In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 25, 2018. 

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 756) entitled 

‘‘An Act to reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Act to 

promote international action to reduce marine debris, and for 

other purposes.’’, do pass with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: 

1 TITLE I—MARINE DEBRIS 

2 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

3 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Save Our Seas Act of 

4 2018’’. 

5 SEC. 102. NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM. 

6 Section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) 

7 is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (b)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

10 and inserting a semicolon; 

11 (B) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the pe12 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(6) work to develop outreach and education 

2 strategies with other Federal agencies to address 

3 sources of marine debris; 

4 ‘‘(7) except for discharges of marine debris from 

5 vessels, in consultation with the Department of State 

6 and other Federal agencies, promote international ac7 tion, as appropriate, to reduce the incidence of ma8 rine debris, including providing technical assistance 

9 to expand waste management systems internationally; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(8) in the case of an event determined to be a 

12 severe marine debris event under subsection (c)— 

13 ‘‘(A) assist in the cleanup and response re14 quired by the severe marine debris event; or 

15 ‘‘(B) conduct such other activity as the Ad16 ministrator determines is appropriate in re17 sponse to the severe marine debris event.’’; 

18 (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 

19 (d); 

20 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(c) DETERMINATION OF SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS

23 EVENTS.—At the discretion of the Administrator or at the 

24 request of the Governor of an affected State, the Adminis-
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1 trator shall determine whether there is a severe marine de2 bris event.’’; and 

3 (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 

4 (A) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘sub5 paragraph (B)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs 

6 (B) and (C)’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘may 

8 waive all or part of the matching requirement 

9 under subparagraph (A)’’ and inserting ‘‘may 

10 reduce the non-Federal share of project costs 

11 under subparagraph (A) by up to 50 percent’’; 

12 and 

13 (C) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(C) SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENTS.— 

16 Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Federal 

17 share of the cost of an activity carried out under 

18 a determination made under subsection (c) shall 

19 be— 

20 ‘‘(i) 100 percent of the cost of the activ21 ity, for an activity funded wholly by funds 

22 made available by a person, including the 

23 government of a foreign country, to the Fed24 eral Government for the purpose of respond25 ing to a severe marine debris event; or 
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1 ‘‘(ii) 75 percent of the cost of the activ2 ity, for any activity other than an activity 

3 funded as described in clause (i).’’. 

4 SEC. 103. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INTERNATIONAL EN5 GAGEMENT TO RESPOND TO MARINE DEBRIS. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that the President should— 

7 (1) support research and development on systems 

8 and materials that reduce— 

9 (A) derelict fishing gear; and 

10 (B) the amount of solid waste that is gen11 erated from land-based sources and the amount 

12 of such waste that enters the marine environ13 ment; 

14 (2) work with representatives of foreign countries 

15 that discharge the largest amounts of solid waste from 

16 land-based sources into the marine environment, to 

17 develop mechanisms to reduce such discharges; 

18 (3) carry out studies to determine— 

19 (A) the primary means of discharges re20 ferred to in paragraph (2); 

21 (B) the manner in which waste manage22 ment infrastructure can be most effective in pre23 venting such discharges; and 

24 (C) the long-term impacts of marine debris 

25 on the national economies of the countries with 
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1 which work is undertaken under paragraph (2) 

2 and on the global economy, including the im3 pacts of reducing the discharge of such debris; 

4 (4) work with representatives of the countries 

5 with which work is undertaken in paragraph (2) to 

6 conclude one or more new international agreements 

7 that include provisions— 

8 (A) to mitigate the discharge of land-based 

9 solid waste into the marine environment; and 

10 (B) to provide technical assistance and in11 vestment in waste management infrastructure to 

12 reduce such discharges, if the President deter13 mines such assistance or investment is appro14 priate; and 

15 (5) encourage the United States Trade Rep16 resentative to consider the impact of discharges of 

17 land-based solid waste from the countries with which 

18 work is conducted under paragraph (2) in relevant 

19 future trade agreements. 

