(4) For the environmental compliance and res6 toration functions of the Coast Guard under chapter 

7 19 of this title— 

8 ‘‘(A) $16,701,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

9 ‘‘(B) $16,701,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

10 ‘‘(5) To the Commandant of the Coast Guard for 

11 research, development, test, and evaluation of tech12 nologies, materials, and human factors directly re13 lated to improving the performance of the Coast 

14 Guard’s mission with respect to search and rescue, 

15 aids to navigation, marine safety, marine environ16 mental protection, enforcement of laws and treaties, 

17 ice operations, oceanographic research, and defense 

18 readiness, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, lease, 

19 and operation of facilities and equipment— 

20 ‘‘(A) $19,890,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

21 ‘‘(B) $19,890,000 for fiscal year 2017. 
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1 ‘‘§ 2704. Authorized levels of military strength and 

2 training 

3 ‘‘(a) ACTIVE DUTY STRENGTH.—The Coast Guard is 

4 authorized an end-of-year strength for active duty personnel 

5 of 43,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 and 2017. 

6 ‘‘(b) MILITARY TRAINING STUDENT LOADS.—The 

7 Coast Guard is authorized average military training stu8 dent loads for each of fiscal years 2016 and 2017 as follows: 

9 ‘‘(1) For recruit and special training, 2,500 stu10 dent years. 

11 ‘‘(2) For flight training, 165 student years. 

12 ‘‘(3) For professional training in military and 

13 civilian institutions, 350 student years. 

14 ‘‘(4) For officer acquisition, 1,200 student years. 

15 ‘‘CHAPTER 29—REPORTS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘2904. Manpower requirements plan. 

16 ‘‘§ 2904. Manpower requirements plan 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—On the date on which the Presi18 dent submits to the Congress a budget for fiscal year 2017 

19 under section 1105 of title 31, on the date on which the 

20 President submits to the Congress a budget for fiscal year 

21 2019 under such section, and every 4 years thereafter, the 

22 Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Transpor23 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
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1 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor2 tation of the Senate a manpower requirements plan. 

3 ‘‘(b) SCOPE.—A manpower requirements plan sub4 mitted under subsection (a) shall include for each mission 

5 of the Coast Guard— 

6 ‘‘(1) an assessment of all projected mission re7 quirements for the upcoming fiscal year and for each 

8 of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

9 ‘‘(2) the number of active duty, reserve, and ci10 vilian personnel assigned or available to fulfill such 

11 mission requirements— 

12 ‘‘(A) currently; and 

13 ‘‘(B) as projected for the upcoming fiscal 

14 year and each of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

15 ‘‘(3) the number of active duty, reserve, and ci16 vilian personnel required to fulfill such mission re17 quirements— 

18 ‘‘(A) currently; and 

19 ‘‘(B) as projected for the upcoming fiscal 

20 year and each of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

21 ‘‘(4) an identification of any capability gaps be22 tween mission requirements and mission performance 

23 caused by deficiencies in the numbers of personnel 

24 available— 

25 ‘‘(A) currently; and 
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1 ‘‘(B) as projected for the upcoming fiscal 

2 year and each of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(5) an identification of the actions the Com5 mandant will take to address capability gaps identi6 fied under paragraph (4). 

7 ‘‘(c) CONSIDERATION.—In composing a manpower re8 quirements plan for submission under subsection (a), the 

9 Commandant shall consider— 

10 ‘‘(1) the marine safety strategy required under 

11 section 2116 of title 46; 

12 ‘‘(2) information on the adequacy of the acquisi13 tion workforce included in the most recent report 

14 under section 2903 of this title; and 

15 ‘‘(3) any other Federal strategic planning effort 

16 the Commandant considers appropriate.’’. 

17 (b) REQUIREMENT FOR PRIOR AUTHORIZATION OF AP18 PROPRIATIONS.—Section 662 of title 14, United States 

19 Code, is amended— 

20 (1) by redesignating such section as section 2701; 

21 (2) by transferring such section to appear before 

22 section 2702 of such title (as added by subsection (a) 

23 of this section); and 

24 (3) by striking paragraphs (1) through (5) and 

25 inserting the following: 
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1 ‘‘(1) For the operation and maintenance of the 

2 Coast Guard, not otherwise provided for. 

3 ‘‘(2) For the acquisition, construction, renova4 tion, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore 

5 facilities, vessels, and aircraft, including equipment 

6 related thereto, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, 

7 lease, and operation of facilities and equipment. 

8 ‘‘(3) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, in9 cluding operations and maintenance of the program, 

10 personnel and training costs, equipment, and services. 

11 ‘‘(4) For the environmental compliance and res12 toration functions of the Coast Guard under chapter 

13 19 of this title. 

14 ‘‘(5) For research, development, test, and evalua15 tion of technologies, materials, and human factors di16 rectly related to improving the performance of the 

17 Coast Guard. 

18 ‘‘(6) For alteration or removal of bridges over 

19 navigable waters of the United States constituting ob20 structions to navigation, and for personnel and ad21 ministrative costs associated with the Alteration of 

22 Bridges Program.’’. 

23 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF PERSONNEL END

24 STRENGTHS.—Section 661 of title 14, United States Code, 

25 is amended— 
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1 (1) by redesignating such section as section 2703; 

2 and 

3 (2) by transferring such section to appear before 

4 section 2704 of such title (as added by subsection (a) 

5 of this section). 

6 (d) REPORTS.— 

7 (1) TRANSMISSION OF ANNUAL COAST GUARD AU8 THORIZATION REQUEST.—Section 662a of title 14, 

9 United States Code, is amended— 

10 (A) by redesignating such section as section 

11 2901; 

12 (B) by transferring such section to appear 

13 before section 2904 of such title (as added by 

14 subsection (a) of this section); and 

15 (C) in subsection (b)— 

16 (i) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘de17 scribed in section 661’’ and inserting ‘‘de18 scribed in section 2703’’; and 

19 (ii) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘de20 scribed in section 662’’ and inserting ‘‘de21 scribed in section 2701’’. 

22 (2) CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN.—Section 663 of 

23 title 14, United States Code, is amended— 

24 (A) by redesignating such section as section 

25 2902; and 
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1 (B) by transferring such section to appear 

2 after section 2901 of such title (as so redesig3 nated and transferred by paragraph (1) of this 

4 subsection). 

5 (3) MAJOR ACQUISITIONS.—Section 569a of title 

6 14, United States Code, is amended— 

7 (A) by redesignating such section as section 

8 2903; 

9 (B) by transferring such section to appear 

10 after section 2902 of such title (as so redesig11 nated and transferred by paragraph (2) of this 

12 subsection); and 

13 (C) in subsection (c)(2) by striking ‘‘of this 

14 subchapter’’. 

15 (e) ICEBREAKERS.— 

16 (1) ICEBREAKING ON THE GREAT LAKES.—For 

17 fiscal years 2016 and 2017, the Commandant of the 

18 Coast Guard may use funds made available pursuant 

19 to section 2702(2) of title 14, United States Code (as 

20 added by subsection (a) of this section) for the selec21 tion of a design for and the construction of an ice22 breaker that is capable of buoy tending to enhance 

23 icebreaking capacity on the Great Lakes. 

24 (2) POLAR ICEBREAKING.—Of the amounts au25 thorized to be appropriated under section 2702(2) of 
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1 title 14, United States Code, as amended by sub2 section (a), there is authorized to be appropriated to 

3 the Coast Guard $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 and 

4 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2017 for preacquisition 

5 activities for a new polar icebreaker, including initial 

6 specification development and feasibility studies. 

7 (f) ADDITIONAL SUBMISSIONS.—The Commandant of 

8 the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on Home9 land Security of the House of Representatives— 

10 (1) each plan required under section 2904 of title 

11 14, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of 

12 this section; 

13 (2) each plan required under section 2903(e) of 

14 title 14, United States Code, as added by section 206 

15 of this Act; 

16 (3) each plan required under section 2902 of title 

17 14, United States Code, as redesignated by subsection 

18 (d) of this section; and 

19 (4) each mission need statement required under 

20 section 569 of title 14, United States Code. 

21 SEC. 102. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

22 (a) ANALYSIS FOR TITLE 14.—The analysis for title 

23 14, United States Code, is amended by adding after the 

24 item relating to part II the following: 

‘‘III. Coast Guard Authorizations and Reports to Congress .................................................................................. 2701’’. 
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1 (b) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 15.—The analysis for 

2 chapter 15 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by 

3 striking the item relating to section 569a. 

4 (c) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 17.—The analysis for 

5 chapter 17 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by 

6 striking the items relating to sections 661, 662, 662a, and 

7 663. 

8 (d) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 27.—The analysis for 

9 chapter 27 of title 14, United States Code, as added by sec10 tion 101(a) of this Act, is amended by inserting— 

11 (1) before the item relating to section 2702 the 

12 following: 

‘‘2701. Requirement for prior authorization of appropriations.’’; 

13 and 

14 (2) before the item relating to section 2704 the 

15 following: 

‘‘2703. Authorization of personnel end strengths.’’. 

16 (e) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 29.—The analysis for 

17 chapter 29 of title 14, United States Code, as added by sec18 tion 101(a) of this Act, is amended by inserting before the 

19 item relating to section 2904 the following: 

‘‘2901. Transmission of annual Coast Guard authorization request. 

‘‘2902. Capital investment plan. 

‘‘2903. Major acquisitions.’’. 

20 (f) MISSION NEED STATEMENT.—Section 569(b) of 

21 title 14, United States Code, is amended— 
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1 (1) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘in section 

2 569a(e)’’ and inserting ‘‘in section 2903’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘under section 

4 663(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘under section 2902(a)(1)’’. 

5 TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

6 SEC. 201. VICE COMMANDANT. 

7 (a) GRADES AND RATINGS.—Section 41 of title 14, 

8 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘an admiral,’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘admirals (two);’’. 

10 (b) VICE COMMANDANT; APPOINTMENT.—Section 47 of 

11 title 14, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘vice 

12 admiral’’ and inserting ‘‘admiral’’. 

13 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 51 of title 14, 

14 United States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a) by inserting ‘‘admiral or’’ 

16 before ‘‘vice admiral,’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (b) by inserting ‘‘admiral or’’ 

18 before ‘‘vice admiral,’’ each place it appears; and 

19 (3) in subsection (c) by inserting ‘‘admiral or’’ 

20 before ‘‘vice admiral,’’. 

21 SEC. 202. VICE ADMIRALS. 

22 Section 50 of title 14, United States Code, is amend23 ed— 

24 (1) in subsection (a)— 
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1 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) The President may— 

4 ‘‘(A) designate, within the Coast Guard, no more 

5 than five positions of importance and responsibility 

6 that shall be held by officers who, while so serving— 

7 ‘‘(i) shall have the grade of vice admiral, 

8 with the pay and allowances of that grade; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) shall perform such duties as the Com10 mandant may prescribe, except that if the Presi11 dent designates five such positions, one position 

12 shall be the Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(B) designate, within the executive branch, 

15 other than within the Coast Guard or the National 

16 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, positions 

17 of importance and responsibility that shall be held by 

18 officers who, while so serving, shall have the grade of 

19 vice admiral, with the pay and allowances of that 

20 grade.’’; and 

21 (B) in paragraph (3)(A) by striking ‘‘under 

22 paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘under paragraph 

23 (1)(A)’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (b)(2)— 
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1 (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

2 at the end; 

3 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

4 subparagraph (D); and 

5 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(C) at the discretion of the Secretary, while 

8 awaiting orders after being relieved from the position, 

9 beginning on the day the officer is relieved from the 

10 position, but not for more than 60 days; and’’. 

11 SEC. 203. COAST GUARD REMISSION OF INDEBTEDNESS. 

12 (a) EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY TO REMIT INDEBTED13 NESS.—Section 461 of title 14, United States Code, is 

14 amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘§ 461. Remission of indebtedness 

16 ‘‘The Secretary may have remitted or cancelled any 

17 part of a person’s indebtedness to the United States or any 

18 instrumentality of the United States if— 

19 ‘‘(1) the indebtedness was incurred while the per20 son served on active duty as a member of the Coast 

21 Guard; and 

22 ‘‘(2) the Secretary determines that remitting or 

23 cancelling the indebtedness is in the best interest of 

24 the United States.’’. 
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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chapter 

2 13 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by striking 

3 the item relating to section 461 and inserting the following: 

‘‘461. Remission of indebtedness.’’. 

4 SEC. 204. ACQUISITION REFORM. 

5 (a) MINIMUM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.—Section 

6 572(d)(3) of title 14, United States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) through 

8 (H) as subparagraphs (E) through (J), respectively; 

9 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub10 paragraph (C); 

11 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(B) the performance data to be used to de14 termine whether the key performance parameters 

15 have been resolved;’’; and 

16 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (C), as re17 designated by paragraph (2) of this subsection, the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(D) the results during test and evaluation 

20 that will be required to demonstrate that a capa21 bility, asset, or subsystem meets performance re22 quirements;’’. 

23 (b) CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN.—Section 2902 of title 

24 14, United States Code, as redesignated and otherwise 

25 amended by this Act, is further amended— 
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1 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘com3 pletion;’’ and inserting ‘‘completion based on the 

4 proposed appropriations included in the budg5 et;’’; and 

6 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘at 

7 the projected funding levels;’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘based on the proposed appropriations included 

9 in the budget;’’; and 

10 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection 

11 (c), and inserting after subsection (a) the following: 

12 ‘‘(b) NEW CAPITAL ASSETS.—In the fiscal year fol13 lowing each fiscal year for which appropriations are en14 acted for a new capital asset, the report submitted under 

15 subsection (a) shall include— 

16 ‘‘(1) an estimated life-cycle cost estimate for the 

17 new capital asset; 

18 ‘‘(2) an assessment of the impact the new capital 

19 asset will have on— 

20 ‘‘(A) delivery dates for each capital asset; 

21 ‘‘(B) estimated completion dates for each 

22 capital asset; 

23 ‘‘(C) the total estimated cost to complete 

24 each capital asset; and 
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1 ‘‘(D) other planned construction or im2 provement projects; and 

3 ‘‘(3) recommended funding levels for each capital 

4 asset necessary to meet the estimated completion dates 

5 and total estimated costs included in the such asset’s 

6 approved acquisition program baseline.’’; and 

7 (3) by amending subsection (c), as so redesig8 nated, to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

10 ‘‘(1) the term ‘unfunded priority’ means a pro11 gram or mission requirement that— 

12 ‘‘(A) has not been selected for funding in the 

13 applicable proposed budget; 

14 ‘‘(B) is necessary to fulfill a requirement as15 sociated with an operational need; and 

16 ‘‘(C) the Commandant would have rec17 ommended for inclusion in the applicable pro18 posed budget had additional resources been avail19 able or had the requirement emerged before the 

20 budget was submitted; and 

21 ‘‘(2) the term ‘new capital asset’ means— 

22 ‘‘(A) an acquisition program that does not 

23 have an approved acquisition program baseline; 

24 or 
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1 ‘‘(B) the acquisition of a capital asset in ex2 cess of the number included in the approved ac3 quisition program baseline.’’. 

4 (c) DAYS AWAY FROM HOMEPORT.—Not later than 1 

5 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com6 mandant of the Coast Guard shall— 

7 (1) implement a standard for tracking oper8 ational days at sea for Coast Guard cutters that does 

9 not include days during which such cutters are un10 dergoing maintenance or repair; and 

11 (2) notify the Committee on Transportation and 

12 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 

13 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor14 tation of the Senate of the standard implemented 

15 under paragraph (1). 

16 (d) FIXED WING AIRCRAFT FLEET MIX ANALYSIS.— 

17 Not later than September 30, 2016, the Commandant of the 

18 Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on Transpor19 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

20 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor21 tation of the Senate a revised fleet mix analysis of Coast 

22 Guard fixed wing aircraft. 

23 (e) LONG-TERM MAJOR ACQUISITIONS PLAN.—Section 

24 2903 of title 14, United States Code, as redesignated and 

25 otherwise amended by this Act, is further amended— 
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1 (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 

2 (g); and 

3 (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(e) LONG-TERM MAJOR ACQUISITIONS PLAN.—Each 

6 report under subsection (a) shall include a plan that de7 scribes for the upcoming fiscal year, and for each of the 

8 20 fiscal years thereafter— 

9 ‘‘(1) the numbers and types of cutters and air10 craft to be decommissioned; 

11 ‘‘(2) the numbers and types of cutters and air12 craft to be acquired to— 

13 ‘‘(A) replace the cutters and aircraft identi14 fied under paragraph (1); or 

15 ‘‘(B) address an identified capability gap; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(3) the estimated level of funding in each fiscal 

18 year required to— 

19 ‘‘(A) acquire the cutters and aircraft identi20 fied under paragraph (2); 

21 ‘‘(B) acquire related command, control, 

22 communications, computer, intelligence, surveil23 lance, and reconnaissance systems; and 

24 ‘‘(C) acquire, construct, or renovate shore25 side infrastructure. 
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1 ‘‘(f) QUARTERLY UPDATES ON RISKS OF PROGRAMS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 days after 

3 the end of each fiscal year quarter, the Commandant 

4 of the Coast Guard shall submit to the committees of 

5 Congress specified in subsection (a) an update setting 

6 forth a current assessment of the risks associated with 

7 all current major acquisition programs. 

8 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—Each update under this sub9 section shall set forth, for each current major acquisi10 tion program, the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) The top five current risks to such pro12 gram. 

13 ‘‘(B) Any failure of such program to dem14 onstrate a key performance parameter or thresh15 old during operational test and evaluation con16 ducted during the fiscal year quarter preceding 

17 such update. 

18 ‘‘(C) Whether there has been any decision 

19 during such fiscal year quarter to order full-rate 

20 production before all key performance param21 eters or thresholds are met. 

22 ‘‘(D) Whether there has been any breach of 

23 major acquisition program cost (as defined by 

24 the Major Systems Acquisition Manual) during 

25 such fiscal year quarter. 
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1 ‘‘(E) Whether there has been any breach of 

2 major acquisition program schedule (as so de3 fined) during such fiscal year quarter.’’. 

4 SEC. 205. AUXILIARY JURISDICTION. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 822 of title 14, United 

6 States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) by striking ‘‘The purpose’’ and inserting the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The purpose’’; and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—The Auxiliary may conduct a pa12 trol of a waterway, or a portion thereof, only if— 

13 ‘‘(1) the Commandant has determined such wa14 terway, or portion thereof, is navigable for purposes 

15 of the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard; or 

16 ‘‘(2) a State or other proper authority has re17 quested such patrol pursuant to section 141 of this 

18 title or section 13109 of title 46.’’. 

