IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7659 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 15, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To authorize and amend authorities, programs, and statutes 

administered by the Coast Guard. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Commandant defined. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

Sec. 101. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 102. Shoreside infrastructure and facilities and information technology. 

Sec. 103. Availability of amounts for acquisition of additional vessels and aircraft. 

Sec. 104. Authorization for certain programs and services. 

Sec. 105. Authorized levels of military strength and training. 

TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

Subtitle A—Organization and Authorities 

Sec. 201. Prohibition on use of lead systems integrators. 

Sec. 202. Minor construction increase. 

Sec. 203. Tsunami evacuation plans. 

Sec. 204. Service life extension programs. 

Sec. 205. Maritime domain awareness in Coast Guard sector for Puerto Rico 

and Virgin Islands. 

Sec. 206. Public availability of information on monthly drug and migrant interdictions. 

Sec. 207. Report on establishment of unmanned systems capabilities office. 

Sec. 208. Great Lakes icebreaker. 

Sec. 209. Consideration of life-cycle cost estimates for acquisition and procurement. 

Sec. 210. Authorization of certain support for Coast Guard Academy foundations. 

Sec. 211. National Coast Guard Museum. 

Sec. 212. Regular Polar Security Cutter updates. 

Sec. 213. Technology pilot program. 

Sec. 214. Report on condition of Missouri River dayboards. 

Sec. 215. Delegation of ports and waterways safety authorities in St. Lawrence 

seaway. 

Sec. 216. Study on Coast Guard missions. 

Sec. 217. Additional Pribilof Island transition completion actions. 

Subtitle B—Personnel 

Sec. 221. Direct hire authority for civilian faculty at the Coast Guard Academy. 

Sec. 222. Temporary exemption from authorized end strength for Coast Guard 

enlisted members on active duty. 

Sec. 223. Additional available guidance and considerations for reserve selection 

boards. 


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Sec. 224. Parental leave parity for members of certain reserve components of 

Coast Guard. 

Sec. 225. Authorization for maternity uniform allowance for officers. 

Sec. 226. Report on GAO recommendations on housing program. 

TITLE III—SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION 

Subtitle A—Vessel Operations 

Sec. 301. Definitions. 

Sec. 302. Notification. 

Sec. 303. Publication of fines and penalties. 

Subtitle B—Merchant Mariner Credentialing 

Sec. 311. Revising merchant mariner deck training requirements. 

Sec. 312. Amendments. 

Sec. 313. Renewal of merchant mariner licenses and documents. 

Sec. 314. Merchant seamen licenses, certificates, and documents; manning of 

vessels. 

Subtitle C—Vessel Safety 

Sec. 321. Grossly negligent operations of a vessel. 

Sec. 322. Administrative procedure for security risks. 

Sec. 323. Requirements for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels. 

Sec. 324. Risk based examination of tank vessels. 

Sec. 325. Ports and waterways safety. 

Sec. 326. Study on Bering Strait vessel traffic projections and emergency response posture at the port of Point Spencer, Alaska. 

Sec. 327. Underwater inspections brief. 

Sec. 328. St. Lucie River railroad bridge. 

Sec. 329. Rulemaking regarding port access routes. 

Sec. 330. Articulated tug-barge manning. 

Subtitle D—Other Matters 

Sec. 341. Anchor handling activities. 

Sec. 342. Establishment of National Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Systems. 

Sec. 343. Controlled substance onboard vessels. 

Sec. 344. Nonoperating individual. 

Sec. 345. Information on type approval certificates. 

Sec. 346. Manning and crewing requirements for certain vessels, vehicles, and 

structures. 

Sec. 347. Classification societies. 

Sec. 348. Authority to establish safety zones for special activities in exclusive 

economic zone. 

Sec. 349. Fishing vessel and fisherman training safety. 

Sec. 350. Authority over Deepwater Port Act of 1974. 

Sec. 351. National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee composition. 

Sec. 352. Improving Vessel Traffic Service monitoring. 

Sec. 353. Abandoned and derelict vessel removals. 

Sec. 354. Anchorages. 

TITLE IV—OIL POLLUTION INCIDENT LIABILITY 

Sec. 401. Vessel response plans. 


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Sec. 402. Use of marine casualty investigations. 

Sec. 403. Timing of review. 