20 SEC. 104. MEMBERSHIP OF THE INTERAGENCY MARINE DE21 BRIS COORDINATING COMMITTEE. 

22 Section 5(b) of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 

23 1954(b)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

25 inserting a semicolon; 
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1 (2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as para2 graph (7); and 

3 (3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(5) the Department of State; 

6 ‘‘(6) the Department of the Interior; and’’. 

7 SEC. 105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 Section 9 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1958) 

9 is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro12 priated to the Administrator $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 

13 years 2018 through 2022 for carrying out sections 3, 5, and 

14 6, of which not more than 5 percent is authorized for each 

15 fiscal year for administrative costs. 

16 ‘‘(b) AMOUNTS AUTHORIZED FOR COAST GUARD.—Of 

17 the amounts authorized for each fiscal year under section 

18 2702(1) of title 14, United States Code, up to $2,000,000 

19 is authorized for the Secretary of the department in which 

20 the Coast Guard is operating for use by the Commandant 

21 of the Coast Guard to carry out section 4 of this Act, of 

22 which not more than 5 percent is authorized for each fiscal 

23 year for administrative costs.’’. 
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1 TITLE II—MARITIME SAFETY 

2 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

3 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Maritime Safety Act 

4 of 2018’’. 

5 SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this title: 

7 (1) COMMANDANT.—The term ‘‘Commandant’’ 

8 means the Commandant of the Coast Guard. 

9 (2) RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATION.—The term 

10 ‘‘recognized organization’’ has the meaning given that 

11 term in section 2.45–1 of title 46, Code of Federal 

12 Regulations, as in effect on the date of the enactment 

13 of this Act. 

14 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

15 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

16 Guard is operating. 

17 SEC. 203. DOMESTIC VESSEL COMPLIANCE. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

19 date on which the President submits to the Congress a budg20 et each year pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United 

21 States Code, the Commandant shall publish on a publicly 

22 accessible Website information documenting domestic vessel 

23 compliance with the requirements of subtitle II of title 46, 

24 United States Code. 
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1 (b) CONTENT.—The information required under sub2 section (a) shall— 

3 (1) include flag-State detention rates for each 

4 type of inspected vessel; and 

5 (2) identify any recognized organization that in6 spected or surveyed a vessel that was later subject to 

7 a Coast Guard-issued control action attributable to a 

8 major nonconformity that the recognized organization 

9 failed to identify in such inspection or survey. 

10 SEC. 204. SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 

12 United States shall conduct an audit regarding the imple13 mentation and effectiveness of safety management plans re14 quired under chapter 32 of title 46, United States Code. 

15 (b) SCOPE.—The audit conducted under subsection (a) 

16 shall include a representative sample of safety management 

17 plans, including such plans for— 

18 (1) a range of vessel types and sizes; and 

19 (2) vessels that operate in a cross-section of re20 gional operating areas. 

21 (c) REPORT.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

23 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

24 General shall submit to Committee on Transportation 

25 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
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1 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans2 portation of the Senate a report detailing the results 

3 of the audit and providing recommendations related 

4 to such results, including ways to streamline and 

5 focus such plans on ship safety. 

6 (2) MARINE SAFETY ALERT.—Not later than 60 

7 days after the date the report is submitted under 

8 paragraph (1), the Commandant shall publish a Ma9 rine Safety Alert providing notification of the comple10 tion of the report and including a link to the report 

11 on a publicly accessible website. 

12 SEC. 205. EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS. 

13 (a) REGULATIONS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3306 of title 46, 

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

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(l)(1) The Secretary shall require that a freight vessel 

18 inspected under this chapter be outfitted with distress sig19 naling and location technology for the higher of— 

20 ‘‘(A) the minimum complement of officers and 

21 crew specified on the certificate of inspection for such 

22 vessel; or 

23 ‘‘(B) the number of persons onboard the vessel; 

24 and 
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1 ‘‘(2) the requirement described in paragraph (1) shall 

2 not apply to vessels operating within the baseline from 

3 which the territorial sea of the United States is measured. 