19 (b) NOTIFICATION.—The Commandant of the Coast 

20 Guard shall— 

21 (1) review the waterways patrolled by the Coast 

22 Guard Auxiliary in the most recently completed fiscal 

23 year to determine whether such waterways are eligible 

24 or ineligible for patrol under section 822(b) of title 
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1 14, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)); 

2 and 

3 (2) not later than 180 days after the date of the 

4 enactment of this Act, provide to the Committee on 

5 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

6 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

7 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a written 

8 notification of— 

9 (A) any waterways determined ineligible for 

10 patrol under paragraph (1); and 

11 (B) the actions taken by the Commandant 

12 to ensure Auxiliary patrols do not occur on such 

13 waterways. 

14 SEC. 206. COAST GUARD COMMUNITIES. 

15 Section 409 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 

16 1998 (14 U.S.C. 639 note) is amended in the second sen17 tence by striking ‘‘90 days’’ and inserting ‘‘30 days’’. 

18 SEC. 207. POLAR ICEBREAKERS. 

19 (a) INCREMENTAL FUNDING AUTHORITY FOR POLAR

20 ICEBREAKERS.—In fiscal year 2016 and each fiscal year 

21 thereafter, the Commandant of the Coast Guard may enter 

22 into a contract or contracts for the acquisition of polar ice23 breakers and associated equipment using incremental fund24 ing. 
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1 (b) ‘‘POLAR SEA’’ MATERIEL CONDITION ASSESSMENT

2 AND SERVICE LIFE EXTENSION.—Section 222 of the Coast 

3 Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 (Public 

4 Law 112–213; 126 Stat. 1560) is amended— 

5 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

8 date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act 

9 of 2015, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

10 Guard is operating shall— 

11 ‘‘(1) complete a materiel condition assessment 

12 with respect to the Polar Sea; 

13 ‘‘(2) make a determination of whether it is cost 

14 effective to reactivate the Polar Sea compared with 

15 other options to provide icebreaking services as part 

16 of a strategy to maintain polar icebreaking services; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(3) submit to the Committee on Transportation 

19 and Infrastructure and the Committee on Science, 

20 Space, and Technology of the House of Representa21 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

22 Transportation of the Senate— 

23 ‘‘(A) the assessment required under para24 graph (1); and 
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1 ‘‘(B) written notification of the determina2 tion required under paragraph (2).’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘analysis’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘written notification’’; 

5 (3) by striking subsection (c); 

6 (4) by redesignating subsections (d) through (h) 

7 as subsections (c) through (g), respectively; 

8 (5) in subsection (c) (as redesignated by para9 graph (4) of this section)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (A) by striking 

12 ‘‘based on the analysis required’’; and 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (C) by striking 

14 ‘‘analysis’’ and inserting ‘‘written notifica15 tion’’; 

16 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

17 (i) by striking ‘‘analysis’’ each place it 

18 appears and inserting ‘‘written notifica19 tion’’; 

20 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (a)’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(3)(B)’’; 

22 (iii) by striking ‘‘subsection (c)’’ each 

23 place it appears and inserting ‘‘that sub24 section’’; and 
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1 (iv) by striking ‘‘under subsection 

2 (a)(5)’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘in the analysis sub5 mitted under this section’’; 

6 (ii) by striking ‘‘(a)(5)’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘(a)’’; 

8 (iii) by striking ‘‘then’’ and all that 

9 follows through ‘‘(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘then’’; 

10 (iv) by striking ‘‘; or’’ and inserting a 

11 period; and 

12 (v) by striking subparagraph (B); and 

13 (6) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by para14 graph (4) of this subsection) by striking ‘‘in sub15 section (d)’’ and inserting ‘‘in subsection (c)’’. 

16 SEC. 208. AIR FACILITY CLOSURES. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 17 of title 14, United 

18 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 676 the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘§ 676a. Air facility closures 

21 ‘‘(a) PROHIBITION.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Coast Guard may not— 

23 ‘‘(A) close a Coast Guard air facility that 

24 was in operation on November 30, 2014; or 
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1 ‘‘(B) retire, transfer, relocate, or deploy an 

2 aviation asset from an air facility described in 

3 subparagraph (A) for the purpose of closing such 

4 facility. 

5 ‘‘(2) SUNSET.—Paragraph (1) shall have no 

6 force or effect beginning on the later of— 

7 ‘‘(A) January 1, 2018; or 

8 ‘‘(B) the date on which the Secretary sub9 mits to the Committee on Transportation and 

10 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, 

11 and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

12 and Transportation of the Senate, rotary wing 

13 strategic plans prepared in accordance with sec14 tion 208(b) of the Coast Guard Authorization 

15 Act of 2015. 

16 ‘‘(b) CLOSURES.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on January 1, 

18 2018, the Secretary may not close a Coast Guard air 

19 facility, except as specified by this section. 

20 ‘‘(2) DETERMINATIONS.—The Secretary may not 

21 propose closing or terminating operations at a Coast 

22 Guard air facility unless the Secretary determines 

23 that— 
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1 ‘‘(A) remaining search and rescue capabili2 ties maintain the safety of the maritime public 

3 in the area of the air facility; 

4 ‘‘(B) regional or local prevailing weather 

5 and marine conditions, including water tem6 peratures or unusual tide and current condi7 tions, do not require continued operation of the 

8 air facility; and 

9 ‘‘(C) Coast Guard search and rescue stand10 ards related to search and response times are 

11 met. 

12 ‘‘(3) PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT.—Prior to 

13 closing an air facility, the Secretary shall provide op14 portunities for public comment, including the con15 vening of public meetings in communities in the area 

16 of responsibility of the air facility with regard to the 

17 proposed closure or cessation of operations at the air 

18 facility. 

19 ‘‘(4) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.—Prior to closure, 

20 cessation of operations, or any significant reduction 

21 in personnel and use of a Coast Guard air facility 

22 that is in operation on or after December 31, 2015, 

23 the Secretary shall— 

24 ‘‘(A) submit to the Congress a proposal for 

25 such closure, cessation, or reduction in oper-
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1 ations along with the budget of the President 

2 submitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of 

3 title 31 for the fiscal year in which the action 

4 will be carried out; and 

5 ‘‘(B) not later than 7 days after the date a 

6 proposal for an air facility is submitted pursu7 ant to subparagraph (A), provide written notice 

8 of such proposal to each of the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) Each member of the House of Rep10 resentatives who represents a district in 

11 which the air facility is located. 

12 ‘‘(ii) Each member of the Senate who 

13 represents a State in which the air facility 

14 is located. 

15 ‘‘(iii) Each member of the House of 

16 Representatives who represents a district in 

17 which assets of the air facility conduct 

18 search and rescue operations. 

19 ‘‘(iv) Each member of the Senate who 

20 represents a State in which assets of the air 

21 facility conduct search and rescue oper22 ations. 

23 ‘‘(v) The Committee on Appropriations 

24 of the House of Representatives. 
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1 ‘‘(vi) The Committee on Transpor2 tation and Infrastructure of the House of 

3 Representatives. 

4 ‘‘(vii) The Committee on Appropria5 tions of the Senate. 

6 ‘‘(viii) The Committee on Commerce, 

7 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

8 ‘‘(c) OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY.—The Secretary may 

9 implement any reasonable management efficiencies within 

10 the air station and air facility network, such as modifying 

11 the operational posture of units or reallocating resources as 

12 necessary to ensure the safety of the maritime public na13 tionwide.’’. 

14 (b) ROTARY WING STRATEGIC PLANS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the depart16 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 

17 prepare the plans specified in paragraph (2) to ade18 quately address contingencies arising from potential 

19 future aviation casualties or the planned or un20 planned retirement of rotary wing airframes to avoid 

21 to the greatest extent practicable any substantial gap 

22 or diminishment in Coast Guard operational capa23 bilities. 

24 (2) ROTARY WING STRATEGIC PLANS.— 
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1 (A) ROTARY WING CONTINGENCY PLAN.— 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Secretary of the department in 

4 which the Coast Guard is operating shall develop 

5 and submit to the Committee on Transportation 

6 and Infrastructure of the House of Representa7 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

8 and Transportation of the Senate a contingency 

9 plan— 

10 (i) to address the planned or un11 planned losses of rotary wing airframes; 

12 (ii) to reallocate resources as necessary 

13 to ensure the safety of the maritime public 

14 nationwide; and 

15 (iii) to ensure the operational posture 

16 of Coast Guard units. 

17 (B) ROTARY WING REPLACEMENT CAPITAL

18 INVESTMENT PLAN.— 

19 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 

20 years after the date of enactment of this Act, 

21 the Secretary of the department in which 

22 the Coast Guard is operating shall develop 

23 and submit to the Committee on Transpor24 tation and Infrastructure of the House of 

25 Representatives and the Committee on Com-
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1 merce, Science, and Transportation of the 

2 Senate a capital investment plan for the ac3 quisition of new rotary wing airframes to 

4 replace the Coast Guard’s legacy helicopters 

5 and fulfil all existing mission requirements. 

6 (ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The plan devel7 oped under this subparagraph shall pro8 vide— 

9 (I) a total estimated cost for com10 pletion; 

11 (II) a timetable for completion of 

12 the acquisition project and phased in 

13 transition to new airframes; and 

14 (III) projected annual funding 

15 levels for each fiscal year. 

16 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

17 (1) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 17.—The analysis 

18 for chapter 17 of title 14, United States Code, is 

19 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec20 tion 676 the following: 

‘‘676a. Air facility closures.’’. 

21 (2) REPEAL OF PROHIBITION.—Section 225 of 

22 the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Trans23 portation Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–281; 128 

24 Stat. 3022) is amended— 

25 (A) by striking subsection (b); and 
34 

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1 (B) by striking ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’. 

2 SEC. 209. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO TITLE 14, UNITED 

3 STATES CODE. 

4 Title 14, United States Code, as amended by this Act, 

5 is further amended— 

6 (1) in the analysis for part I, by striking the 

7 item relating to chapter 19 and inserting the fol8 lowing: 

‘‘19. Environmental Compliance and Restoration Program ................................................................................. 690’’; 

9 (2) in section 46(a), by striking ‘‘subsection’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘section’’; 

11 (3) in section 47, in the section heading by strik12 ing ‘‘commandant’’ and inserting ‘‘Com13 mandant’’; 

14 (4) in section 93(f), by striking paragraph (2) 

15 and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The Commandant may lease 

17 submerged lands and tidelands under paragraph (1) 

18 only if— 

19 ‘‘(A) the lease is for cash exclusively; 

20 ‘‘(B) the lease amount is equal to the fair 

21 market value of the use of the leased submerged 

22 lands or tidelands for the period during which 

23 such lands are leased, as determined by the Com24 mandant; 
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1 ‘‘(C) the lease does not provide authority to 

2 or commit the Coast Guard to use or support 

3 any improvements to such submerged lands and 

4 tidelands, or obtain goods and services from the 

5 lessee; and 

6 ‘‘(D) proceeds from the lease are deposited 

7 in the Coast Guard Housing Fund established 

8 under section 687.’’; 

9 (5) in the analysis for chapter 9, by striking the 

10 item relating to section 199 and inserting the fol11 lowing: 

‘‘199. Marine safety curriculum.’’; 

12 (6) in section 427(b)(2), by striking ‘‘this chap13 ter’’ and inserting ‘‘chapter 61 of title 10’’; 

14 (7) in the analysis for chapter 15 before the item 

15 relating to section 571, by striking the following: 

‘‘Sec.’’; 

16 (8) in section 581(5)(B), by striking 

17 ‘‘$300,000,0000,’’ and inserting ‘‘$300,000,000,’’; 

18 (9) in section 637(c)(3), in the matter preceding 

19 subparagraph (A) by inserting ‘‘it is’’ before ‘‘any’’; 

20 (10) in section 641(d)(3), by striking ‘‘Guard, 

21 installation’’ and inserting ‘‘Guard installation’’; 

22 (11) in section 691(c)(3), by striking ‘‘state’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘State’’; 

24 (12) in the analysis for chapter 21— 
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1 (A) by striking the item relating to section 

2 709 and inserting the following: 

‘‘709. Reserve student aviation pilots; Reserve aviation pilots; appointments in 

commissioned grade.’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) by striking the item relating to section 

5 740 and inserting the following: 

‘‘740. Failure of selection and removal from an active status.’’; 

6 (13) in section 742(c), by striking ‘‘subsection’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘subsections’’; 

8 (14) in section 821(b)(1), by striking ‘‘Chapter 

9 26’’ and inserting ‘‘Chapter 171’’; and 

10 (15) in section 823a(b)(1), by striking ‘‘Chapter 

11 26’’ and inserting ‘‘Chapter 171’’. 

12 SEC. 210. DISCONTINUANCE OF AN AID TO NAVIGATION. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the de15 partment in which the Coast Guard is operating shall estab16 lish a process for the discontinuance of an aid to navigation 

17 (other than a seasonal or temporary aid) established, main18 tained, or operated by the Coast Guard. 

19 (b) REQUIREMENT.—The process established under 

20 subsection (a) shall include procedures to notify the public 

21 of any discontinuance of an aid to navigation described in 

22 that subsection. 
37 

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1 (c) CONSULTATION.—In establishing a process under 

2 subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with and consider 

3 any recommendations of the Navigation Safety Advisory 

4 Council. 

5 (d) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 days after es6 tablishing a process under subsection (a), the Secretary 

7 shall notify the Committee on Transportation and Infra8 structure of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

9 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

10 of the process established. 

11 SEC. 211. MISSION PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 

12 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

13 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

14 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In15 frastructure and the Committee on Homeland Security of 

16 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com17 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an assess18 ment of the efficacy of the Coast Guard’s Standard Oper19 ational Planning Process with respect to annual mission 

20 performance measures. 

21 SEC. 212. COMMUNICATIONS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary of Homeland Secu23 rity determines that there are at least two communications 

24 systems described under paragraph (1)(B) and certified 

25 under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall establish and 
38 

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1 carry out a pilot program across not less than three compo2 nents of the Department of Homeland Security to assess the 

3 effectiveness of a communications system that— 

4 (1) provides for— 

5 (A) multiagency collaboration and inter6 operability; and 

7 (B) wide-area, secure, and peer-invitation8 and-acceptance-based multimedia communica9 tions; 

10 (2) is certified by the Department of Defense 

11 Joint Interoperability Test Center; and 

12 (3) is composed of commercially available, off13 the-shelf technology. 

14 (b) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 6 months after the 

15 date on which the pilot program is completed, the Secretary 

16 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In17 frastructure and the Committee on Homeland Security of 

18 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com19 merce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee 

20 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate 

21 an assessment of the pilot program, including the impacts 

22 of the program with respect to interagency and Coast Guard 

23 response capabilities. 

24 (c) STRATEGY.—The pilot program shall be consistent 

25 with the strategy required by the Department of Homeland 
39 

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1 Security Interoperable Communications Act (Public Law 

2 114–29). 

3 (d) TIMING.—The pilot program shall commence with4 in 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act or 

5 within 60 days after the completion of the strategy required 

6 by the Department of Homeland Security Interoperable 

7 Communications Act (Public Law 114–29), whichever is 

8 later. 

9 SEC. 213. COAST GUARD GRADUATE MARITIME OPER10 ATIONS EDUCATION. 

11 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which the 

13 Coast Guard is operating shall establish an education pro14 gram, for members and employees of the Coast Guard, 

15 that— 

16 (1) offers a master’s degree in maritime oper17 ations; 

18 (2) is relevant to the professional development of 

19 such members and employees; 

20 (3) provides resident and distant education op21 tions, including the ability to utilize both options; 

22 and 

23 (4) to the greatest extent practicable, is con24 ducted using existing academic programs at an ac25 credited public academic institution that— 
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1 (A) is located near a significant number of 

2 Coast Guard, maritime, and other Department 

3 of Homeland Security law enforcement per4 sonnel; and 

5 (B) has an ability to simulate operations 

6 normally conducted at a command center. 

7 SEC. 214. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 

8 (a) MULTIRATER ASSESSMENT.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 14, United 

10 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 428 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘§ 429. Multirater assessment of certain personnel 

13 ‘‘(a) MULTIRATER ASSESSMENT OF CERTAIN PER14 SONNEL.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 

16 one year after the date of the enactment of the Coast 

17 Guard Authorization Act of 2015, the Commandant of 

18 the Coast Guard shall develop and implement a plan 

19 to conduct every two years a multirater assessment 

20 for each of the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) Each flag officer of the Coast Guard. 

22 ‘‘(B) Each member of the Senior Executive 

23 Service of the Coast Guard. 

24 ‘‘(C) Each officer of the Coast Guard nomi25 nated for promotion to the grade of flag officer. 
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1 ‘‘(2) POST-ASSESSMENT ELEMENTS.—Following 

2 an assessment of an individual pursuant to para3 graph (1), the individual shall be provided appro4 priate post-assessment counseling and leadership 

5 coaching. 

6 ‘‘(b) MULTIRATER ASSESSMENT DEFINED.—In this 

7 section, the term ‘multirater assessment’ means a review 

8 that seeks opinion from members senior to the reviewee and 

9 the peers and subordinates of the reviewee.’’. 

10 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the 

11 beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

12 after the item related to section 428 the following: 

‘‘429. Multirater assessment of certain personnel.’’. 

13 (b) TRAINING COURSE ON WORKINGS OF CONGRESS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 14, United 

15 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘§ 60. Training course on workings of Congress 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

19 date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act 

20 of 2015, the Commandant, in consultation with the Super21 intendent of the Coast Guard Academy and such other indi22 viduals and organizations as the Commandant considers 

23 appropriate, shall develop a training course on the work24 ings of the Congress and offer that training course at least 

25 once each year. 
42 

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1 ‘‘(b) COURSE SUBJECT MATTER.—The training course 

2 required by this section shall provide an overview and in3 troduction to the Congress and the Federal legislative proc4 ess, including— 

5 ‘‘(1) the history and structure of the Congress 

6 and the committee systems of the House of Represent7 atives and the Senate, including the functions and re8 sponsibilities of the Committee on Transportation and 

9 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 

10 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor11 tation of the Senate; 

12 ‘‘(2) the documents produced by the Congress, in13 cluding bills, resolutions, committee reports, and con14 ference reports, and the purposes and functions of 

15 those documents; 

16 ‘‘(3) the legislative processes and rules of the 

17 House of Representatives and the Senate, including 

18 similarities and differences between the two processes 

19 and rules, including— 

20 ‘‘(A) the congressional budget process; 

21 ‘‘(B) the congressional authorization and 

22 appropriation processes; 

23 ‘‘(C) the Senate advice and consent process 

24 for Presidential nominees; 
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1 ‘‘(D) the Senate advice and consent process 

2 for treaty ratification; 

3 ‘‘(4) the roles of Members of Congress and con4 gressional staff in the legislative process; and 

5 ‘‘(5) the concept and underlying purposes of con6 gressional oversight within our governance framework 

7 of separation of powers. 