Sec. 404. Online incident reporting system. 

TITLE V—IMPLEMENTATION OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND 

TRANSPARENCY REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS 

Sec. 501. Implementation status of directed actions. 

Sec. 502. Independent review of Coast Guard reforms. 

Sec. 503. Requirement to maintain certain records. 

Sec. 504. Study on Coast Guard Academy oversight. 

Sec. 505. Providing for the transfer of a cadet who is the victim of a sexual 

assault or related offense. 

Sec. 506. Designation of officers with particular expertise in military justice or 

healthcare. 

Sec. 507. Direct hire authority for certain personnel of Coast Guard. 

Sec. 508. Safe-to-report policy for Coast Guard. 

Sec. 509. Modification of delivery date of Coast Guard sexual assault report. 

Sec. 510. Higher-level review of board of determination decisions. 

Sec. 511. Review of discharge or dismissal. 

Sec. 512. Convicted sex offender as grounds for denial. 

Sec. 513. Coast Guard Academy room reassignment. 

TITLE VI—AMENDMENTS 

Sec. 601. Amendments. 

1 SEC. 2. COMMANDANT DEFINED. 

2 In this Act, the term ‘‘Commandant’’ means the 

3 Commandant of the Coast Guard. 

4 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 

5 APPROPRIATIONS 

6 SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 Section 4902 of title 14, United States Code, is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by 

10 striking ‘‘fiscal years 2022 and 2023’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘fiscal years 2025 and 2026’’; 

12 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking 

14 clauses (i) and (ii) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) $11,287,500,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(ii) $11,851,875,000 for fiscal year 

4 2026.’’; 

5 (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking 

6 ‘‘$23,456,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$25,570,000’’; 

7 and 

8 (C) in subparagraph (C) by striking 

9 ‘‘$24,353,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$26,848,500’’; 

10 (3) in paragraph (2)(A) by striking clauses (i) 

11 and (ii) and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) $3,477,600,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(ii) $3,651,480,000 for fiscal year 

15 2026.’’; 

16 (4) in paragraph (3) by striking subparagraphs 

17 (A) and (B) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) $15,415,000 for fiscal year 2025; and 

19 ‘‘(B) $16,185,750 for fiscal year 2026.’’; 

20 and 

21 (5) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(4) For retired pay, including the payment of 

24 obligations otherwise chargeable to lapsed appropria25 tions for purposes of retired pay, payments under 


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1 the Retired Serviceman’s Family Protection Plan 

2 and the Survivor Benefit Plan, payment for career 

3 status bonuses, payment of continuation pay under 

4 section 356 of title 37, concurrent receipts, combat5 related special compensation, and payments for med6 ical care of retired personnel and their dependents 

7 under chapter 55 of title 10, $1,210,840,000 for fis8 cal year 2025.’’. 

9 SEC. 102. SHORESIDE INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES 

10 AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. 

11 (a) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.—Of the amounts 

12 authorized to be appropriated under section 4902(2)(A) 

13 of title 14, United States Code— 

14 (1) for fiscal year 2025, $36,300,000 is author15 ized to modernize the Coast Guard’s information 

16 technology systems, of which $11,000,000 is author17 ized to fund the acquisition, development, and imple18 mentation of a new credentialing system for the 

19 Merchant Mariner credentialing program; and 

20 (2) for fiscal year 2026, $36,300,000 is author21 ized to modernize the Coast Guard’s information 

22 technology systems. 

23 (b) SHORESIDE INFRASTRUCTURE.—Of the amounts 

24 authorized to be appropriated under section 4902(2)(A) 

25 of title 14, United States Code— 


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1 (1) for fiscal year 2025, $500,000,000 is au2 thorized to fund maintenance, construction, and re3 pairs for Coast Guard shoreside infrastructure, of 

4 which— 

5 (A) $225,000,000 is authorized for the 

6 purposes of improvements to facilities at the 

7 United States Coast Guard Training Center 

8 Cape May in Cape May, New Jersey; 

9 (B) $10,000,000 is authorized to fund the 

10 creation of an infrastructure development plan 

11 for the Coast Guard Academy in New London, 

12 Connecticut; 

13 (C) $50,000,000 is authorized to complete 

14 repairs and improvements of Chase Hall at the 

15 Coast Guard Academy in New London, Con16 necticut, including remediation of asbestos, 

17 lead, and mold and upgrading the electric outlet 

18 availability and storage space in student rooms, 

19 and making changes to house not more than 2 

20 Officer Candidates in a room; 

21 (D) $70,000,000 is authorized for the pur22 poses of planning, designing, and building a 