4 ‘‘(m)(1) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations re5 quiring companies to maintain records of all incremental 

6 weight changes made to freight vessels inspected under this 

7 chapter, and to track weight changes over time to facilitate 

8 rapid determination of the aggregate total. 

9 ‘‘(2) Records maintained under paragraph (1) shall be 

10 stored, in paper or electronic form, onboard such vessels for 

11 not less than 3 years and shoreside for the life of the vessel.’’. 

12 (2) DEADLINES.—The Secretary shall— 

13 (A) begin implementing the requirement 

14 under section 3306(l) of title 46, United States 

15 Code, as amended by this subsection, by not later 

16 than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 

17 this Act; and 

18 (B) promulgate the regulations required 

19 under section 3306(m) of title 46, United States 

20 Code, as amended by this subsection, by not later 

21 than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 

22 this Act. 

23 (b) ENGAGEMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

24 date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall 

25 seek to enter into negotiations through the International 
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1 Maritime Organization to amend regulation 25 of chapter 

2 II–1 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life 

3 at Sea to require a high-water alarm sensor in each cargo 

4 hold of a freight vessel (as that term is defined in section 

5 2101(13) of title 46, United States Code), that connects with 

6 audible and visual alarms on the navigation bridge of the 

7 vessel. 

8 SEC. 206. VOYAGE DATA RECORDER; ACCESS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 63 of title 46, United 

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

11 ‘‘§ 6309. Voyage data recorder access 

12 ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 

13 Coast Guard shall have full and timely access to and ability 

14 to use voyage data recorder data and audio held by any 

15 Federal agency in all marine casualty investigations, re16 gardless of which agency is the investigative lead.’’. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for such 

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

‘‘6309. Voyage data recorder access.’’. 

19 SEC. 207. VOYAGE DATA RECORDER; REQUIREMENTS. 

20 (a) FLOAT-FREE AND BEACON REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

22 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com23 mandant shall seek to enter into negotiations through 

24 the International Maritime Organization to amend 

25 regulation 20 of chapter V of the International Con-
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1 vention for the Safety of Life at Sea to require that 

2 all voyage data recorders are installed in a float-free 

3 arrangement and contain an integrated emergency 

4 position indicating radio beacon. 

5 (2) PROGRESS UPDATE.—Not later than 3 years 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com7 mandant shall submit to the Committee on Transpor8 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa9 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

10 Transportation of the Senate an update on the 

11 progress of the engagement required under paragraph 

12 (1). 

13 (b) COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS.—Not later than 2 years 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant 

15 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In16 frastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com17 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

18 Senate a cost-benefit analysis of requiring that voyage data 

19 recorders installed on commercial vessels documented under 

20 chapter 121 of title 46, United States Code, capture commu21 nications on the internal telephone systems of such vessels, 

22 including requiring the capture of both sides of all commu23 nications with the bridge onboard such vessels. 
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1 SEC. 208. SURVIVAL AND LOCATING EQUIPMENT. 

2 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 

3 of this Act, the Commandant shall, subject to the avail4 ability of appropriations, identify and procure equipment 

5 that will provide search-and-rescue units the ability to at6 tach a radio or Automated Identification System strobe or 

7 beacon to an object that is not immediately retrievable. 

8 SEC. 209. TRAINING OF COAST GUARD PERSONNEL. 

9 (a) PROSPECTIVE SECTOR COMMANDER TRAINING.— 

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

11 this Act, the Commandant shall implement an Officer in 

12 Charge, Marine Inspections segment to the sector com13 mander indoctrination course for prospective sector com14 manders without a Coast Guard prevention ashore officer 

15 specialty code. 

16 (b) STEAMSHIP INSPECTIONS.—Not later than 1 year 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant 

18 shall implement steam plant inspection training for Coast 

19 Guard marine inspectors and, subject to availability, recog20 nized organizations to which authority is delegated under 

21 section 3316 of title 46, United States Code. 

22 (c) ADVANCED JOURNEYMAN INSPECTOR TRAINING.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com25 mandant shall establish advanced training to provide 

26 instruction on the oversight of recognized organiza-
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1 tions to which authority is delegated under section 

2 3316 of title 46, United States Code, auditing respon3 sibilities, and the inspection of unique vessel types. 