8 ‘‘(c) LECTURERS AND PANELISTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) OUTSIDE EXPERTS.—The Commandant 

10 shall ensure that not less than 60 percent of the lec11 turers, panelists, and other individuals providing 

12 education and instruction as part of the training 

13 course required by this section are experts on the Con14 gress and the Federal legislative process who are not 

15 employed by the executive branch of the Federal Gov16 ernment. 

17 ‘‘(2) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT PRO BONO SERV18 ICES.—In satisfying the requirement under para19 graph (1), the Commandant shall seek, and may ac20 cept, educational and instructional services of lec21 turers, panelists, and other individuals and organiza22 tions provided to the Coast Guard on a pro bono 

23 basis. 

24 ‘‘(d) COMPLETION OF REQUIRED TRAINING.— 
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1 ‘‘(1) CURRENT FLAG OFFICERS AND EMPLOY2 EES.—A Coast Guard flag officer appointed or as3 signed to a billet in the National Capital Region on 

4 the date of the enactment of this section, and a Coast 

5 Guard Senior Executive Service employee employed 

6 in the National Capital Region on the date of the en7 actment of this section, shall complete a training 

8 course that meets the requirements of this section 

9 within 60 days after the date on which the Com10 mandant completes the development of the training 

11 course. 

12 ‘‘(2) NEW FLAG OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.—A 

13 Coast Guard flag officer who is newly appointed or 

14 assigned to a billet in the National Capital Region, 

15 and a Coast Guard Senior Executive Service em16 ployee who is newly employed in the National Cap17 ital Region, shall complete a training course that 

18 meets the requirements of this section not later than 

19 60 days after reporting for duty.’’. 

20 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the 

21 beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at 

22 the end the following: 

‘‘60. Training course on workings of Congress.’’. 

23 (c) REPORT ON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

25 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com-
45 

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1 mandant of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Com2 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

3 the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and 

4 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a re5 port on Coast Guard leadership development. 

6 (2) CONTENTS.—The report shall include the fol7 lowing: 

8 (A) An assessment of the feasibility of— 

9 (i) all officers (other than officers cov10 ered by section 429(a) of title 14, United 

11 States Code, as amended by this section) 

12 completing a multirater assessment; 

13 (ii) all members (other than officers 

14 covered by such section) in command posi15 tions completing a multirater assessment; 

16 (iii) all enlisted members in a super17 visory position completing a multirater as18 sessment; and 

19 (iv) members completing periodic 

20 multirater assessments. 

21 (B) Such recommendations as the Com22 mandant considers appropriate for the imple23 mentation or expansion of a multirater assess24 ment in the personnel development programs of 

25 the Coast Guard. 
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1 (C) An overview of each of the current lead2 ership development courses of the Coast Guard, 

3 an assessment of the feasibility of the expansion 

4 of any such course, and a description of the re5 sources, if any, required to expand such courses. 

6 (D) An assessment on the state of leadership 

7 training in the Coast Guard, and recommenda8 tions on the implementation of a policy to pre9 vent leadership that has adverse effects on subor10 dinates, the organization, or mission perform11 ance, including— 

12 (i) a description of methods that will 

13 be used by the Coast Guard to identify, 

14 monitor, and counsel individuals whose 

15 leadership may have adverse effects on sub16 ordinates, the organization, or mission per17 formance; 

18 (ii) the implementation of leadership 

19 recognition training to recognize such lead20 ership in one’s self and others; 

21 (iii) the establishment of procedures for 

22 the administrative separation of leaders 

23 whose leadership may have adverse effects 

24 on subordinates, the organization, or mis25 sion performance; and 
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1 (iv) a description of the resources need2 ed to implement this subsection. 

3 SEC. 215. SENIOR ENLISTED MEMBER CONTINUATION 

4 BOARDS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 357 of title 14, United 

6 States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) by striking subsections (a) through (h) and 

8 subsection (j); and 

9 (2) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘(i)’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

11 (1) HEADING AMENDMENT.—The heading of such 

12 section is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘§ 357. Retirement of enlisted members: increase in re14 tired pay’’ 

15 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the 

16 beginning of chapter 11 of such title is amended by 

17 striking the item relating to such section and insert18 ing the following: 

‘‘357. Retirement of enlisted members: increase in retired pay.’’. 

19 SEC. 216. COAST GUARD MEMBER PAY. 

20 (a) ANNUAL AUDIT OF PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF

21 MEMBERS UNDERGOING PERMANENT CHANGE OF STA22 TION.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 13 of title 14, United 

24 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 
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1 ‘‘§ 519. Annual audit of pay and allowances of mem2 bers undergoing permanent change of sta3 tion 

4 ‘‘The Commandant shall conduct each calendar year 

5 an audit of member pay and allowances for the members 

6 who transferred to new units during such calendar year. 

7 The audit for a calendar year shall be completed by the 

8 end of the calendar year.’’. 

9 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the 

10 beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at 

11 the end the following: 

‘‘519. Annual audit of pay and allowances of members undergoing permanent 

change of station.’’. 

12 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast 

14 Guard shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com16 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

17 of Representatives a report on alternative methods for noti18 fying members of the Coast Guard of their monthly earn19 ings. The report shall include— 

20 (1) an assessment of the feasibility of providing 

21 members a monthly notification of their earnings, 

22 categorized by pay and allowance type; and 

23 (2) a description and assessment of mechanisms 

24 that may be used to provide members with notifica-
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1 tion of their earnings, categorized by pay and allow2 ance type. 

3 SEC. 217. TRANSFER OF FUNDS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE 

4 MEDICAL CARE. 

5 (a) TRANSFER REQUIRED.—In lieu of the reimburse6 ment required under section 1085 of title 10, United States 

7 Code, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall transfer to 

8 the Secretary of Defense an amount that represents the ac9 tuarial valuation of treatment or care— 

10 (1) that the Department of Defense shall provide 

11 to members of the Coast Guard, former members of 

12 the Coast Guard, and dependents of such members 

13 and former members (other than former members and 

14 dependents of former members who are a Medicare-eli15 gible beneficiary or for whom the payment for treat16 ment or care is made from the Medicare-Eligible Re17 tiree Health Care Fund) at facilities under the juris18 diction of the Department of Defense or a military 

19 department; and 

20 (2) for which a reimbursement would otherwise 

21 be made under section 1085. 

22 (b) AMOUNT.—The amount transferred under sub23 section (a) shall be— 

24 (1) in the case of treatment or care to be pro25 vided to members of the Coast Guard and their de-
50 

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1 pendents, derived from amounts appropriated for the 

2 operating expenses of the Coast Guard; 

3 (2) in the case of treatment or care to be pro4 vided former members of the Coast Guard and their 

5 dependents, derived from amounts appropriated for 

6 retired pay; 

7 (3) determined under procedures established by 

8 the Secretary of Defense; 

9 (4) transferred during the fiscal year in which 

10 treatment or care is provided; and 

11 (5) subject to adjustment or reconciliation as the 

12 Secretaries determine appropriate during or prompt13 ly after such fiscal year in cases in which the amount 

14 transferred is determined excessive or insufficient 

15 based on the services actually provided. 

16 (c) NO TRANSFER WHEN SERVICE IN NAVY.—No 

17 transfer shall be made under this section for any period 

18 during which the Coast Guard operates as a service in the 

19 Navy. 

20 (d) RELATIONSHIP TO TRICARE.—This section shall 

21 not be construed to require a payment for, or the transfer 

22 of an amount that represents the value of, treatment or care 

23 provided under any TRICARE program. 
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1 SEC. 218. PARTICIPATION OF THE COAST GUARD ACADEMY 

2 IN FEDERAL, STATE, OR OTHER EDU3 CATIONAL RESEARCH GRANTS. 

4 Section 196 of title 14, United States Code, is amend5 ed— 

6 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before the 

7 first sentence; and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(b) QUALIFIED ORGANIZATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant of the 

11 Coast Guard may— 

12 ‘‘(A) enter into a contract, cooperative 

13 agreement, lease, or licensing agreement with a 

14 qualified organization; 

15 ‘‘(B) allow a qualified organization to use, 

16 at no cost, personal property of the Coast Guard; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(C) notwithstanding section 93, accept 

19 funds, supplies, and services from a qualified or20 ganization. 

21 ‘‘(2) SOLE-SOURCE BASIS.—Notwithstanding 

22 chapter 65 of title 31 and chapter 137 of title 10, the 

23 Commandant may enter into a contract or coopera24 tive agreement under paragraph (1)(A) on a sole25 source basis. 
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1 ‘‘(3) MAINTAINING FAIRNESS, OBJECTIVITY, AND

2 INTEGRITY.—The Commandant shall ensure that con3 tributions under this subsection do not— 

4 ‘‘(A) reflect unfavorably on the ability of the 

5 Coast Guard, any of its employees, or any mem6 ber of the armed forces to carry out any respon7 sibility or duty in a fair and objective manner; 

8 or 

9 ‘‘(B) compromise the integrity or appear10 ance of integrity of any program of the Coast 

11 Guard, or any individual involved in such a 

12 program. 

13 ‘‘(4) LIMITATION.—For purposes of this sub14 section, employees or personnel of a qualified organi15 zation shall not be employees of the United States. 

16 ‘‘(5) QUALIFIED ORGANIZATION DEFINED.—In 

17 this subsection the term ‘qualified organization’ 

18 means an organization— 

19 ‘‘(A) described under section 501(c)(3) of the 

20 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from 

21 taxation under section 501(a) of that Code; and 

22 ‘‘(B) established by the Coast Guard Acad23 emy Alumni Association solely for the purpose of 

24 supporting academic research and applying for 

25 and administering Federal, State, or other edu-
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1 cational research grants on behalf of the Coast 

2 Guard Academy.’’. 

3 SEC. 219. NATIONAL COAST GUARD MUSEUM. 

4 Section 98(b) of title 14, United States Code, is amend5 ed— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘any appro7 priated Federal funds for’’ and insert ‘‘any funds ap8 propriated to the Coast Guard on’’; and 

9 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘artifacts.’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘artifacts, including the design, fab11 rication, and installation of exhibits or displays in 

12 which such artifacts are included.’’. 

13 SEC. 220. INVESTIGATIONS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 14, United 

15 States Code, is further amended by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘§ 430. Investigations of flag officers and Senior Exec18 utive Service employees 

19 ‘‘In conducting an investigation into an allegation of 

20 misconduct by a flag officer or member of the Senior Execu21 tive Service serving in the Coast Guard, the Inspector Gen22 eral of the Department of Homeland Security shall— 

23 ‘‘(1) conduct the investigation in a manner con24 sistent with Department of Defense policies for such 

25 an investigation; and 
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1 ‘‘(2) consult with the Inspector General of the 

2 Department of Defense.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the be4 ginning of such chapter is further amended by inserting 

5 after the item related to section 429 the following: 

‘‘430. Investigations of flag officers and Senior Executive Service employees.’’. 

6 SEC. 221. CLARIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF MEMBERS OF 

7 THE COAST GUARD FOR COMBAT-RELATED 

8 SPECIAL COMPENSATION. 

9 (a) CONSIDERATION OF ELIGIBILITY.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

11 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

12 the department is which the Coast Guard is operating 

13 shall issue procedures and criteria to use in deter14 mining whether the disability of a member of the 

15 Coast Guard is a combat-related disability for pur16 poses of the eligibility of such member for combat-re17 lated special compensation under section 1413a of 

18 title 10, United States Code. Such procedures and cri19 teria shall include the procedures and criteria pre20 scribed by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to sub21 section (e)(2) of such section. Such procedures and 

22 criteria shall apply in determining whether the dis23 ability of a member of the Coast Guard is a combat24 related disability for purposes of determining the eli-
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1 gibility of such member for combat-related special 

2 compensation under such section. 

3 (2) DISABILITY FOR WHICH A DETERMINATION IS

4 MADE.—For the purposes of this section, and in the 

5 case of a member of the Coast Guard, a disability 

6 under section 1413a(e)(2)(B) of title 10, United 

7 States Code, includes a disability incurred during 

8 aviation duty, diving duty, rescue swimmer or simi9 lar duty, and hazardous service duty onboard a small 

10 vessel (such as duty as a surfman)— 

11 (A) in the performance of duties for which 

12 special or incentive pay was paid pursuant to 

13 section 301, 301a, 304, 307, 334, or 351 of title 

14 37, United States Code; 

15 (B) in the performance of duties related to 

16 a statutory mission of the Coast Guard under 

17 paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of section 

18 888(a) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 

19 U.S.C. 468(a)), including— 

20 (i) law enforcement, including drug or 

21 migrant interdiction; 

22 (ii) defense readiness; or 

23 (iii) search and rescue; or 
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1 (C) while engaged in a training exercise for 

2 the performance of a duty described in subpara3 graphs (A) and (B). 

4 (b) APPLICABILITY OF PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA.— 

5 The procedures and criteria issued pursuant to subsection 

6 (a) shall apply to disabilities described in that subsection 

7 that are incurred on or after the effective date provided in 

8 section 636(a)(2) of the Bob Stump National Defense Au9 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107–314; 

10 116 Stat. 2574; 10 U.S.C. 1413a note). 

11 (c) REAPPLICATION FOR COMPENSATION.—Any mem12 ber of the Coast Guard who was denied combat-related spe13 cial compensation under section 1413a of title 10, United 

14 States Code, during the period beginning on the effective 

15 date specified in subsection (b) and ending on the date of 

16 the issuance of the procedures and criteria required by sub17 section (a) may reapply for combat-related special com18 pensation under such section on the basis of such procedures 

19 and criteria in accordance with such procedures as the Sec20 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard is oper21 ating shall specify. 

22 SEC. 222. LEAVE POLICIES FOR THE COAST GUARD. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 14, United 

24 States Code, is further amended by inserting after section 

25 430 the following: 
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1 ‘‘§ 431. Leave policies for the Coast Guard 

2 ‘‘Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Sec3 retary of the Navy promulgates a new rule, policy, or 

4 memorandum pursuant to section 704 of title 10, United 

5 States Code, with respect to leave associated with the birth 

6 or adoption of a child, the Secretary of the department in 

7 which the Coast Guard is operating shall promulgate a 

8 similar rule, policy, or memorandum that provides leave 

9 to officers and enlisted members of the Coast Guard that 

10 is equal in duration and compensation to that provided by 

11 the Secretary of the Navy.’’. 

12 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the be13 ginning of such chapter is further amended by inserting 

14 after the item related to section 430 the following: 

‘‘431. Leave policies for the Coast Guard.’’. 

15 TITLE III—SHIPPING AND 

16 NAVIGATION 

17 SEC. 301. SURVIVAL CRAFT. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3104 of title 46, United 

19 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘§ 3104. Survival craft 

21 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT TO EQUIP.—The Secretary shall 

22 require that a passenger vessel be equipped with survival 

23 craft that ensures that no part of an individual is immersed 

24 in water, if— 
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1 ‘‘(1) such vessel is built or undergoes a major 

2 conversion after January 1, 2016; and 

3 ‘‘(2) operates in cold waters as determined by the 

4 Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(b) HIGHER STANDARD OF SAFETY.—The Secretary 

6 may revise part 117 or part 180 of title 46, Code of Federal 

7 Regulations, as in effect before January 1, 2016, if such 

8 revision provides a higher standard of safety than is pro9 vided by the regulations in effect on or before the date of 

10 the enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 

11 2015. 

12 ‘‘(c) INNOVATIVE AND NOVEL DESIGNS.—The Sec13 retary may, in lieu of the requirements set out in part 117 

14 or part 180 of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, as in 

15 effect on the date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Au16 thorization Act of 2015, allow a passenger vessel to be 

17 equipped with a life-saving appliance or arrangement of 

18 an innovative or novel design that— 

19 ‘‘(1) ensures no part of an individual is im20 mersed in water; and 

21 ‘‘(2) provides an equal or higher standard of 

22 safety than is provided by such requirements as in ef23 fect before such date of the enactment. 

24 ‘‘(d) BUILT DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘built’ 

25 has the meaning that term has under section 4503(e).’’. 
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1 (b) REVIEW; REVISION OF REGULATIONS.— 

2 (1) REVIEW.—Not later than December 31, 2016, 

3 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

4 Guard is operating shall submit to the Committee on 

5 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

6 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

7 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a review 

8 of— 

9 (A) the number of casualties for individuals 

10 with disabilities, children, and the elderly as a 

11 result of immersion in water, reported to the 

12 Coast Guard over the preceding 30-year period, 

13 by vessel type and area of operation; 

14 (B) the risks to individuals with disabil15 ities, children, and the elderly as a result of im16 mersion in water, by passenger vessel type and 

17 area of operation; 

18 (C) the effect that carriage of survival craft 

19 that ensure that no part of an individual is im20 mersed in water has on— 

21 (i) passenger vessel safety, including 

22 stability and safe navigation; 

23 (ii) improving the survivability of in24 dividuals, including individuals with dis25 abilities, children, and the elderly; and 
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1 (iii) the costs, the incremental cost dif2 ference to vessel operators, and the cost effec3 tiveness of requiring the carriage of such 

4 survival craft to address the risks to indi5 viduals with disabilities, children, and the 

6 elderly; 

7 (D) the efficacy of alternative safety sys8 tems, devices, or measures in improving surviv9 ability of individuals with disabilities, children, 

10 and the elderly; and 

11 (E) the number of small businesses and 

12 nonprofit vessel operators that would be affected 

13 by requiring the carriage of such survival craft 

14 on passenger vessels to address the risks to indi15 viduals with disabilities, children, and the elder16 ly. 