23 floating drydock at the United States Coast 

24 Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland; 


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1 (E) $40,000,000 is authorized for the pur2 poses of planning, designing, and building a 

3 hangar to house, at a minimum, 2 HC–130J 

4 Super Hercules aircraft at Air Station Barbers 

5 Point in Kapolei, Hawaii; and 

6 (F) $90,000,000 is authorized to fund wa7 terfront improvements of Coast Guard Base Se8 attle; and 

9 (2) for fiscal year 2026, $600,000,000 is au10 thorized to fund maintenance, construction, and re11 pairs for Coast Guard shoreside infrastructure, of 

12 which— 

13 (A) $125,000,000 is authorized for the 

14 purposes of improvements to facilities at the 

15 United States Coast Guard Training Center 

16 Cape May in Cape May, New Jersey; 

17 (B) $100,000,000 is authorized to execute 

18 the infrastructure development plan for the 

19 Coast Guard Academy in New London, Con20 necticut developed in paragraph (1)(C); 

21 (C) $100,000,000 is authorized for the 

22 purposes of planning, designing, and building a 

23 floating drydock at the United States Coast 

24 Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland; 


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1 (D) $40,000,000 is authorized for the pur2 poses of planning, designing, and building a 

3 hangar to house at a minimum 2 HC–130J 

4 Super Hercules aircraft at Air Station Barbers 

5 Point in Kapolei, Hawaii; and 

6 (E) $90,000,000 is authorized to fund wa7 terfront improvements of Coast Guard Base Se8 attle. 

9 SEC. 103. AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS FOR ACQUISITION OF 

10 ADDITIONAL VESSELS AND AIRCRAFT. 

11 (a) FISCAL YEAR 2025.—Of the amounts authorized 

12 to be appropriated under section 4902(2)(A) of title 14, 

13 United States Code, for fiscal year 2025— 

14 (1) $138,500,000 is authorized for the acquisi15 tion or procurement of 1 missionized HC–130J 

16 Super Hercules aircraft; 

17 (2) $36,000,000 is authorized for the service 

18 life extension program and any necessary upgrades 

19 of the 47-foot Motor Life Boat; and 

20 (3) $216,000,000 is authorized for the acquisi21 tion of 2 Fast Response Cutters. 

22 (b) FISCAL YEAR 2026.—Of the amounts authorized 

23 to be appropriated under section 4902(2)(A) of title 14, 

24 United States Code, for fiscal year 2026— 


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1 (1) $1,200,000,000 is authorized for the acqui2 sition of a Polar Security Cutter; 

3 (2) $1,100,000,000 is authorized for the acqui4 sition of 2 Offshore Patrol Cutters; 

5 (3) $138,500,000 is authorized for the acquisi6 tion or procurement of 1 missionized HC–130J 

7 Super Hercules aircraft; and 

8 (4) $153,500,000 is authorized to outfit and as9 semble 5 MH–60T Jayhawk aircrafts. 

10 SEC. 104. AUTHORIZATION FOR CERTAIN PROGRAMS AND 

11 SERVICES. 

12 (a) FISCAL YEAR 2025.—Of the amounts authorized 

13 to be appropriated under section 4902(1)(A) of title 14, 

14 United States Code, for fiscal year 2025— 

15 (1) $11,978,000 is authorized to fund addi16 tional recruiting personnel and offices for the Coast 

17 Guard Recruiting Command; 

18 (2) $9,000,000 is authorized to enhance Coast 

19 Guard recruiting capabilities; and 

20 (3) $25,000,000 is authorized for the imple21 mentation of each directed action outlined in enclo22 sure 1 of the memorandum of the Commandant ti23 tled ‘‘Commandant’s Directed Actions-Accountability 

24 and Transparency’’, dated November 27, 2023. 