4 (2) RECIPIENTS.—The Commandant shall— 

5 (A) require that such training be completed 

6 by senior Coast Guard marine inspectors; and 

7 (B) subject to availability of training ca8 pacity, make such training available to recog9 nized organization surveyors authorized by the 

10 Coast Guard to conduct inspections. 

11 (d) COAST GUARD INSPECTIONS STAFF; BRIEFING.— 

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

13 this Act, the Commandant shall provide to the Committee 

14 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep15 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

16 Transportation of the Senate a briefing detailing— 

17 (1) the estimated time and funding necessary to 

18 triple the current size of the Coast Guard’s traveling 

19 inspector staff; and 

20 (2) other options available to the Coast Guard to 

21 enhance and maintain marine safety knowledge, in22 cluding discussion of increased reliance on— 

23 (A) civilian marine inspectors; 

24 (B) experienced licensed mariners; 

25 (C) retired members of the Coast Guard; 
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1 (D) arranging for Coast Guard inspectors 

2 to ride onboard commercial oceangoing vessels 

3 documented under chapter 121 of title 46, United 

4 States Code, to gain experience and insight; and 

5 (E) extending tour-lengths for Coast Guard 

6 marine safety officers assigned to inspection bil7 lets. 

8 (e) AUDITS; COAST GUARD ATTENDANCE AND PER9 FORMANCE.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the 

10 enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall— 

11 (1) update Coast Guard policy to utilize risk 

12 analysis to target the attendance of Coast Guard per13 sonnel during external safety management certificate 

14 and document of compliance audits; and 

15 (2) perform a quality assurance audit of recog16 nized organization representation and performance 

17 regarding United States-flagged vessels. 

18 SEC. 210. MAJOR MARINE CASUALTY PROPERTY DAMAGE 

19 THRESHOLD. 

20 Section 6101(i)(3) of title 46, United States Code, is 

21 amended by striking ‘‘$500,000’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘$2,000,000’’. 

23 SEC. 211. REVIEWS, BRIEFINGS, AND REPORTS. 

24 (a) MAJOR CONVERSION DETERMINATIONS.— 
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1 (1) REVIEW OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.— 

2 The Commandant shall conduct a review of policies 

3 and procedures for making and documenting major 

4 conversion determinations, including an examination 

5 of the deference given to precedent. 

6 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant 

8 shall provide to 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 a briefing on the findings of the 

12 review required by paragraph (1). 

13 (b) VENTILATORS, OPENINGS AND STABILITY STAND14 ARDS.— 

15 (1) REVIEW.—Note later than 1 year after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant 

17 shall complete a review of the effectiveness of United 

18 States regulations, international conventions, recog19 nized organizations’ class rules, and Coast Guard 

20 technical policy regarding— 

21 (A) ventilators and other hull openings; 

22 (B) fire dampers and other closures pro23 tecting openings normally open during oper24 ations; and 
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1 (C) intact and damage stability standards 

2 under subchapter S of chapter I of title 46, Code 

3 of Federal Regulations. 

4 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than 18 months after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com6 mandant shall provide to the Committee on Transpor7 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa8 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

9 Transportation of the Senate a briefing on the effec10 tiveness of the regulations, international conventions, 

11 recognized organizations’ class rules, and Coast 

12 Guard technical policy reviewed under paragraph (1). 

13 (c) SELF-LOCATING DATUM MARKER BUOYS.—Not 

14 later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this 

15 Act, the Commandant shall provide to the Committee on 

16 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep17 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

18 Transportation of the Senate a briefing on the reliability 

19 of self-locating datum marker buoys and other similar tech20 nology used during Coast Guard search-and-rescue oper21 ations. The briefing shall include a description of reason22 able steps the Commandant could take to increase the reli23 ability of such buoys, including the potential to leverage 

24 technology used by the Navy, and how protocols could be 
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1 developed to conduct testing of such buoys before using them 

2 for operations. 