17 (2) SCOPE.—In conducting the review under 

18 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall include an exam19 ination of passenger vessel casualties that have oc20 curred in the waters of other nations. 

21 (3) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall update the 

22 review required under paragraph (1) every 5 years. 

23 (4) REVISION.—Based on the review conducted 

24 under paragraph (1), including updates thereto, the 

25 Secretary shall revise regulations concerning the car-
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1 riage of survival craft under section 3104(c) of title 

2 46, United States Code. 

3 (c) GAO STUDY.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

6 General of the United States shall complete and sub7 mit to the Committee on Transportation and Infra8 structure of the House of Representatives and the 

9 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor10 tation of the Senate a report to determine any adverse 

11 or positive changes in public safety after the imple12 mentation of the amendments and requirements under 

13 this section and section 3104 of title 46, United 

14 States Code. 

15 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In completing the report 

16 under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall 

17 examine— 

18 (A) the number of casualties, by vessel type 

19 and area of operation, as the result of immersion 

20 in water reported to the Coast Guard for each of 

21 the 10 most recent fiscal years for which such 

22 data are available; 

23 (B) data for each fiscal year on— 

24 (i) vessel safety, including stability 

25 and safe navigation; and 
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1 (ii) survivability of individuals, in2 cluding individuals with disabilities, chil3 dren, and the elderly; 

4 (C) the efficacy of alternative safety sys5 tems, devices, or measures; and 

6 (D) any available data on the costs of the 

7 amendments and requirements under this section 

8 and section 3104 of title 46, United States Code. 

9 SEC. 302. VESSEL REPLACEMENT. 

10 (a) LOANS AND GUARANTEES.—Chapter 537 of title 

11 46, United States Code, is amended— 

12 (1) in section 53701— 

13 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (8) 

14 through (14) as paragraphs (9) through (15), re15 spectively; and 

16 (B) by inserting after paragraph (7) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(8) HISTORICAL USES.—The term ‘historical 

19 uses’ includes— 

20 ‘‘(A) refurbishing, repairing, rebuilding, or 

21 replacing equipment on a fishing vessel, without 

22 materially increasing harvesting capacity; 

23 ‘‘(B) purchasing a used fishing vessel; 

24 ‘‘(C) purchasing, constructing, expanding, 

25 or reconditioning a fishery facility; 
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1 ‘‘(D) refinancing existing debt; 

2 ‘‘(E) reducing fishing capacity; and 

3 ‘‘(F) making upgrades to a fishing vessel, 

4 including upgrades in technology, gear, or equip5 ment, that improve— 

6 ‘‘(i) collection and reporting of fishery7 dependent data; 

8 ‘‘(ii) bycatch reduction or avoidance; 

9 ‘‘(iii) gear selectivity; 

10 ‘‘(iv) adverse impacts caused by fishing 

11 gear; or 

12 ‘‘(v) safety.’’; and 

13 (2) in section 53702(b), by adding at the end the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(3) MINIMUM OBLIGATIONS AVAILABLE FOR

16 HISTORIC USES.—Of the direct loan obligations issued 

17 by the Secretary under this chapter, the Secretary 

18 shall make a minimum of $59,000,000 available each 

19 fiscal year for historic uses. 

20 ‘‘(4) USE OF OBLIGATIONS IN LIMITED ACCESS

21 FISHERIES.—In addition to the other eligible pur22 poses and uses of direct loan obligations provided for 

23 in this chapter, the Secretary may issue direct loan 

24 obligations for the purpose of— 
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1 ‘‘(A) financing the construction or recon2 struction of a fishing vessel in a fishery managed 

3 under a limited access system; or 

4 ‘‘(B) financing the purchase of harvesting 

5 rights in a fishery that is federally managed 

6 under a limited access system.’’. 

7 (b) LIMITATION ON APPLICATION TO CERTAIN FISHING

8 VESSELS OF PROHIBITION UNDER VESSEL CONSTRUCTION

9 PROGRAM.—Section 302(b)(2) of the Fisheries Financing 

10 Act (title III of Public Law 104–297; 46 U.S.C. 53706 note) 

11 is amended— 

12 (1) in the second sentence— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘or in’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

14 in’’; and 

15 (B) by inserting before the period the fol16 lowing: ‘‘, in fisheries that are under the juris17 diction of the North Pacific Fishery Management 

18 Council and managed under a fishery manage19 ment plan issued under the Magnuson-Stevens 

20 Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 

21 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), or in the Pacific whiting 

22 fishery that is under the jurisdiction of the Pa23 cific Fishery Management Council and managed 

24 under a fishery management plan issued under 

25 that Act’’; and 
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1 (2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Any 

2 fishing vessel operated in fisheries under the jurisdic3 tion of the North Pacific Fishery Management Coun4 cil and managed under a fishery management plan 

5 issued under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conserva6 tion and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), 

7 or in the Pacific whiting fishery under the jurisdic8 tion of the Pacific Fishery Management Council and 

9 managed under a fishery management plan issued 

10 under that Act, and that is replaced by a vessel that 

11 is constructed or rebuilt with a loan or loan guar12 antee provided by the Federal Government may not 

13 be used to harvest fish in any fishery under the juris14 diction of any regional fishery management council, 

15 other than a fishery under the jurisdiction of the 

16 North Pacific Fishery Management Council or the 

17 Pacific Fishery Management Council.’’. 

18 SEC. 303. MODEL YEARS FOR RECREATIONAL VESSELS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4302 of title 46, United 

20 States Code is amended by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(e)(1) Under this section, a model year for rec22 reational vessels and associated equipment shall, except as 

23 provided in paragraph (2)— 

24 ‘‘(A) begin on June 1 of a year and end on July 

25 31 of the following year; and 
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1 ‘‘(B) be designated by the year in which it ends. 

2 ‘‘(2) Upon the request of a recreational vessel manufac3 turer to which this chapter applies, the Secretary may alter 

4 a model year for a model of recreational vessel of the manu5 facturer and associated equipment, by no more than 6 

6 months from the model year described in paragraph (1).’’. 

7 (b) APPLICATION.—This section shall only apply with 

8 respect to recreational vessels and associated equipment 

9 constructed or manufactured, respectively, on or after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act. 

11 SEC. 304. MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIAL EXPIRATION 

12 HARMONIZATION. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

14 (c) and not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

15 of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which the 

16 Coast Guard is operating shall establish a process to har17 monize the expiration dates of merchant mariner creden18 tials, mariner medical certificates, and radar observer en19 dorsements for individuals applying to the Secretary for a 

20 new merchant mariner credential or for renewal of an exist21 ing merchant mariner credential. 

22 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

23 the process established under subsection (a)— 
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1 (1) does not require an individual to renew a 

2 merchant mariner credential earlier than the date on 

3 which the individual’s current credential expires; and 

4 (2) results in harmonization of expiration dates 

5 for merchant mariner credentials, mariner medical 

6 certificates, and radar observer endorsements for all 

7 individuals by not later than 6 years after the date 

8 of the enactment of this Act. 

9 (c) EXCEPTION.—The process established under sub10 section (a) does not apply to individuals— 

11 (1) holding a merchant mariner credential 

12 with— 

13 (A) an active Standards of Training, Cer14 tification, and Watchkeeping endorsement; or 

15 (B) Federal first-class pilot endorsement; or 

16 (2) who have been issued a time-restricted med17 ical certificate. 

18 SEC. 305. SAFETY ZONES FOR PERMITTED MARINE EVENTS. 

19 Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment 

20 of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which the 

21 Coast Guard is operating shall establish and implement a 

22 process to— 

23 (1) account for the number of safety zones estab24 lished for permitted marine events; 
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1 (2) differentiate whether the event sponsor who 

2 requested a permit for such an event is— 

3 (A) an individual; 

4 (B) an organization; or 

5 (C) a government entity; and 

6 (3) account for Coast Guard resources utilized to 

7 enforce safety zones established for permitted marine 

8 events, including for— 

9 (A) the number of Coast Guard or Coast 

10 Guard Auxiliary vessels used; and 

11 (B) the number of Coast Guard or Coast 

12 Guard Auxiliary patrol hours required. 

13 SEC. 306. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

14 (a) TITLE 46.—Title 46, United States Code, is 

15 amended— 

16 (1) in section 103, by striking ‘‘(33 U.S.C. 

17 151).’’ and inserting ‘‘(33 U.S.C. 151(b)).’’; 

18 (2) in section 2118— 

19 (A) in subsection (a), in the matter pre20 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘title,’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘subtitle,’’; and 

22 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘title’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘subtitle’’; 

24 (3) in the analysis for chapter 35— 
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1 (A) by adding a period at the end of the 

2 item relating to section 3507; and 

3 (B) by adding a period at the end of the 

4 item relating to section 3508; 

5 (4) in section 3715(a)(2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

6 and inserting a semicolon; 

7 (5) in section 4506, by striking ‘‘(a)’’; 

8 (6) in section 8103(b)(1)(A)(iii), by striking 

9 ‘‘Academy.’’ and inserting ‘‘Academy; and’’; 

10 (7) in section 11113(c)(1)(A)(i), by striking 

11 ‘‘under this Act’’; 

12 (8) in the analysis for chapter 701— 

13 (A) by adding a period at the end of the 

14 item relating to section 70107A; 

15 (B) in the item relating to section 70112, by 

16 striking ‘‘security advisory committees.’’ and in17 serting ‘‘Security Advisory Committees.’’; and 

18 (C) in the item relating to section 70122, by 

19 striking ‘‘watch program.’’ and inserting ‘‘Watch 

20 Program.’’; 

21 (9) in section 70105(c)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(xv)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘18, popularly’’ and in24 serting ‘‘18 (popularly’’; and 
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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘Act’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘Act)’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘(D) 

4 paragraph’’ and inserting ‘‘(D) of paragraph’’; 

5 (10) in section 70107— 

6 (A) in subsection (b)(2), by striking 

7 ‘‘5121(j)(8)),’’ and inserting ‘‘5196(j)(8)),’’; and 

8 (B) in subsection (m)(3)(C)(iii), by striking 

9 ‘‘that is’’ and inserting ‘‘that the applicant’’; 

10 (11) in section 70122, in the section heading, by 

11 striking ‘‘watch program’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘Watch Program’’; and 

13 (12) in the analysis for chapter 705, by adding 

14 a period at the end of the item relating to section 

15 70508. 

16 (b) GENERAL BRIDGE STATUTES.— 

17 (1) ACT OF MARCH 3, 1899.—The Act of March 

18 3, 1899, popularly known as the Rivers and Harbors 

19 Appropriations Act of 1899, is amended— 

20 (A) in section 9 (33 U.S.C. 401), by strik21 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

22 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart23 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’; 

24 and 
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1 (B) in section 18 (33 U.S.C. 502), by strik2 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

3 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart4 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’. 

5 (2) ACT OF MARCH 23, 1906.—The Act of March 

6 23, 1906, popularly known as the Bridge Act of 1906, 

7 is amended— 

8 (A) in the first section (33 U.S.C. 491), by 

9 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and in10 serting ‘‘Secretary of the department in which 

11 the Coast Guard is operating’’; 

12 (B) in section 4 (33 U.S.C. 494), by strik13 ing ‘‘Secretary of Homeland Security’’ each 

14 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the 

15 department in which the Coast Guard is oper16 ating’’; and 

17 (C) in section 5 (33 U.S.C. 495), by strik18 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

19 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart20 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’. 

21 (3) ACT OF AUGUST 18, 1894.—Section 5 of the 

22 Act entitled ‘‘An Act making appropriations for the 

23 construction, repair, and preservation of certain pub24 lic works on rivers and harbors, and for other pur25 poses’’, approved August 18, 1894 (33 U.S.C. 499) is 
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1 amended by striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ 

2 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the 

3 department in which the Coast Guard is operating’’. 

4 (4) ACT OF JUNE 21, 1940.—The Act of June 21, 

5 1940, popularly known as the Truman-Hobbs Act, is 

6 amended— 

7 (A) in section 1 (33 U.S.C. 511), by strik8 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

10 Guard is operating’’; 

11 (B) in section 4 (33 U.S.C. 514), by strik12 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

14 Guard is operating’’; 

15 (C) in section 7 (33 U.S.C. 517), by strik16 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

17 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart18 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’; 

19 and 

20 (D) in section 13 (33 U.S.C. 523), by strik21 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

23 Guard is operating’’. 

24 (5) GENERAL BRIDGE ACT OF 1946.—The General 

25 Bridge Act of 1946 is amended— 
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1 (A) in section 502(b) (33 U.S.C. 525(b)), by 

2 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and in3 serting ‘‘Secretary of the department in which 

4 the Coast Guard is operating’’; and 

5 (B) in section 510 (33 U.S.C. 533), by 

6 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each 

7 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the 

8 department in which the Coast Guard is oper9 ating’’. 

10 (6) INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE ACT OF 1972.—The 

11 International Bridge Act of 1972 is amended— 

12 (A) in section 5 (33 U.S.C. 535c), by strik13 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

15 Guard is operating’’; 

16 (B) in section 8 (33 U.S.C. 535e), by strik17 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

18 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart19 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’; 

20 and 

21 (C) by striking section 11 (33 U.S.C. 535h). 

22 SEC. 307. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS OF MA23 RINE CASUALTY REPORTING. 

24 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 

25 of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall notify 
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1 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

2 House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

3 Science, and Transportation of the Senate of the actions 

4 the Commandant will take to implement recommendations 

5 on improvements to the Coast Guard’s marine casualty re6 porting requirements and procedures included in— 

7 (1) the Department of Homeland Security Office 

8 of Inspector General report entitled ‘‘Marine Accident 

9 Reporting, Investigations, and Enforcement in the 

10 United States Coast Guard’’, released on May 23, 

11 2013; and 

12 (2) the Towing Safety Advisory Committee re13 port entitled ‘‘Recommendations for Improvement of 

14 Marine Casualty Reporting’’, released on March 26, 

15 2015. 

16 SEC. 308. RECREATIONAL VESSEL ENGINE WEIGHTS. 

17 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 

18 of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which the 

19 Coast Guard is operating shall issue regulations amending 

20 table 4 to subpart H of part 183 of title 33, Code of Federal 

21 Regulations (relating to Weights (Pounds) of Outboard 

22 Motor and Related Equipment for Various Boat Horse23 power Ratings) as appropriate to reflect ‘‘Standard 30– 

24 Outboard Engine and Related Equipment Weights’’ pub-
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1 lished by the American Boat and Yacht Council, as in effect 

2 on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

3 SEC. 309. MERCHANT MARINER MEDICAL CERTIFICATION 

4 REFORM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 75 of title 46, United 

6 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘§ 7509. Medical certification by trusted agents 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi9 sion of law and pursuant to regulations prescribed by the 

10 Secretary, a trusted agent may issue a medical certificate 

11 to an individual who— 

12 ‘‘(1) must hold such certificate to qualify for a 

13 license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s 

14 document, or endorsement thereto under this part; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(2) is qualified as to sight, hearing, and phys17 ical condition to perform the duties of such license, 

18 certificate, document, or endorsement, as determined 

19 by the trusted agent. 

20 ‘‘(b) PROCESS FOR ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATES BY

21 SECRETARY.—A final rule implementing this section shall 

22 include a process for— 

23 ‘‘(1) the Secretary of the department in which 

24 the Coast Guard is operating to issue medical certifi-
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1 cates to mariners who submit applications for such 

2 certificates to the Secretary; and 

3 ‘‘(2) a trusted agent to defer to the Secretary the 

4 issuance of a medical certificate. 

5 ‘‘(c) TRUSTED AGENT DEFINED.—In this section the 

6 term ‘trusted agent’ means a medical practitioner certified 

7 by the Secretary to perform physical examinations of an 

8 individual for purposes of a license, certificate of registry, 

9 or merchant mariner’s document under this part.’’. 

10 (b) DEADLINE.—Not later than 5 years after the date 

11 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the department 

12 in which the Coast Guard is operating shall issue a final 

13 rule implementing section 7509 of title 46, United States 

14 Code, as added by this section. 

15 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for such 

16 chapter is amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘7509. Medical certification by trusted agents.’’. 

17 SEC. 310. ATLANTIC COAST PORT ACCESS ROUTE STUDY. 

18 (a) ATLANTIC COAST PORT ACCESS ROUTE STUDY.— 

19 Not later than April 1, 2016, the Commandant of the Coast 

20 Guard shall conclude the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route 

21 Study and submit the results of such study to the Committee 

22 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep23 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

24 Transportation of the Senate. 
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1 (b) NANTUCKET SOUND.—Not later than December 1, 

2 2016, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall complete 

3 and submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infra4 structure of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

5 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

6 a port access route study of Nantucket Sound using the 

7 standards and methodology of the Atlantic Coast Port Ac8 cess Route Study, to determine whether the Coast Guard 

9 should revise existing regulations to improve navigation 

10 safety in Nantucket Sound due to factors such as increased 

11 vessel traffic, changing vessel traffic patterns, weather con12 ditions, or navigational difficulty in the vicinity. 

13 SEC. 311. CERTIFICATES OF DOCUMENTATION FOR REC14 REATIONAL VESSELS. 

15 Not later than one year after the date of the enactment 

16 of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which the 

17 Coast Guard is operating shall issue regulations that— 

18 (1) make certificates of documentation for rec19 reational vessels effective for 5 years; and 

20 (2) require the owner of such a vessel— 

21 (A) to notify the Coast Guard of each 

22 change in the information on which the issuance 

23 of the certificate of documentation is based, that 

24 occurs before the expiration of the certificate; and 
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1 (B) apply for a new certificate of docu2 mentation for such a vessel if there is any such 

3 change. 

4 SEC. 312. PROGRAM GUIDELINES. 

5 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 

6 this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall— 

7 (1) develop guidelines to implement the program 

8 authorized under section 304(a) of the Coast Guard 

9 and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 (Public 

10 Law 109–241), including specific actions to ensure 

11 the future availability of able and credentialed United 

12 States licensed and unlicensed seafarers including— 

13 (A) incentives to encourage partnership 

14 agreements with operators of foreign-flag vessels 

15 that carry liquified natural gas, that provide no 

16 less than one training billet per vessel for United 

17 States merchant mariners in order to meet min18 imum mandatory sea service requirements; 

19 (B) development of appropriate training 

20 curricula for use by public and private maritime 

21 training institutions to meet all United States 

22 merchant mariner license, certification, and doc23 ument laws and requirements under the Inter24 national Convention on Standards of Training, 
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1 Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 

2 1978; and 

3 (C) steps to promote greater outreach and 

4 awareness of additional job opportunities for sea 

5 service veterans of the United States Armed 

6 Forces; and 

7 (2) submit such guidelines to the Committee 

8 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

9 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

10 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

11 SEC. 313. REPEALS. 

12 (a) REPEALS, MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 1936.—Sec13 tions 601 through 606, 608 through 611, 613 through 616, 

14 802, and 809 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. 

15 53101 note) are repealed. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 575 of title 

17 46, United States Code, is amended— 

18 (1) in section 57501, by striking ‘‘titles V and 

19 VI’’ and inserting ‘‘title V’’; and 

20 (2) in section 57531(a), by striking ‘‘titles V and 

21 VI’’ and inserting ‘‘title V’’. 

22 (c) TRANSFER FROM MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 

23 1936.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 801 of the Merchant 

25 Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. 53101 note) is— 
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1 (A) redesignated as section 57522 of title 

2 46, United States Code, and transferred to ap3 pear after section 57521 of such title; and 

4 (B) as so redesignated and transferred, is 

5 amended— 

6 (i) by striking so much as precedes the 

7 first sentence and inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘§ 57522. Books and records, balance sheets, and in9 spection and auditing’’; 

10 (ii) by striking ‘‘the provision of title 

11 VI or VII of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘this 

12 chapter’’; and 

13 (iii) by striking ‘‘: Provided, That’’ 

14 and all that follows through ‘‘Commission’’. 

15 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

16 chapter 575, of title 46, United States Code, is 

17 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec18 tion 57521 the following: 

‘‘57522. Books and records, balance sheets, and inspection and auditing.’’. 

19 (d) REPEALS, TITLE 46, U.S.C.—Section 8103 of title 

20 46, United States Code, is amended in subsections (c) and 

21 (d) by striking ‘‘or operating’’ each place it appears. 

22 SEC. 314. MARITIME DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT. 

23 (a) PROHIBITIONS.—Section 70503(a) of title 46, 

24 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(a) PROHIBITIONS.—While on board a covered vessel, 

2 an individual may not knowingly or intentionally— 

3 ‘‘(1) manufacture or distribute, or possess with 

4 intent to manufacture or distribute, a controlled sub5 stance; 

6 ‘‘(2) destroy (including jettisoning any item or 

7 scuttling, burning, or hastily cleaning a vessel), or at8 tempt or conspire to destroy, property that is subject 

9 to forfeiture under section 511(a) of the Comprehen10 sive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 

11 (21 U.S.C. 881(a)); or 

12 ‘‘(3) conceal, or attempt or conspire to conceal, 

13 more than $100,000 in currency or other monetary 

14 instruments on the person of such individual or in 

15 any conveyance, article of luggage, merchandise, or 

16 other container, or compartment of or aboard the cov17 ered vessel if that vessel is outfitted for smuggling.’’. 

18 (b) COVERED VESSEL DEFINED.—Section 70503 of 

19 title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

20 end the following: 

21 ‘‘(e) COVERED VESSEL DEFINED.—In this section the 

22 term ‘covered vessel’ means— 

23 ‘‘(1) a vessel of the United States or a vessel sub24 ject to the jurisdiction of the United States; or 
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1 ‘‘(2) any other vessel if the individual is a cit2 izen of the United States or a resident alien of the 

3 United States.’’. 

4 (c) PENALTIES.—Section 70506 of title 46, United 

5 States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘A person vio7 lating section 70503’’ and inserting ‘‘A person vio8 lating paragraph (1) of section 70503(a)’’; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(d) PENALTY.—A person violating paragraph (2) or 

11 (3) of section 70503(a) shall be fined in accordance with 

12 section 3571 of title 18, imprisoned not more than 15 years, 

13 or both.’’. 

14 (d) SEIZURE AND FORFEITURE.—Section 70507(a) of 

15 title 46, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘sec16 tion 70503’’ and inserting ‘‘section 70503 or 70508’’. 

17 (e) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

18 (1) The heading of section 70503 of title 46, 

19 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘§ 70503. Prohibited acts’’ 

21 (2) The analysis for chapter 705 of title 46, 

22 United States Code, is further amended by striking 

23 the item relating to section 70503 and inserting the 

24 following: 

‘‘70503. Prohibited acts.’’. 
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1 SEC. 315. EXAMINATIONS FOR MERCHANT MARINER CRE2 DENTIALS. 

3 (a) DISCLOSURE.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 75 of title 46, United 

5 States Code, is further amended by adding at the end 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘§ 7510. Examinations for merchant mariner creden8 tials 

9 ‘‘(a) DISCLOSURE NOT REQUIRED.—Notwithstanding 

10 any other provision of law, the Secretary is not required 

11 to disclose to the public— 

12 ‘‘(1) a question from any examination for a mer13 chant mariner credential; 

14 ‘‘(2) the answer to such a question, including 

15 any correct or incorrect answer that may be presented 

16 with such question; and 

17 ‘‘(3) any quality or characteristic of such a ques18 tion, including— 

19 ‘‘(A) the manner in which such question has 

20 been, is, or may be selected for an examination; 

21 ‘‘(B) the frequency of such selection; and 

22 ‘‘(C) the frequency that an examinee cor23 rectly or incorrectly answered such question. 

24 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN QUESTIONS.—Notwith25 standing subsection (a), the Secretary may, for the purpose 

26 of preparation by the general public for examinations re-
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1 quired for merchant mariner credentials, release an exam2 ination question and answer that the Secretary has retired 

3 or is not presently on or part of an examination, or that 

4 the Secretary determines is appropriate for release. 

5 ‘‘(c) EXAM REVIEW.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

7 the date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Author8 ization Act of 2015, and once every two years there9 after, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall com10 mission a working group to review new questions for 

11 inclusion in examinations required for merchant 

12 mariner credentials, composed of— 

13 ‘‘(A) 1 subject matter expert from the Coast 

14 Guard; 

15 ‘‘(B) representatives from training facilities 

16 and the maritime industry, of whom— 

17 ‘‘(i) one-half shall be representatives 

18 from approved training facilities; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) one-half shall be representatives 

20 from the appropriate maritime industry; 

21 ‘‘(C) at least 1 representative from the Mer22 chant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee; 

23 ‘‘(D) at least 2 representatives from the 

24 State maritime academies, of whom one shall be 

25 a representative from the deck training track 
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1 and one shall be a representative of the engine li2 cense track; 

3 ‘‘(E) representatives from other Coast 

4 Guard Federal advisory committees, as appro5 priate, for the industry segment associated with 

6 the subject examinations; 

7 ‘‘(F) at least 1 subject matter expert from 

8 the Maritime Administration; and 

9 ‘‘(G) at least 1 human performance tech10 nology representative. 

11 ‘‘(2) INCLUSION OF PERSONS KNOWLEDGEABLE

12 ABOUT EXAMINATION TYPE.—The working group shall 

13 include representatives knowledgeable about the exam14 ination type under review. 

15 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—The requirement to convene a 

16 working group under paragraph (1) does not apply 

17 unless there are new examination questions to review. 

18 ‘‘(4) BASELINE REVIEW.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Within 1 year after the 

20 date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Au21 thorization Act of 2015, the Secretary shall con22 vene the working group to complete a baseline re23 view of the Coast Guard’s Merchant Mariner 

24 Credentialing Examination, including review 

25 of— 
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1 ‘‘(i) the accuracy of examination ques2 tions; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the accuracy and availability of 

4 examination references; 

5 ‘‘(iii) the length of merchant mariner 

6 examinations; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) the use of standard technologies 

8 in administering, scoring, and analyzing 

9 the examinations. 

10 ‘‘(B) PROGRESS REPORT.—The Coast 

11 Guard shall provide a progress report to the ap12 propriate congressional committees on the review 

13 under this paragraph. 

14 ‘‘(5) FULL MEMBERSHIP NOT REQUIRED.—The 

15 Coast Guard may convene the working group without 

16 all members present if any non-Coast-Guard rep17 resentative is present. 

18 ‘‘(6) NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT.—The Sec19 retary shall require all members of the working group 

20 to sign a nondisclosure agreement with the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(7) TREATMENT OF MEMBERS AS FEDERAL EM22 PLOYEES.—A member of the working group who is 

23 not a Federal Government employee shall not be con24 sidered a Federal employee in the service or the em25 ployment of the Federal Government, except that such 
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1 a member shall be considered a special government 

2 employee, as defined in section 202(a) of title 18 for 

3 purposes of sections 203, 205, 207, 208, and 209 of 

4 such title and shall be subject to any administrative 

5 standards of conduct applicable to an employee of the 

6 department in which the Coast Guard is operating. 

7 ‘‘(8) FORMAL EXAM REVIEW.—The Secretary 

8 shall ensure that the Coast Guard Performance Tech9 nology Center— 

10 ‘‘(A) prioritizes the review of examinations 

11 required for merchant mariner credentials; and 

12 ‘‘(B) not later than 3 years after the date 

13 of enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization 

14 Act of 2015, completes a formal review, includ15 ing an appropriate analysis, of the topics and 

16 testing methodology employed by the National 

17 Maritime Center for merchant seamen licensing. 

18 ‘‘(9) FACA.—The Federal Advisory Committee 

19 Act (5 U.S.C. App) shall not apply to any working 

20 group created under this section to review the Coast 

21 Guard’s merchant mariner credentialing examina22 tions. 

23 ‘‘(d) MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIAL DEFINED.— 

24 In this section, the term ‘merchant mariner credential’ 

25 means a merchant seaman license, certificate, or document 
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1 that the Secretary is authorized to issue pursuant to this 

2 title.’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

4 such chapter is further amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

‘‘7510. Examinations for merchant mariner credentials.’’. 

6 (b) EXAMINATIONS FOR MERCHANT MARINER CRE7 DENTIALS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 71 of title 46, United 

9 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘§ 7116. Examinations for merchant mariner creden12 tials 

13 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT FOR SAMPLE EXAMS.—The Sec14 retary shall develop a sample merchant mariner credential 

15 examination and outline of merchant mariner examination 

16 topics on an annual basis. 

17 ‘‘(b) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Each sample examina18 tion and outline of topics developed under subsection (a) 

19 shall be readily available to the public. 

20 ‘‘(c) MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIAL DEFINED.— 

21 In this section, the term ‘merchant mariner credential’ has 

22 the meaning that term has in section 7510.’’. 
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1 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

2 such chapter is amended by adding at the end the fol3 lowing: 

‘‘7116. Examinations for merchant mariner credentials.’’. 

4 (c) DISCLOSURE TO CONGRESS.—Nothing in this sec5 tion may be construed to authorize the withholding of infor6 mation from an appropriate inspector general, the Com7 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

8 Senate, or the Committee on Transportation and Infra9 structure of the House of Representatives. 

10 SEC. 316. HIGHER VOLUME PORT AREA REGULATORY DEFI11 NITION CHANGE. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 710 of the 

13 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (Public Law 111– 

14 281; 124 Stat. 2986) is amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(a) HIGHER VOLUME PORTS.—Notwithstanding any 

16 other provision of law, the requirements of subparts D, F, 

17 and G of part 155 of title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, 

18 that apply to the higher volume port area for the Strait 

19 of Juan de Fuca at Port Angeles, Washington (including 

20 any water area within 50 nautical miles seaward), to and 

21 including Puget Sound, shall apply, in the same manner, 

22 and to the same extent, to the Strait of Juan de Fuca at 

23 Cape Flattery, Washington (including any water area with24 in 50 nautical miles seaward), to and including Puget 

25 Sound.’’. 
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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (b) of such 

2 section is amended by striking ‘‘the modification of the 

3 higher volume port area definition required by subsection 

4 (a).’’ and inserting ‘‘higher volume port requirements made 

5 applicable under subsection (a).’’. 

6 SEC. 317. RECOGNITION OF PORT SECURITY ASSESSMENTS 

7 CONDUCTED BY OTHER ENTITIES. 

8 Section 70108 of title 46, United States Code, is 

9 amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(f) RECOGNITION OF ASSESSMENT CONDUCTED BY

11 OTHER ENTITIES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) CERTIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF AS13 SESSMENTS.—For the purposes of this section and 

14 section 70109, the Secretary may treat an assessment 

15 that a foreign government (including, for the purposes 

16 of this subsection, an entity of or operating under the 

17 auspices of the European Union) or international or18 ganization has conducted as an assessment that the 

19 Secretary has conducted for the purposes of subsection 

20 (a), provided that the Secretary certifies that the for21 eign government or international organization has— 

22 ‘‘(A) conducted the assessment in accord23 ance with subsection (b); and 

24 ‘‘(B) provided the Secretary with sufficient 

25 information pertaining to its assessment (includ-
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1 ing, but not limited to, information on the out2 come of the assessment). 

3 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO AN AGREE4 MENT.—For the purposes of this section and section 

5 70109, the Secretary, in consultation with the Sec6 retary of State, may enter into an agreement with a 

7 foreign government (including, for the purposes of this 

8 subsection, an entity of or operating under the aus9 pices of the European Union) or international orga10 nization, under which parties to the agreement— 

11 ‘‘(A) conduct an assessment, required under 

12 subsection (a); 

13 ‘‘(B) share information pertaining to such 

14 assessment (including, but not limited to, infor15 mation on the outcome of the assessment); or 

16 ‘‘(C) both. 

17 ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.—Nothing in this subsection 

18 shall be construed to— 

19 ‘‘(A) require the Secretary to recognize an 

20 assessment that a foreign government or an 

21 international organization has conducted; or 

22 ‘‘(B) limit the discretion or ability of the 

23 Secretary to conduct an assessment under this 

24 section. 
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1 ‘‘(4) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

2 than 30 days before entering into an agreement or ar3 rangement with a foreign government under para4 graph (2), the Secretary shall notify the Committee 

5 on Homeland Security and the Committee on Trans6 portation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep7 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

8 Science, and Transportation of the Senate of the pro9 posed terms of such agreement or arrangement.’’. 

10 SEC. 318. FISHING VESSEL AND FISH TENDER VESSEL CER11 TIFICATION. 

12 (a) ALTERNATIVE SAFETY COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS.— 

13 Section 4503 of title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘this section’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘this subsection’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘This section’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in subsection (d), 

18 subsection (a)’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (c)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘This section’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), sub22 section (a)’’; and 

23 (B) by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(2) Subsection (a) does not apply to a fishing vessel 

2 or fish tender vessel to which section 4502(b) of this title 

3 applies, if the vessel— 

4 ‘‘(A) is at least 50 feet overall in length, and not 

5 more than 79 feet overall in length as listed on the 

6 vessel’s certificate of documentation or certificate of 

7 number; and 

8 ‘‘(B)(i) is built after the date of the enactment 

9 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) complies with— 

11 ‘‘(I) the requirements described in sub12 section (e); or 

13 ‘‘(II) the alternative requirements estab14 lished by the Secretary under subsection (f).’’; 

15 and 

16 (4) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 

17 (g), and inserting after subsection (d) the following: 

18 ‘‘(e) The requirements referred to in subsection 

19 (c)(2)(B)(ii)(I) are the following: 

20 ‘‘(1) The vessel is designed by an individual li21 censed by a State as a naval architect or marine en22 gineer, and the design incorporates standards equiva23 lent to those prescribed by a classification society to 

24 which the Secretary has delegated authority under 

25 section 3316 or another qualified organization ap-
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1 proved by the Secretary for purposes of this para2 graph. 

3 ‘‘(2) Construction of the vessel is overseen and 

4 certified as being in accordance with its design by a 

5 marine surveyor of an organization accepted by the 

6 Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(3) The vessel— 

8 ‘‘(A) completes a stability test performed by 

9 a qualified individual; 

10 ‘‘(B) has written stability and loading in11 structions from a qualified individual that are 

12 provided to the owner or operator; and 

13 ‘‘(C) has an assigned loading mark. 

14 ‘‘(4) The vessel is not substantially altered with15 out the review and approval of an individual licensed 

16 by a State as a naval architect or marine engineer 

17 before the beginning of such substantial alteration. 

18 ‘‘(5) The vessel undergoes a condition survey at 

19 least twice in 5 years, not to exceed 3 years between 

20 surveys, to the satisfaction of a marine surveyor of an 

21 organization accepted by the Secretary. 

22 ‘‘(6) The vessel undergoes an out-of-water survey 

23 at least once every 5 years to the satisfaction of a cer24 tified marine surveyor of an organization accepted by 

25 the Secretary. 
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1 ‘‘(7) Once every 5 years and at the time of a 

2 substantial alteration to such vessel, compliance of the 

3 vessel with the requirements of paragraph (3) is re4 viewed and updated as necessary. 

5 ‘‘(8) For the life of the vessel, the owner of the 

6 vessel maintains records to demonstrate compliance 

7 with this subsection and makes such records readily 

8 available for inspection by an official authorized to 

9 enforce this chapter. 

10 ‘‘(f)(1) Not later than 10 years after the date of the 

11 enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015, 

12 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transpor13 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

14 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor15 tation of the Senate a report that provides an analysis of 

16 the adequacy of the requirements under subsection (e) in 

17 maintaining the safety of the fishing vessels and fish tender 

18 vessels which are described in subsection (c)(2) and which 

19 comply with the requirements of subsection (e). 

20 ‘‘(2) If the report required under this subsection in21 cludes a determination that the safety requirements under 

22 subsection (e) are not adequate or that additional safety 

23 measures are necessary, that the Secretary may establish 

24 an alternative safety compliance program for fishing vessels 

25 or fish tender vessels (or both) which are described in sub-
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1 section (c)(2) and which comply with the requirements of 

2 subsection (e). 