3 (d) OVERSIGHT PROGRAM; EFFECTIVENESS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Com6 mandant shall commission an assessment of the effec7 tiveness of the Coast Guard’s oversight of recognized 

8 organizations and its impact on compliance by and 

9 safety of vessels inspected by such organizations. 

10 (2) EXPERIENCE.—The assessment commissioned 

11 under paragraph (1) shall be conducted by a research 

12 organization with significant experience in maritime 

13 operations and marine safety. 

14 (3) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 

15 180 days after the date that the assessment required 

16 under paragraph (1) is completed, the Commandant 

17 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and 

18 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 

19 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor20 tation of the Senate the results of such assessment. 

21 SEC. 212. FLAG-STATE GUIDANCE AND SUPPLEMENTS. 

22 (a) FREIGHT VESSELS; DAMAGE CONTROL INFORMA23 TION.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 

24 Act, the Secretary shall issue flag-State guidance for all 

25 freight vessels documented under chapter 121 of title 46, 
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1 United States Code, built before January 1, 1992, regarding 

2 the inclusion of comprehensive damage control information 

3 in safety management plans required under chapter 32 of 

4 title 46, United States Code. 

5 (b) RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS; UNITED STATES

6 SUPPLEMENT.—The Commandant shall— 

7 (1) work with recognized organizations to create 

8 a single United States Supplement to rules of such or9 ganizations for classification of vessels; and 

10 (2) by not later than 1 year after the date of the 

11 enactment of this Act, provide to the Committee on 

12 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

13 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

14 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a briefing 

15 on whether it is necessary to revise part 8 of title 46, 

16 Code of Federal Regulations, to authorize only one 

17 United States Supplement to such rules. 

18 SEC. 213. MARINE SAFETY STRATEGY. 

19 Section 2116 of title 46, United States Code, is amend20 ed— 

21 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘each year of 

22 an annual’’ and inserting ‘‘of a triennial’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

25 ‘‘ANNUAL’’ and inserting ‘‘TRIENNIAL’’; and 
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1 (B) by striking ‘‘annual’’ each place it ap2 pears and inserting ‘‘triennial’’; 

3 (3) in subsection (c)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2011 and each 

5 fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2020 and 

6 triennially’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘annual plan’’ and insert8 ing ‘‘triennial plan’’; and 

9 (4) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘annually’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘triennially’’. 

11 SEC. 214. RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS; OVERSIGHT. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3316 of title 46, United 

13 States Code, is amended by redesignating subsection (g) as 

14 subsection (h), and by inserting after subsection (f) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(g)(1) There shall be within the Coast Guard an office 

17 that conducts comprehensive and targeted oversight of all 

18 recognized organizations that act on behalf of the Coast 

19 Guard. 

20 ‘‘(2) The staff of the office shall include subject matter 

21 experts, including inspectors, investigators, and auditors, 

22 who possess the capability and authority to audit all as23 pects of such recognized organizations. 

24 ‘‘(3) In this subsection the term ‘recognized organiza25 tion’ has the meaning given that term in section 2.45–1 
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1 of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the 

2 date of the enactment of the Maritime Safety Act of 2018.’’. 

3 (b) DEADLINE FOR ESTABLISHMENT.—The Com4 mandant of the Coast Guard shall establish the office re5 quired by the amendment made by subsection (a) by not 

6 later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 

7 Act. 

8 SEC. 215. TIMELY WEATHER FORECASTS. 

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

10 of this Act, the Commandant shall seek to enter into nego11 tiations through the International Maritime Organization 

12 to amend the International Convention for the Safety of 

13 Life at Sea to require that vessels subject to the require14 ments of such Convention receive timely synoptic and 

15 graphical chart weather forecasts. 