3 ‘‘(3) The alternative safety compliance program estab4 lished under this subsection shall include requirements 

5 for— 

6 ‘‘(A) vessel construction; 

7 ‘‘(B) a vessel stability test; 

8 ‘‘(C) vessel stability and loading instructions; 

9 ‘‘(D) an assigned vessel loading mark; 

10 ‘‘(E) a vessel condition survey at least twice in 

11 5 years, not to exceed 3 years between surveys; 

12 ‘‘(F) an out-of-water vessel survey at least once 

13 every 5 years; 

14 ‘‘(G) maintenance of records to demonstrate com15 pliance with the program, and the availability of 

16 such records for inspection; and 

17 ‘‘(H) such other aspects of vessel safety as the 

18 Secretary considers appropriate.’’. 

19 (b) GAO REPORT ON COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSEL

20 SAFETY.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months 

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comp23 troller General of the United States shall submit to 

24 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

25 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
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1 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

2 a report on commercial fishing vessel safety. The re3 port shall include— 

4 (A) national and regional trends that can 

5 be identified with respect to rates of marine cas6 ualties, human injuries, and deaths aboard or 

7 involving fishing vessels greater than 79 feet in 

8 length that operate beyond the 3-nautical-mile 

9 demarcation line; 

10 (B) a comparison of United States regula11 tions for classification of fishing vessels to those 

12 established by other countries, including the ves13 sel length at which such regulations apply; 

14 (C) the additional costs imposed on vessel 

15 owners as a result of the requirement in section 

16 4503(a) of title 46, United States Code, and how 

17 the those costs vary in relation to vessel size and 

18 from region to region; 

19 (D) savings that result from the application 

20 of the requirement in section 4503(a) of title 46, 

21 United States Code, including reductions in in22 surance rates or reduction in the number of fish23 ing vessels or fish tender vessels lost to major 

24 safety casualties, nationally and regionally; 
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1 (E) a national and regional comparison of 

2 the additional costs and safety benefits associated 

3 with fishing vessels or fish tender vessels that are 

4 built and maintained to class through a classi5 fication society to the additional costs and safety 

6 benefits associated with fishing vessels or fish 

7 tender vessels that are built to standards equiva8 lent to classification society construction stand9 ards and maintained to standards equivalent to 

10 classification society standards with verification 

11 by independent surveyors; and 

12 (F) the impact on the cost of production 

13 and availability of qualified shipyards, nation14 ally and regionally, resulting from the applica15 tion of the requirement in section 4503(a) of title 

16 46, United States Code. 

17 (2) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In pre18 paring the report under paragraph (1), the Comp19 troller General shall— 

20 (A) consult with owners and operators of 

21 fishing vessels or fish tender vessels, classification 

22 societies, shipyards, the National Institute for 

23 Occupational Safety and Health, the National 

24 Transportation Safety Board, the Coast Guard, 
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1 academics, naval architects, and marine safety 

2 nongovernmental organizations; and 

3 (B) obtain relevant data from the Coast 

4 Guard including data collected from enforcement 

5 actions, boardings, investigations of marine cas6 ualties, and serious marine incidents. 

7 (3) TREATMENT OF DATA.—In preparing the re8 port under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General 

9 shall— 

10 (A) disaggregate data regionally for each of 

11 the regions managed by the regional fishery 

12 management councils established under section 

13 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conserva14 tion and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852), the 

15 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, 

16 the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, 

17 and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commis18 sion; and 

19 (B) include qualitative data on the types of 

20 fishing vessels or fish tender vessels included in 

21 the report. 

22 SEC. 319. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON 

23 OIL POLLUTION RESEARCH. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7001(a)(3) of the Oil Pollu25 tion Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2761(a)(3)) is amended— 
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1 (1) by striking ‘‘Minerals Management Service’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘Bureau of Safety and Environmental 

3 Enforcement, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Manage4 ment,’’; and 

5 (2) by inserting ‘‘the United States Arctic Re6 search Commission,’’ after ‘‘National Aeronautics and 

7 Space Administration,’’. 

8 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—Section 7001 of the 

9 Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2761) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (b)(2), in the matter preceding 

11 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘Department of Trans12 portation’’ and inserting ‘‘department in which the 

13 Coast Guard is operating’’; and 

14 (2) in subsection (c)(8)(A), by striking ‘‘(1989)’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘(2010)’’. 

16 SEC. 320. INTERNATIONAL PORT AND FACILITY INSPEC17 TION COORDINATION. 

18 Section 825(a) of the Coast Guard Authorization Act 

19 of 2010 (6 U.S.C. 945 note; Public Law 111–281) is amend20 ed in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘the department in which the 

22 Coast Guard is operating’’ and inserting ‘‘Homeland 

23 Security’’; and 

24 (2) by striking ‘‘they are integrated and con25 ducted by the Coast Guard’’ and inserting ‘‘the assess-
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1 ments are coordinated between the Coast Guard and 

2 Customs and Border Protection’’. 

3 TITLE IV—FEDERAL MARITIME 

4 COMMISSION 

5 SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 46, United States 

7 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘§ 308. Authorization of appropriations 

9 ‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to the Federal 

10 Maritime Commission $24,700,000 for each of fiscal years 

11 2016 and 2017 for the activities of the Commission author12 ized under this chapter and subtitle IV.’’. 

13 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chapter 

14 3 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding 

15 at the end the following: 

‘‘308. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

16 SEC. 402. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRMAN. 

17 Section 301(c)(3)(A) of title 46, United States Code, 

18 is amended— 

19 (1) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘units, but only 

20 after consultation with the other Commissioners;’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘units (with such appointments subject to 

22 the approval of the Commission);’’; 

23 (2) in clause (iv) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

24 (3) in clause (v) by striking the period at the 

25 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
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1 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(vi) prepare and submit to the Presi3 dent and the Congress requests for appro4 priations for the Commission (with such re5 quests subject to the approval of the Com6 mission).’’. 

7 SEC. 403. PROHIBITION ON AWARDS. 

8 Section 307 of title 46, United States Code, is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘The Federal Maritime Commis11 sion’’ and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Maritime Commis13 sion’’; and 

14 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 

16 the Federal Maritime Commission may not expend any 

17 funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it to a 

18 non-Federal entity to issue an award, prize, commendation, 

19 or other honor that is not related to the purposes set forth 

20 in section 40101.’’. 
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1 TITLE V—CONVEYANCES 

2 Subtitle A—Miscellaneous 

3 Conveyances 

4 SEC. 501. CONVEYANCE OF COAST GUARD PROPERTY IN 

5 POINT REYES STATION, CALIFORNIA. 

6 (a) CONVEYANCE.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant of the 

8 Coast Guard shall convey to the County of Marin, 

9 California all right, title, and interest of the United 

10 States in and to the covered property— 

11 (A) for fair market value, as provided in 

12 paragraph (2); 

13 (B) subject to the conditions required by 

14 this section; and 

15 (C) subject to any other term or condition 

16 that the Commandant considers appropriate and 

17 reasonable to protect the interests of the United 

18 States. 

19 (2) FAIR MARKET VALUE.—The fair market 

20 value of the covered property shall be— 

21 (A) determined by a real estate appraiser 

22 who has been selected by the County and is li23 censed to practice in California; and 

24 (B) approved by the Commandant. 
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1 (3) PROCEEDS.—The Commandant shall deposit 

2 the proceeds from a conveyance under paragraph (1) 

3 in the Coast Guard Housing Fund established by sec4 tion 687 of title 14, United States Code. 

5 (b) CONDITION OF CONVEYANCE.—As a condition of 

6 any conveyance of the covered property under this section, 

7 the Commandant shall require that all right, title, and in8 terest in and to the covered property shall revert to the 

9 United States if the covered property or any part thereof 

10 ceases to be used for affordable housing, as defined by the 

11 County and the Commandant at the time of conveyance, 

12 or to provide a public benefit approved by the County. 

13 (c) SURVEY.—The exact acreage and legal description 

14 of the covered property shall be determined by a survey sat15 isfactory to the Commandant. 

16 (d) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec17 tion may be construed to affect or limit the application of 

18 or obligation to comply with any environmental law, in19 cluding section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental 

20 Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 

21 U.S.C. 9620(h)). 

22 (e) COVERED PROPERTY DEFINED.—In this section, 

23 the term ‘‘covered property’’ means the approximately 32 

24 acres of real property (including all improvements located 

25 on the property) that are— 
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1 (1) located in Point Reyes Station in the County 

2 of Marin, California; 

3 (2) under the administrative control of the Coast 

4 Guard; and 

5 (3) described as ‘‘Parcel A, Tract 1’’, ‘‘Parcel B, 

6 Tract 2’’, ‘‘Parcel C’’, and ‘‘Parcel D’’ in the Declara7 tion of Taking (Civil No. C 71–1245 SC) filed June 

8 28, 1971, in the United States District Court for the 

9 Northern District of California. 

10 (f) EXPIRATION.—The authority to convey the covered 

11 property under this section shall expire on the date that 

12 is four years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

13 SEC. 502. CONVEYANCE OF COAST GUARD PROPERTY IN 

14 TOK, ALASKA. 

15 (a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Commandant of 

16 the Coast Guard may convey to the Tanana Chiefs’ Con17 ference all right, title, and interest of the United States in 

18 and to the covered property, upon payment to the United 

19 States of the fair market value of the covered property. 

20 (b) SURVEY.—The exact acreage and legal description 

21 of the covered property shall be determined by a survey sat22 isfactory to the Commandant. 

23 (c) FAIR MARKET VALUE.—The fair market value of 

24 the covered property shall be— 

25 (1) determined by appraisal; and 
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1 (2) subject to the approval of the Commandant. 

2 (d) COSTS OF CONVEYANCE.—The responsibility for all 

3 reasonable and necessary costs, including real estate trans4 action and environmental documentation costs, associated 

5 with a conveyance under this section shall be determined 

6 by the Commandant and the purchaser. 

7 (e) ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The Com8 mandant may require such additional terms and conditions 

9 in connection with a conveyance under this section as the 

10 Commandant considers appropriate and reasonable to pro11 tect the interests of the United States. 

12 (f) DEPOSIT OF PROCEEDS.—Any proceeds received by 

13 the United States from a conveyance under this section shall 

14 be deposited in the Coast Guard Housing Fund established 

15 under section 687 of title 14, United States Code. 

16 (g) COVERED PROPERTY DEFINED.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term ‘‘cov18 ered property’’ means the approximately 3.25 acres of 

19 real property (including all improvements located on 

20 the property) that are— 

21 (A) located in Tok, Alaska; 

22 (B) under the administrative control of the 

23 Coast Guard; and 

24 (C) described in paragraph (2). 
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1 (2) DESCRIPTION.—The property described in 

2 this paragraph is the following: 

3 (A) Lots 11, 12 and 13, block ‘‘G’’, Second 

4 Addition to Hartsell Subdivision, Section 20, 

5 Township 18 North, Range 13 East, Copper 

6 River Meridian, Alaska as appears by Plat No. 

7 72–39 filed in the Office of the Recorder for the 

8 Fairbanks Recording District of Alaska, bearing 

9 seal dated 25 September 1972, all containing ap10 proximately 1.25 acres and commonly known as 

11 2–PLEX – Jackie Circle, Units A and B. 

12 (B) Beginning at a point being the SE corner of the SE 1⁄4 of the SE 1 13 ⁄4 Section 24, Town14 ship 18 North, Range 12 East, Copper River Me15 ridian, Alaska; thence running westerly along 

the south line of said SE 1⁄4 of the NE 1 16 ⁄4 260 

17 feet; thence northerly parallel to the east line of 

said SE 1⁄4 of the NE 1 18 ⁄4 335 feet; thence easterly 

19 parallel to the south line 260 feet; then south 335 

20 feet along the east boundary of Section 24 to the 

21 point of beginning; all containing approximately 

22 2.0 acres and commonly known as 4–PLEX – 

23 West ‘‘C’’ and Willow, Units A, B, C and D. 
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1 (h) EXPIRATION.—The authority to convey the covered 

2 property under this section shall expire on the date that 

3 is 4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

4 Subtitle B—Pribilof Islands 

5 SEC. 521. SHORT TITLE. 

6 This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Pribilof Island 

7 Transition Completion Act of 2015’’. 

8 SEC. 522. TRANSFER AND DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY. 

9 (a) TRANSFER.—To further accomplish the settlement 

10 of land claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 

11 Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), the Secretary of Commerce 

12 shall, subject to paragraph (2), and notwithstanding section 

13 105(a) of the Pribilof Islands Transition Act (16 U.S.C. 

14 1161 note; Public Law 106–562), convey all right, title, and 

15 interest in the following property to the Alaska native vil16 lage corporation for St. Paul Island: 

17 (1) Lots 4, 5, and 6A, Block 18, Tract A, U.S. 

18 Survey 4943, Alaska, the plat of which was Officially 

19 Filed on January 20, 2004, aggregating 13,006 

20 square feet (0.30 acres). 

21 (2) On the termination of the license described in 

22 subsection (b)(3), T. 35 S., R. 131 W., Seward Merid23 ian, Alaska, Tract 43, the plat of which was Offi24 cially Filed on May 14, 1986, containing 84.88 acres. 

25 (b) FEDERAL USE.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the depart2 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating may op3 erate, maintain, keep, locate, inspect, repair, and re4 place any Federal aid to navigation located on the 

5 property described in subsection (a) as long as the aid 

6 is needed for navigational purposes. 

7 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—In carrying out sub8 section (a), the Secretary may enter the property, at 

9 any time for as long as the aid is needed for naviga10 tional purposes, without notice to the extent that it is 

11 not practicable to provide advance notice. 

12 (3) LICENSE.—The Secretary of the Department 

13 in which the Coast Guard is operating may maintain 

14 a license in effect on the date of the enactment of this 

15 Act with respect to the real property and improve16 ments under subsection (a) until the termination of 

17 the license. 

18 (4) REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years after the 

19 date of the enactment of this Act and not less than 

20 once every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary of the de21 partment in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 

22 submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

23 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com24 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 

25 report on— 
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1 (A) efforts taken to remediate contaminated 

2 soils on tract 43 described in subsection (a)(2); 

3 (B) a schedule for the completion of con4 taminated soil remediation on tract 43; and 

5 (C) any use of tract 43 to carry out Coast 

6 Guard navigation activities. 

7 (c) AGREEMENT ON TRANSFER OF OTHER PROPERTY

8 ON ST. PAUL ISLAND.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the property 

10 transferred under subsection (a), not later than 60 

11 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

12 Secretary of Commerce and the presiding officer of 

13 the Alaska native village corporation for St. Paul Is14 land shall enter into an agreement to exchange of 

15 property on Tracts 50 and 38 on St. Paul Island and 

16 to finalize the recording of deeds, to reflect the bound17 aries and ownership of Tracts 50 and 38 as depicted 

18 on a survey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

19 Administration, to be filed with the Office of the Re20 corder for the Department of Natural Resources for 

21 the State of Alaska. 

22 (2) EASEMENTS.—The survey described in sub23 section (a) shall include respective easements granted 

24 to the Secretary and the Alaska native village cor-
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1 poration for the purpose of utilities, drainage, road 

2 access, and salt lagoon conservation. 

3 SEC. 523. NOTICE OF CERTIFICATION. 

4 Section 105 of the Pribilof Islands Transition Act (16 

5 U.S.C. 1161 note; Public Law 106–562) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘The Sec7 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Notwithstanding paragraph 

8 (2) and effective beginning on the date the Secretary 

9 publishes the notice of certification required by sub10 section (b)(5), the Secretary’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (b)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘sec13 tion 205 of the Fur Seal Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 

14 1165)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 205(a) of the Fur 

15 Seal Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 1165(a))’’; and 

16 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(5) NOTICE OF CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary 

18 shall promptly publish and submit to the Committee 

19 on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives 

20 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans21 portation of the Senate notice that the certification 

22 described in paragraph (2) has been made.’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (c)— 

24 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

25 by striking ‘‘makes the certification described in 
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1 subsection (b)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘publishes the 

2 notice of certification required by subsection 

3 (b)(5)’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Section 

5 205’’ and inserting ‘‘Subsections (a), (b), (c), 

6 and (d) of section 205’’; 

7 (4) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 

8 (g); and 

9 (5) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(e) NOTIFICATIONS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 

13 the Secretary makes a determination under subsection 

14 (f) that land on St. Paul Island, Alaska, not specified 

15 for transfer in the document entitled ‘Transfer of 

16 Property on the Pribilof Islands: Descriptions, Terms 

17 and Conditions’ or section 522 of the Pribilof Island 

18 Transition Completion Act of 2015 is in excess of the 

19 needs of the Secretary and the Federal Government, 

20 the Secretary shall notify the Alaska native village 

21 corporation for St. Paul Island of the determination. 

22 ‘‘(2) ELECTION TO RECEIVE.—Not later than 60 

23 days after the date receipt of the notification of the 

24 Secretary under subsection (a), the Alaska native vil25 lage corporation for St. Paul Island shall notify the 
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1 Secretary in writing whether the Alaska native vil2 lage corporation elects to receive all right, title, and 

3 interest in the land or a portion of the land. 

4 ‘‘(3) TRANSFER.—If the Alaska native village 

5 corporation provides notice under paragraph (2) that 

6 the Alaska native village corporation elects to receive 

7 all right, title and interest in the land or a portion 

8 of the land, the Secretary shall transfer all right, title, 

9 and interest in the land or portion to the Alaska na10 tive village corporation at no cost. 

11 ‘‘(4) OTHER DISPOSITION.—If the Alaska native 

12 village corporation does not provide notice under 

13 paragraph (2) that the Alaska native village corpora14 tion elects to receive all right, title, and interest in the 

15 land or a portion of the land, the Secretary may dis16 pose of the land in accordance with other applicable 

17 law. 

18 ‘‘(f) DETERMINATION.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

20 the date of the enactment of this subsection and not 

21 less than once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary 

22 shall determine whether property located on St. Paul 

23 Island and not transferred to the Natives of the 

24 Pribilof Islands is in excess of the smallest practicable 

25 tract enclosing land— 
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1 ‘‘(A) needed by the Secretary for the pur2 poses of carrying out the Fur Seal Act of 1966 

3 (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.); 

4 ‘‘(B) in the case of land withdrawn by the 

5 Secretary on behalf of other Federal agencies, 

6 needed for carrying out the missions of those 

7 agencies for which land was withdrawn; or 

8 ‘‘(C) actually used by the Federal Govern9 ment in connection with the administration of 

10 any Federal installation on St. Paul Island. 

11 ‘‘(2) REPORT OF DETERMINATION.—When a de12 termination is made under subsection (a), the Sec13 retary shall report the determination to— 

14 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Natural Resources of 

15 the House of Representatives; 

16 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

17 and Transportation of the Senate; and 

18 ‘‘(C) the Alaska native village corporation 

19 for St. Paul Island.’’. 

20 SEC. 524. REDUNDANT CAPABILITY. 

21 (a) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Except as provided in 

22 subsection (b), section 681 of title 14, United States Code, 

23 as amended by this Act, shall not be construed to prohibit 

24 any transfer or conveyance of lands under this subtitle or 

25 any actions that involve the dismantling or disposal of in-
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1 frastructure that supported the former LORAN system that 

2 are associated with the transfer or conveyance of lands 

3 under section 522. 