16 SEC. 216. MARINE SAFETY IMPLEMENTATION STATUS. 

17 Not later than December 19 of 2018, and of each of 

18 the 2 subsequent years thereafter, the Commandant shall 

19 provide to the Committee on Transportation and Infra20 structure of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

21 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

22 a briefing on the status of implementation of each action 

23 outlined in the Commandant’s final action memo dated De24 cember 19, 2017, regarding the sinking and loss of the vessel 

25 El Faro. 
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1 SEC. 217. DELEGATED AUTHORITIES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

3 of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall review 

4 the authorities that have been delegated to recognized orga5 nizations for the alternative compliance program as de6 scribed in subpart D of part 8 of title 46, Code of Federal 

7 Regulations, and, if necessary, revise or establish policies 

8 and procedures to ensure those delegated authorities are 

9 being conducted in a manner to ensure safe maritime trans10 portation. 

11 (b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

12 of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall provide 

13 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor14 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation 

15 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a brief16 ing on the implementation of subsection (a). 

17 TITLE III—CENTER OF 

18 EXPERTISE 

19 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE. 

20 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Coast Guard Blue Tech21 nology Center of Expertise Act’’. 

22 SEC. 302. COAST GUARD BLUE TECHNOLOGY CENTER OF 

23 EXPERTISE. 

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than one year after 

25 the date of the enactment of this Act and subject to the 

26 availability of appropriations, the Commandant shall es-
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1 tablish under section 58 of title 14, United States Code, a 

2 Blue Technology center of expertise. 

3 (b) MISSIONS.—In addition to the missions listed in 

4 section 58(b) of title 14, United States Code, the Center— 

5 (1) shall— 

6 (A) promote awareness within the Coast 

7 Guard of the range and diversity of Blue Tech8 nologies and their potential to enhance Coast 

9 Guard mission readiness, operational perform10 ance, and regulation of such technologies; 

11 (B) function as an interactive conduit to 

12 enable the sharing and dissemination of Blue 

13 Technology information between the Coast Guard 

14 and representatives from the private sector, aca15 demia, nonprofit organizations, and other Fed16 eral agencies; 

17 (C) increase awareness among Blue Tech18 nology manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and ven19 dors of Coast Guard acquisition policies, proce20 dures, and business practices; and 

21 (D) provide technical support, coordination, 

22 and assistance to Coast Guard districts and the 

23 Coast Guard Research and Development Center, 

24 as appropriate; and 
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1 (2) subject to the requirements of the Coast 

2 Guard Academy, may coordinate with the Academy 

3 to develop appropriate curricula regarding Blue Tech4 nology to be offered in professional courses of study to 

5 give Coast Guard cadets and officer candidates a 

6 greater background and understanding of Blue Tech7 nologies. 

8 (c) BLUE TECHNOLOGY EXPOSITION; BRIEFING.—Not 

9 later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this 

10 Act, the Commandant shall provide to the Committee on 

11 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep12 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

13 Transportation of the Senate a briefing on the costs and 

14 benefits of hosting a biennial Coast Guard Blue Technology 

15 exposition to further interactions between representatives 

16 from the private sector, academia, and nonprofit organiza17 tions, and the Coast Guard and examine emerging tech18 nologies and Coast Guard mission demands. 

19 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means the 

21 Blue Technology center of expertise established under 

22 this section. 

23 (2) COMMANDANT.—The term ‘‘Commandant’’ 

24 means the Commandant of the Coast Guard. 
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1 (3) BLUE TECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘‘Blue Tech2 nology’’ means any technology, system, or platform 

3 that— 

4 (A) is designed for use or application above, 

5 on, or below the sea surface or that is otherwise 

6 applicable to Coast Guard operational needs, in7 cluding such a technology, system, or platform 

8 that provides continuous or persistent coverage; 

9 and 

10 (B) supports or facilitates— 

11 (i) maritime domain awareness, in12 cluding— 

13 (I) surveillance and monitoring; 

14 (II) observation, measurement, 

15 and modeling: or 

16 (III) information technology and 

17 communications; 

18 (ii) search and rescue; 

19 (iii) emergency response; 

20 (iv) maritime law enforcement; 

21 (v) marine inspections and investiga22 tions; or 
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1 (vi) protection and conservation of the 

2 marine environment. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 756 

AMENDMENT