4 (b) REDUNDANT CAPABILITY.—If, within the 5-year 

5 period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, 

6 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

7 is operating determines that a facility on Tract 43, if trans8 ferred under this subtitle, is subsequently required to pro9 vide a positioning, navigation, and timing system to pro10 vide redundant capability in the event GPS signals are dis11 rupted, the Secretary may— 

12 (1) operate, maintain, keep, locate, inspect, re13 pair, and replace such facility; and 

14 (2) in carrying out the activities described in 

15 paragraph (1), enter, at any time, the facility with16 out notice to the extent that it is not possible to pro17 vide advance notice, for as long as such facility is 

18 needed to provide such capability. 

19 Subtitle C—Conveyance of Coast 

20 Guard Property at Point Spen21 cer, Alaska 

22 SEC. 531. FINDINGS. 

23 The Congress finds as follows: 

24 (1) Major shipping traffic is increasing through 

25 the Bering Strait, the Bering and Chukchi Seas, and 
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1 the Arctic Ocean, and will continue to increase wheth2 er or not development of the Outer Continental Shelf 

3 of the United States is undertaken in the future, and 

4 will increase further if such Outer Continental Shelf 

5 development is undertaken. 

6 (2) There is a compelling national, State, Alaska 

7 Native, and private sector need for permanent infra8 structure development and for a presence in the Arctic 

9 region of Alaska by appropriate agencies of the Fed10 eral Government, particularly in proximity to the 

11 Bering Strait, to support and facilitate search and 

12 rescue, shipping safety, economic development, oil 

13 spill prevention and response, protection of Alaska 

14 Native archaeological and cultural resources, port of 

15 refuge, arctic research, and maritime law enforcement 

16 on the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea, and the Arctic 

17 Ocean. 

18 (3) The United States owns a parcel of land, 

19 known as Point Spencer, located between the Bering 

20 Strait and Port Clarence and adjacent to some of the 

21 best potential deepwater port sites on the coast of 

22 Alaska in the Arctic. 

23 (4) Prudent and effective use of Point Spencer 

24 may be best achieved through marshaling the energy, 
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1 resources, and leadership of the public and private 

2 sectors. 

3 (5) It is in the national interest to develop infra4 structure at Point Spencer that would aid the Coast 

5 Guard in performing its statutory duties and func6 tions in the Arctic on a more permanent basis and 

7 to allow for public and private sector development of 

8 facilities and other infrastructure to support purposes 

9 that are of benefit to the United States. 

10 SEC. 532. DEFINITIONS. 

11 In this subtitle: 

12 (1) ARCTIC.—The term ‘‘Arctic’’ has the mean13 ing given that term in section 112 of the Arctic Re14 search and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111). 

15 (2) BSNC.—The term ‘‘BSNC’’ means the Ber16 ing Straits Native Corporation authorized under sec17 tion 7 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 

18 U.S.C. 1606). 

19 (3) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

20 Port Coordination Council established under section 

21 541. 

22 (4) PLAN.—The term ‘‘Plan’’ means the Port 

23 Management Coordination Plan developed under sec24 tion 541. 
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1 (5) POINT SPENCER.—The term ‘‘Point Spencer’’ 

2 means the land known as ‘‘Point Spencer’’ located in 

3 Townships 2, 3, and 4 South, Range 40 West, Kateel 

4 River Meridian, Alaska, between the Bering Strait 

5 and Port Clarence and withdrawn by Public Land 

6 Order 2650 (published in the Federal Register on 

7 April 12, 1962). 

8 (6) SECRETARY.—Except as otherwise specifi9 cally provided, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec10 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

11 is operating. 

12 (7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

13 of Alaska. 

14 (8) TRACT.—The term ‘‘Tract’’ or ‘‘Tracts’’ 

15 means any of Tract 1, Tract 2, Tract 3, Tract 4, 

16 Tract 5, or Tract 6, as appropriate, or any portion 

17 of such Tract or Tracts. 

18 (9) TRACTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, AND 6.—The terms 

19 ‘‘Tract 1’’, ‘‘Tract 2’’, ‘‘Tract 3’’, ‘‘Tract 4’’, ‘‘Tract 

20 5’’, and ‘‘Tract 6’’ each mean the land generally de21 picted as Tract 1, Tract 2, Tract 3, Tract 4, Tract 

22 5, or Tract 6, respectively, on the map entitled the 

23 ‘‘Point Spencer Land Retention and Conveyance 

24 Map’’, dated January 2015, and on file with the De-
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1 partment of Homeland Security and the Department 

2 of the Interior. 

3 SEC. 533. AUTHORITY TO CONVEY LAND IN POINT SPENCER. 

4 (a) AUTHORITY TO CONVEY TRACTS 1, 3, AND 4.— 

5 Within 1 year after the Secretary notifies the Secretary of 

6 the Interior that the Coast Guard no longer needs to retain 

7 jurisdiction of Tract 1, Tract 3, or Tract 4 and subject to 

8 section 534, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey to 

9 BSNC or the State, subject to valid existing rights, all right, 

10 title, and interest of the United States in and to the surface 

11 and subsurface estates of that Tract in accordance with sub12 section (d). 

13 (b) AUTHORITY TO CONVEY TRACTS 2 AND 5.—Within 

14 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section and 

15 subject to section 534, the Secretary of the Interior shall 

16 convey, subject to valid existing rights, all right, title, and 

17 interest of the United States in and to the surface and sub18 surface estates of Tract 2 and Tract 5 in accordance with 

19 subsection (d). 

20 (c) AUTHORITY TO TRANSFER TRACT 6.—Within one 

21 year after the date of the enactment of this Act and subject 

22 to sections 534 and 535, the Secretary of the Interior shall 

23 convey, subject to valid existing rights, all right, title, and 

24 interest of the United States in and to the surface and sub25 surface estates of Tract 6 in accordance with subsection (e). 
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1 (d) ORDER OF OFFER TO CONVEY TRACT 1, 2, 3, 4, 

2 OR 5.— 

3 (1) DETERMINATION AND OFFER.— 

4 (A) TRACT 1, 3, OR 4.—If the Secretary 

5 makes the determination under subsection (a) 

6 and subject to section 534, the Secretary of the 

7 Interior shall offer Tract 1, Tract 3, or Tract 4 

8 for conveyance to BSNC under the Alaska Native 

9 Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 

10 (B) TRACT 2 AND 5.—Subject to section 534, 

11 the Secretary of the Interior shall offer Tract 2 

12 and Tract 5 to BSNC under the Alaska Native 

13 Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 

14 (2) OFFER TO BSNC.— 

15 (A) ACCEPTANCE BY BSNC.—If BSNC 

16 chooses to accept an offer of conveyance of a 

17 Tract under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the 

18 Interior shall consider Tract 6 as within BSNC’s 

19 entitlement under section 14(h)(8) of the Alaska 

20 Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 

21 1613(h)(8)) and shall convey such Tract to 

22 BSNC. 

23 (B) DECLINE BY BSNC.—If BSNC declines 

24 to accept an offer of conveyance of a Tract under 

25 paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Interior shall 
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1 offer such Tract for conveyance to the State 

2 under the Act of July 7, 1958 (commonly known 

3 as the ‘‘Alaska Statehood Act’’) (48 U.S.C. note 

4 prec. 21; Public Law 85–508). 

5 (3) OFFER TO STATE.— 

6 (A) ACCEPTANCE BY STATE.—If the State 

7 chooses to accept an offer of conveyance of a 

8 Tract under paragraph (2)(B), the Secretary of 

9 the Interior shall consider such Tract as within 

10 the State’s entitlement under the Act of July 7, 

11 1958 (commonly known as the ‘‘Alaska State12 hood Act’’) (48 U.S.C. note prec. 21; Public Law 

13 85–508) and shall convey such Tract to the 

14 State. 

15 (B) DECLINE BY STATE.—If the State de16 clines to accept an offer of conveyance of a Tract 

17 offered under paragraph (2)(B), such Tract shall 

18 be disposed of pursuant to applicable public land 

19 laws. 

20 (e) ORDER OF OFFER TO CONVEY TRACT 6.— 

21 (1) OFFER.—Subject to section 534, the Sec22 retary of the Interior shall offer Tract 6 for convey23 ance to the State. 

24 (2) OFFER TO STATE.— 
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1 (A) ACCEPTANCE BY STATE.—If the State 

2 chooses to accept an offer of conveyance of Tract 

3 6 under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Inte4 rior shall consider Tract 6 as within the State’s 

5 entitlement under the Act of July 7, 1958 (com6 monly known as the ‘‘Alaska Statehood Act’’) (48 

7 U.S.C. note prec. 21; Public Law 85–508) and 

8 shall convey Tract 6 to the State. 

9 (B) DECLINE BY STATE.—If the State de10 clines to accept an offer of conveyance of Tract 

11 6 under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Inte12 rior shall offer Tract 6 for conveyance to BSNC 

13 under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 

14 (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 

15 (3) OFFER TO BSNC.— 

16 (A) ACCEPTANCE BY BSNC.— 

17 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

18 (ii), if BSNC chooses to accept an offer of 

19 conveyance of Tract 6 under paragraph 

20 (2)(B), the Secretary of the Interior shall 

21 consider Tract 6 as within BSNC’s entitle22 ment under section 14(h)(8) of the Alaska 

23 Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 

24 1613(h)(8)) and shall convey Tract 6 to 

25 BSNC. 
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1 (ii) LEASE BY THE STATE.—The con2 veyance of Tract 6 to BSNC shall be subject 

3 to BSNC negotiating a lease of Tract 6 to 

4 the State at no cost to the State, if the State 

5 requests such a lease. 

6 (B) DECLINE BY BSNC.—If BSNC declines 

7 to accept an offer of conveyance of Tract 6 under 

8 paragraph (2)(B), the Secretary of the Interior 

9 shall dispose of Tract 6 pursuant to the applica10 ble public land laws. 

11 SEC. 534. ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE, LIABILITY, AND 

12 MONITORING. 

13 (a) ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE.—Nothing in this 

14 Act or any amendment made by this Act may be construed 

15 to affect or limit the application of or obligation to comply 

16 with any applicable environmental law, including section 

17 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

18 Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 

19 9620(h)). 

20 (b) LIABILITY.—A person to which a conveyance is 

21 made under this subtitle shall hold the United States harm22 less from any liability with respect to activities carried out 

23 on or after the date of the conveyance of the real property 

24 conveyed. The United States shall remain responsible for 
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1 any liability with respect to activities carried out before 

2 such date on the real property conveyed. 

3 (c) MONITORING OF KNOWN CONTAMINATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent practicable and 

5 subject to paragraph (2), any contamination in a 

6 Tract to be conveyed to the State or BSNC under this 

7 subtitle that— 

8 (A) is identified in writing prior to the con9 veyance; and 

10 (B) does not pose an immediate or long11 term risk to human health or the environment; 

12 may be routinely monitored and managed by the 

13 State or BSNC, as applicable, through institutional 

14 controls. 

15 (2) INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS.—Institutional 

16 controls may be used if— 

17 (A) the Administrator of the Environmental 

18 Protection Agency and the Governor of the State 

19 concur that such controls are protective of 

20 human health and the environment; and 

21 (B) such controls are carried out in accord22 ance with Federal and State law. 

23 SEC. 535. EASEMENTS AND ACCESS. 

24 (a) USE BY COAST GUARD.—The Secretary of the Inte25 rior shall make each conveyance of any relevant Tract 
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1 under this subtitle subject to an easement granting the 

2 Coast Guard, at no cost to the Coast Guard— 

3 (1) use of all existing and future landing pads, 

4 airstrips, runways, and taxiways that are located on 

5 such Tract; and 

6 (2) the right to access such landing pads, air7 strips, runways, and taxiways. 

8 (b) USE BY STATE.—For any Tract conveyed to BSNC 

9 under this subtitle, BSNC shall provide to the State, if re10 quested and pursuant to negotiated terms with the State, 

11 an easement granting to the State, at no cost to the State— 

12 (1) use of all existing and future landing pads, 

13 airstrips, runways, and taxiways located on such 

14 Tract; and 

15 (2) a right to access such landing pads, airstrips, 

16 runways, and taxiways. 

17 (c) RIGHT OF ACCESS OR RIGHT OF WAY.—If the 

18 State requests a right of access or right of way for a road 

19 from the airstrip to the southern tip of Point Spencer, the 

20 location of such right of access or right of way shall be deter21 mined by the State, in consultation with the Secretary and 

22 BSNC, so that such right of access or right of way is com23 patible with other existing or planned infrastructure devel24 opment at Point Spencer. 
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1 (d) ACCESS EASEMENT ACROSS TRACTS 2, 5, AND 6.— 

2 In conveyance documents to the State and BSNC under this 

3 subtitle, the Coast Guard shall retain an access easement 

4 across Tracts 2, 5, and 6 reasonably necessary to afford the 

5 Coast Guard with access to Tracts 1, 3, and 4 for its oper6 ations. 

7 (e) ACCESS.—Not later than 30 days after the date of 

8 the enactment of this Act, the Coast Guard shall provide 

9 to the State and BSNC, access to Tracts for planning, de10 sign, and engineering related to remediation and use of and 

11 construction on those Tracts. 

12 (f) PUBLIC ACCESS EASEMENTS.—No public access 

13 easements may be reserved to the United States under sec14 tion 17(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 

15 U.S.C. 1616(b)) with respect to the land conveyed under 

16 this subtitle. 

17 SEC. 536. RELATIONSHIP TO PUBLIC LAND ORDER 2650. 

18 (a) TRACTS NOT CONVEYED.—Any Tract that is not 

19 conveyed under this subtitle shall remain withdrawn pursu20 ant to Public Land Order 2650 (published in the Federal 

21 Register on April 12, 1962). 

22 (b) TRACTS CONVEYED.—For any Tract conveyed 

23 under this subtitle, Public Land Order 2650 shall automati24 cally terminate upon issuance of a conveyance document 

25 issued pursuant to this subtitle for such Tract. 
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1 SEC. 537. ARCHEOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES. 

2 Conveyance of any Tract under this subtitle shall not 

3 affect investigations, criminal jurisdiction, and responsibil4 ities regarding theft or vandalism of archeological or cul5 tural resources located in or on such Tract that took place 

6 prior to conveyance under this subtitle. 

7 SEC. 538. MAPS AND LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS. 

8 (a) PREPARATION OF MAPS AND LEGAL DESCRIP9 TIONS.—As soon as practicable after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior in consulta11 tion with the Secretary shall prepare maps and legal de12 scriptions of Tract 1, Tract 2, Tract 3, Tract 4, Tract 5, 

13 and Tract 6. In doing so, the Secretary of the Interior may 

14 use metes and bounds legal descriptions based upon the offi15 cial survey plats of Point Spencer accepted by the Bureau 

16 of Land Management on December 6, 1978, and on infor17 mation provided by the Secretary. 

18 (b) SURVEY.—Not later than 5 years after the date of 

19 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 

20 survey Tracts conveyed under this subtitle and patent the 

21 Tracts in accordance with the official plats of survey. 

22 (c) LEGAL EFFECT.—The maps and legal descriptions 

23 prepared under subsection (a) and the surveys prepared 

24 under subsection (b) shall have the same force and effect 

25 as if the maps and legal descriptions were included in this 

26 Act. 
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1 (d) CORRECTIONS.—The Secretary of the Interior may 

2 correct any clerical and typographical errors in the maps 

3 and legal descriptions prepared under subsection (a) and 

4 the surveys prepared under subsection (b). 

5 (e) AVAILABILITY.—Copies of the maps and legal de6 scriptions prepared under subsection (a) and the surveys 

7 prepared under subsection (b) shall be available for public 

8 inspection in the appropriate offices of— 

9 (1) the Bureau of Land Management; and 

10 (2) the Coast Guard. 

11 SEC. 539. CHARGEABILITY FOR LAND CONVEYED. 

12 (a) CONVEYANCES TO ALASKA.—The Secretary of the 

13 Interior shall charge any conveyance of land conveyed to 

14 the State of Alaska pursuant to this subtitle against the 

15 State’s remaining entitlement under section 6(b) of the Act 

16 of July 7, 1958 (commonly known as the ‘‘Alaska Statehood 

17 Act’’; Public Law 85–508: 72 Stat. 339). 

18 (b) CONVEYANCES TO BSNC.—The Secretary of the In19 terior shall charge any conveyance of land conveyed to 

20 BSNC pursuant to this subtitle, against BSNC’s remaining 

21 entitlement under section 14(h)(8) of the Alaska Native 

22 Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1613(h)(8)). 

23 SEC. 540. REDUNDANT CAPABILITY. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

25 (b), section 681 of title 14, United States Code, as amended 
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1 by this Act, shall not be construed to prohibit any transfer 

2 or conveyance of lands under this subtitle or any actions 

3 that involve the dismantling or disposal of infrastructure 

4 that supported the former LORAN system that are associ5 ated with the transfer or conveyance of lands under this 

6 subtitle. 

7 (b) CONTINUED ACCESS TO AND USE OF FACILI8 TIES.—If the Secretary of the department in which the 

9 Coast Guard is operating determines, within the 5-year pe10 riod beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, 

11 that a facility on any of Tract 1, Tract 3, or Tract 4 that 

12 is transferred under this subtitle is subsequently required 

13 to provide a positioning, navigation, and timing system to 

14 provide redundant capability in the event GPS signals are 

15 disrupted, the Secretary may, for as long as such facility 

16 is needed to provide redundant capability— 

17 (1) operate, maintain, keep, locate, inspect, re18 pair, and replace such facility; and 

19 (2) in carrying out the activities described in 

20 paragraph (1), enter, at any time, the facility with21 out notice to the extent that it is not possible to pro22 vide advance notice. 
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1 SEC. 541. PORT COORDINATION COUNCIL FOR POINT SPEN2 CER. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Port Co4 ordination Council for the Port of Point Spencer. 

5 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council shall consist of a rep6 resentative appointed by each of the following: 

7 (1) The State. 

8 (2) BSNC. 

9 (c) DUTIES.—The duties of the Council are as follows: 

10 (1) To develop a Port Management Coordination 

11 Plan to help coordinate infrastructure development 

12 and operations at the Port of Point Spencer, that in13 cludes plans for— 

14 (A) construction; 

15 (B) funding eligibility; 

16 (C) land use planning and development; 

17 and 

18 (D) public interest use and access, emer19 gency preparedness, law enforcement, protection 

20 of Alaska Native archaeological and cultural re21 sources, and other matters that are necessary for 

22 public and private entities to function in prox23 imity together in a remote location. 

24 (2) Update the Plan annually for the first 5 

25 years after the date of the enactment of this Act and 

26 biennially thereafter. 
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1 (3) Facilitate coordination among BSNC, the 

2 State, and the Coast Guard, on the development and 

3 use of the land and coastline as such development re4 lates to activities at the Port of Point Spencer. 

5 (4) Assess the need, benefits, efficacy, and desir6 ability of establishing in the future a port authority 

7 at Point Spencer under State law and act upon that 

8 assessment, as appropriate, including taking steps for 

9 the potential formation of such a port authority. 

10 (d) PLAN.—In addition to the requirements under sub11 section (c)(1) to the greatest extent practicable, the Plan de12 veloped by the Council shall facilitate and support the stat13 utory missions and duties of the Coast Guard and oper14 ations of the Coast Guard in the Arctic. 

15 (e) COSTS.—Operations and management costs for 

16 airstrips, runways, and taxiways at Point Spencer shall 

17 be determined pursuant to provisions of the Plan, as nego18 tiated by the Council. 

19 TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 

20 SEC. 601. MODIFICATION OF REPORTS. 

21 (a) DISTANT WATER TUNA FLEET.—Section 421(d) of 

22 the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 

23 (46 U.S.C. 8103 note) is amended by striking ‘‘On March 

24 1, 2007, and annually thereafter’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later 

25 than July 1 of each year’’. 
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1 (b) ANNUAL UPDATES ON LIMITS TO LIABILITY.—Sec2 tion 603(c)(3) of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transpor3 tation Act of 2006 (33 U.S.C. 2704 note) is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘on an annual basis.’’ and inserting ‘‘not later 

5 than January 30 of the year following each year in which 

6 occurs an oil discharge from a vessel or nonvessel source 

7 that results or is likely to result in removal costs and dam8 ages (as those terms are defined in section 1001 of the Oil 

9 Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701)) that exceed liabil10 ity limits established under section 1004 of the Oil Pollu11 tion Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2704).’’. 

12 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast 

14 Guard shall submit to the Secretary of the department in 

15 which the Coast Guard is operating a report detailing the 

16 specifications and capabilities for interoperable commu17 nications the Commandant determines are necessary to 

18 allow the Coast Guard to successfully carry out its missions 

19 that require communications with other Federal agencies, 

20 State and local governments, and nongovernmental entities. 

21 SEC. 602. SAFE VESSEL OPERATION IN THE GREAT LAKES. 

22 The Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Trans23 portation Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–281) is amended— 

24 (1) in section 610, by— 
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1 (A) striking the section enumerator and 

2 heading and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 610. SAFE VESSEL OPERATION IN THE GREAT 

4 LAKES.’’; 

5 (B) striking ‘‘existing boundaries and any 

6 future expanded boundaries of the Thunder Bay 

7 National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater 

8 Preserve’’ and inserting ‘‘boundaries of any na9 tional marine sanctuary that preserves ship10 wrecks or maritime heritage in the Great Lakes’’; 

11 and 

12 (C) inserting before the period at the end 

13 the following: ‘‘, unless the designation docu14 ments for such sanctuary do not allow taking up 

15 or discharging ballast water in such sanctuary’’; 

16 and 

17 (2) in the table of contents in section 2, by strik18 ing the item relating to such section and inserting the 

19 following: 

‘‘Sec. 610. Safe vessel operation in the Great Lakes.’’. 

20 SEC. 603. USE OF VESSEL SALE PROCEEDS. 

21 (a) AUDIT.—The Comptroller General of the United 

22 States shall conduct an audit of funds credited in each fis23 cal year after fiscal year 2004 to the Vessel Operations Re24 volving Fund that are attributable to the sale of obsolete 

25 vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet that were 
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1 scrapped or sold under sections 57102, 57103, and 57104 

2 of title 46, United States Code, including— 

3 (1) a complete accounting of all vessel sale pro4 ceeds attributable to the sale of obsolete vessels in the 

5 National Defense Reserve Fleet that were scrapped or 

6 sold under sections 57102, 57103, and 57104 of title 

7 46, United States Code, in each fiscal year after fiscal 

8 year 2004; 

9 (2) the annual apportionment of proceeds ac10 counted for under paragraph (1) among the uses au11 thorized under section 308704 of title 54, United 

12 States Code, in each fiscal year after fiscal year 2004, 

13 including— 

14 (A) for National Maritime Heritage Grants, 

15 including a list of all annual National Maritime 

16 Heritage Grant grant and subgrant awards that 

17 identifies the respective grant and subgrant re18 cipients and grant and subgrant amounts; 

19 (B) for the preservation and presentation to 

20 the public of maritime heritage property of the 

21 Maritime Administration; 

22 (C) to the United States Merchant Marine 

23 Academy and State maritime academies, includ24 ing a list of annual awards; and 
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1 (D) for the acquisition, repair, recondi2 tioning, or improvement of vessels in the Na3 tional Defense Reserve Fleet; and 

4 (3) an accounting of proceeds, if any, attrib5 utable to the sale of obsolete vessels in the National 

6 Defense Reserve Fleet that were scrapped or sold 

7 under sections 57102, 57103, and 57104 of title 46, 

8 United States Code, in each fiscal year after fiscal 

9 year 2004, that were expended for uses not authorized 

10 under section 308704 of title 54, United States Code. 

11 (b) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 

12 days after the date of the enactment this Act, the Comp13 troller General shall submit the audit conducted in sub14 section (a) to the Committee on Armed Services, the Com15 mittee on Natural Resources, and the Committee on Trans16 portation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa17 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans18 portation of the Senate. 

19 SEC. 604. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES COST ASSESS20 MENT. 

21 (a) COST ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of the depart22 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating shall seek to 

23 enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of 

24 Sciences under which the Academy, by no later than 365 

25 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, shall submit 
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1 to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and 

2 the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

3 House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

4 Science, and Transportation of the Senate an assessment 

5 of the costs incurred by the Federal Government to carry 

6 out polar icebreaking missions. The assessment shall— 

7 (1) describe current and emerging requirements 

8 for the Coast Guard’s polar icebreaking capabilities, 

9 taking into account the rapidly changing ice cover in 

10 the Arctic environment, national security consider11 ations, and expanding commercial activities in the 

12 Arctic and Antarctic, including marine transpor13 tation, energy development, fishing, and tourism; 

14 (2) identify potential design, procurement, leas15 ing, service contracts, crewing, and technology options 

16 that could minimize life-cycle costs and optimize effi17 ciency and reliability of Coast Guard polar icebreaker 

18 operations in the Arctic and Antarctic; and 

19 (3) examine— 

20 (A) Coast Guard estimates of the procure21 ment and operating costs of a Polar icebreaker 

22 capable of carrying out Coast Guard maritime 

23 safety, national security, and stewardship re24 sponsibilities including— 
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1 (i) economies of scale that might be 

2 achieved for construction of multiple vessels; 

3 and 

4 (ii) costs of renovating existing polar 

5 class icebreakers to operate for a period of 

6 no less than 10 years. 

7 (B) the incremental cost to augment the de8 sign of such an icebreaker for multiuse capabili9 ties for scientific missions; 

10 (C) the potential to offset such incremental 

11 cost through cost-sharing agreements with other 

12 Federal departments and agencies; and 

13 (D) United States polar icebreaking capa14 bility in comparison with that of other Arctic 

15 nations, and with nations that conduct research 

16 in the Arctic. 

17 (b) INCLUDED COSTS.—For purposes of subsection (a), 

18 the assessment shall include costs incurred by the Federal 

19 Government for— 

20 (1) the lease or operation and maintenance of the 

21 vessel or vessels concerned; 

22 (2) disposal of such vessels at the end of the use23 ful life of the vessels; 

24 (3) retirement and other benefits for Federal em25 ployees who operate such vessels; and 
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1 (4) interest payments assumed to be incurred for 

2 Federal capital expenditures. 

3 (c) ASSUMPTIONS.—For purposes of comparing the 

4 costs of such alternatives, the Academy shall assume that— 

5 (1) each vessel under consideration is— 

6 (A) capable of breaking out McMurdo Sta7 tion and conducting Coast Guard missions in 

8 the Antarctic, and in the United States territory 

9 in the Arctic (as that term is defined in section 

10 112 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 

11 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111)); and 

12 (B) operated for a period of 30 years; 

13 (2) the acquisition of services and the operation 

14 of each vessel begins on the same date; and 

15 (3) the periods for conducting Coast Guard mis16 sions in the Arctic are of equal lengths. 

17 (d) USE OF INFORMATION.—In formulating cost pur18 suant to subsection (a), the National Academy of Sciences 

19 may utilize information from other Coast Guard reports, 

20 assessments, or analyses regarding existing Coast Guard 

21 Polar class icebreakers or for the acquisition of a polar ice22 breaker for the Federal Government. 

23 SEC. 605. COASTWISE ENDORSEMENTS. 

24 (a) ‘‘ELETTRA III’’.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sections 

2 12112 and 12132, of title 46, United States Code, and 

3 subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the Secretary of the 

4 department in which the Coast Guard is operating 

5 may issue a certificate of documentation with a coast6 wise endorsement for the vessel M/V Elettra III 

7 (United States official number 694607). 

8 (2) LIMITATION ON OPERATION.—Coastwise 

9 trade authorized under a certificate of documentation 

10 issued under paragraph (1) shall be limited to the 

11 carriage of passengers and equipment in association 

12 with the operation of the vessel in the Puget Sound 

13 region to support marine and maritime science edu14 cation. 

15 (3) TERMINATION OF EFFECTIVENESS OF CER16 TIFICATE.—A certificate of documentation issued 

17 under paragraph (1) shall expire on the earlier of— 

18 (A) the date of the sale of the vessel or the 

19 entity that owns the vessel; 

20 (B) the date any repairs or alterations are 

21 made to the vessel outside of the United States; 

22 or 

23 (C) the date the vessel is no longer operated 

24 as a vessel in the Puget Sound region to support 

25 the marine and maritime science education. 
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1 (b) ‘‘F/V RONDYS’’.—Notwithstanding section 12132 of 

2 title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the depart3 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating may issue a 

4 certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement 

5 for the F/V Rondys (O.N. 291085) 

6 SEC. 606. INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL. 

7 (a) REQUIREMENT FOR REPORT.—Not later than 180 

8 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com9 mandant of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee 

10 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

11 and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

12 and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 

13 the House of Representatives a report that describes the cur14 rent operations to perform the International Ice Patrol mis15 sion and on alternatives for carrying out that mission, in16 cluding satellite surveillance technology. 

17 (b) ALTERNATIVES.—The report required by subsection 

18 (a) shall include whether an alternative— 

19 (1) provides timely data on ice conditions with 

20 the highest possible resolution and accuracy; 

21 (2) is able to operate in all weather conditions 

22 or any time of day; and 

23 (3) is more cost effective than the cost of current 

24 operations. 
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1 SEC. 607. ASSESSMENT OF OIL SPILL RESPONSE AND 

2 CLEANUP ACTIVITIES IN THE GREAT LAKES. 

3 (a) ASSESSMENT.—The Commandant of the Coast 

4 Guard, in consultation with the Administrator of the Na5 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the 

6 head of any other agency the Commandant determines ap7 propriate, shall conduct an assessment of the effectiveness 

8 of oil spill response activities specific to the Great Lakes. 

9 Such assessment shall include— 

10 (1) an evaluation of new research into oil spill 

11 impacts in fresh water under a wide range of condi12 tions; and 

13 (2) an evaluation of oil spill prevention and 

14 clean up contingency plans, in order to improve un15 derstanding of oil spill impacts in the Great Lakes 

16 and foster innovative improvements to safety tech17 nologies and environmental protection systems. 

18 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant 

20 of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Congress a report 

21 on the results of the assessment required by subsection (a). 

22 SEC. 608. REPORT ON STATUS OF TECHNOLOGY DETECTING 

23 PASSENGERS WHO HAVE FALLEN OVER24 BOARD. 

25 Not later than 18 months after the date of the enact26 ment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall 
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1 submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

2 and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

3 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep4 resentatives that— 

5 (1) describes the status of technology for imme6 diately detecting passengers who have fallen over7 board; 

8 (2) includes a recommendation to cruise lines on 

9 the feasibility of implementing technology that imme10 diately detects passengers who have fallen overboard, 

11 factoring in cost and the risk of false positives; 

12 (3) includes data collected from cruise lines on 

13 the status of the integration of the technology de14 scribed in paragraph (2) on cruise ships, including— 

15 (A) the number of cruise ships that have the 

16 technology to capture images of passengers who 

17 have fallen overboard; and 

18 (B) the number of cruise lines that have 

19 tested technology that can detect passengers who 

20 have fallen overboard; and 

21 (4) includes information on any other available 

22 technologies that cruise ships could integrate to assist 

23 in facilitating the search and rescue of a passenger 

24 who has fallen overboard. 
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1 SEC. 609. VENUE. 

2 Section 311(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con3 servation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1861(d)) is 

4 amended by striking the second sentence and inserting ‘‘In 

5 the case of Hawaii or any possession of the United States 

6 in the Pacific Ocean, the appropriate court is the United 

7 States District Court for the District of Hawaii, except that 

8 in the case of Guam and Wake Island, the appropriate court 

9 is the United States District Court for the District of Guam, 

10 and in the case of the Northern Mariana Islands, the appro11 priate court is the United States District Court for the Dis12 trict of the Northern Mariana Islands.’’. 

13 SEC. 610. DISPOSITION OF INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TO 

14 E-LORAN. 

15 (a) DISPOSITION OF INFRASTRUCTURE.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 17 of title 14, United 

17 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘§ 681. Disposition of infrastructure related to E– 

20 LORAN 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may not carry out 

22 activities related to the dismantling or disposal of infra23 structure comprising the LORAN–C system until the date 

24 on which the Secretary provides to the Committee on Trans25 portation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Appro26 priations of the House of Representatives and the Com-
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1 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 

2 Committee on Appropriations of the Senate notice of a de3 termination by the Secretary that such infrastructure is not 

4 required to provide a positioning, navigation, and timing 

5 system to provide redundant capability in the event the 

6 Global Positioning System signals are disrupted. 

7 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) does not apply to ac8 tivities necessary for the safety of human life. 

9 ‘‘(c) DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—On any date after the notifi11 cation is made under subsection (a), the Adminis12 trator of General Services, acting on behalf of the Sec13 retary, may, notwithstanding any other provision of 

14 law, sell any real and personal property under the 

15 administrative control of the Coast Guard and used 

16 for the LORAN–C system, subject to such terms and 

17 conditions that the Secretary believes to be necessary 

18 to protect government interests and program require19 ments of the Coast Guard. 

20 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF PROCEEDS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) AVAILABILITY OF PROCEEDS.—The 

22 proceeds of such sales, less the costs of sale in23 curred by the General Services Administration, 

24 shall be deposited as offsetting collections into the 

25 Coast Guard ‘Environmental Compliance and 
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1 Restoration’ account and, without further appro2 priation, shall be available until expended for— 

3 ‘‘(i) environmental compliance and 

4 restoration purposes associated with the 

5 LORAN–C system; 

6 ‘‘(ii) the costs of securing and main7 taining equipment that may be used as a 

8 backup to the Global Positioning System or 

9 to meet any other Federal navigation re10 quirement; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the demolition of improvements 

12 on such real property; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) the costs associated with the sale 

14 of such real and personal property, includ15 ing due diligence requirements, necessary 

16 environmental remediation, and reimburse17 ment of expenses incurred by the General 

18 Services Administration. 

19 ‘‘(B) OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

20 AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.—After the com21 pletion of activities described in subparagraph 

22 (A), the unexpended balances of such proceeds 

23 shall be available for any other environmental 

24 compliance and restoration activities of the 

25 Coast Guard.’’ 
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1 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the 

2 beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at 

3 the end the following: 

‘‘681. Disposition of infrastructure related to E–LORAN.’’. 

4 (3) CONFORMING REPEALS.— 

5 (A) Section 229 of the Howard Coble Coast 

6 Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 

7 (Public Law 113–281; 128 Stat. 3040), and the 

8 item relating to that section in section 2 of such 

9 Act, are repealed. 

10 (B) Subsection 559(e) of the Department of 

11 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010 

12 (Public Law 111–83; 123 Stat. 2180) is re13 pealed. 

14 (b) AGREEMENTS TO DEVELOP BACKUP POSITIONING, 

15 NAVIGATION, AND TIMING SYSTEM.—Section 93(a) of title 

16 14, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

17 the semicolon at the end of paragraph (23), by striking the 

18 period at the end of paragraph (24) and inserting ‘‘; and’’, 

19 and by adding at the end the following the following: 

20 ‘‘(25) enter into cooperative agreements, con21 tracts, and other agreements with Federal entities and 

22 other public or private entities, including academic 

23 entities, to develop a positioning, navigation, and 

24 timing system to provide redundant capability in the 

25 event Global Positioning System signals are dis-
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1 rupted, which may consist of an enhanced LORAN 

2 system.’’. 

3 SEC. 611. PARKING. 

4 Section 611(a) of the Howard Coble Coast Guard and 

5 Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 (Public Law 113– 

6 281; 128 Stat. 3064) is amended by adding at the end the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(3) REIMBURSEMENT.—Through September 30, 2017, 

9 additional parking made available under paragraph (2) 

10 shall be made available at no cost to the Coast Guard or 

11 members and employees of the Coast Guard.’’. 

12 SEC. 612. INAPPLICABILITY OF LOAD LINE REQUIREMENTS 

13 TO CERTAIN UNITED STATES VESSELS TRAV14 ELING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. 

15 Section 5102(b) of title 46, United States Code, is 

16 amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(13) a vessel of the United States on a domestic 

18 voyage that is within the Gulf of Mexico and oper19 ating not more than 15 nautical miles seaward of the 

20 base line from which the territorial sea of the United 
148 

† HR 4188 EAS 

1 States is measured between Crystal Bay, Florida and 

2 Hudson Creek, Florida.’’. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H.R. 4188 

AMENDMENT