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1 (b) FISCAL YEAR 2026.—Of the amounts authorized 

2 to be appropriated under section 4902(1)(A) of title 14, 

3 United States Code, $35,000,000 is authorized for the im4 plementation of each directed action outlined in enclosure 

5 1 of the memorandum of the Commandant titled ‘‘Com6 mandant’s Directed Actions-Accountability and Trans7 parency’’, dated November 27, 2023. 

8 SEC. 105. AUTHORIZED LEVELS OF MILITARY STRENGTH 

9 AND TRAINING. 

10 Section 4904 of title 14, United States Code, is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 

13 2022 and 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2025 

14 and 2026’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 

16 2022 and 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2025 

17 and 2026’’. 

18 TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

19 Subtitle A—Organization and 

20 Authorities 

21 SEC. 201. PROHIBITION ON USE OF LEAD SYSTEMS INTE22 GRATORS. 

23 Section 1105 of title 14, United States Code, is 

24 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(c) LEAD SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR DEFINED.—In 

2 this section, the term ‘lead systems integrator’ has the 

3 meaning given such term in section 805(c) of the National 

4 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public 

5 Law 109–163).’’. 

6 SEC. 202. MINOR CONSTRUCTION INCREASE. 

7 Section 903(d)(1) of title 14, United States Code, is 

8 amended by striking ‘‘$1,500,000’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘$2,000,000’’. 

10 SEC. 203. TSUNAMI EVACUATION PLANS. 

11 (a) TSUNAMI EVACUATION PLANS.— 

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

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

14 in consultation with the Administrator of the Na15 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and 

16 the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man17 agement Agency, shall establish location specific tsu18 nami evacuation plans for each unit and sector of 

19 the Coast Guard that has facilities, personnel, or as20 sets located within areas— 

21 (A) designated by the Administrator of the 

22 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra23 tion as high risk or very high risk of a United 

24 States tsunami hazard; and 


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1 (B) that are located inside a tsunami inun2 dation zone. 

3 (2) EVACUATION PLANS.—In establishing the 

4 evacuation plans under paragraph (1), the Com5 mandant shall ensure that such plans— 

6 (A) are included in the emergency action 

7 plans for each unit or sector located inside of 

8 a tsunami inundation zone; 

9 (B) designate an evacuation route to an 

10 assembly area located outside of a tsunami in11 undation zone; 

12 (C) include a map or diagram of all tsu13 nami inundation zone evacuation routes; 

14 (D) include evacuation routes for all Coast 

15 Guard personnel and dependents of such per16 sonnel living in Coast Guard housing; 

17 (E) are feasible for all servicemembers and 

18 dependents of such servicemembers present on 

19 Coast Guard property or living in Coast Guard 

20 provided housing; 

21 (F) include procedures to begin evacu22 ations once a major seismic event is detected; 

23 (G) include evacuation plans for air and 

24 water assets that do not impinge on the safety 

25 of human life; 


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1 (H) are able to be completely executed 

2 within 15 minutes of detection of a seismic 

3 event or, if not possible within 15 minutes, 

4 within a reasonable timeframe; 

5 (I) are able to be completely executed by 

6 servicemembers on foot from any location with7 in the tsunami inundation zone; 

8 (J) are exercised biennially by each unit 

9 and sector located in a tsunami inundation 

10 zone; and 

11 (K) are evaluated by leadership at each 

12 unit and sector located in a tsunami inundation 

13 zone annually. 

14 (3) CONSULTATION.—In establishing the evacu15 ation plans under paragraph (1), the Commandant 

16 shall consult local governments. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

18 of enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall submit 

19 to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

20 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

21 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

22 and provide a briefing to each such Committee on, a re23 port on— 


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1 (1) the status of the implementation and feasi2 bility of the plans established under subsection 

3 (a)(1); 

4 (2) a risk evaluation and vulnerability assess5 ment of the infrastructure and assets located within 

6 tsunami inundation zones; 

7 (3) the need for vertical evacuation structures 

8 for units and sectors in which an evacuation of a 

9 tsunami inundation zone cannot be completed on 

10 foot within 15 minutes of the detection of a seismic 

11 event; and 

12 (4) whether the plans established under sub13 section (a)(1) achieve the purpose to protect human 

14 life and ensure the ability for the Coast Guard to 

15 provide search and rescue operations following a tsu16 nami event in the area. 

17 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) SEISMIC EVENT.—The term ‘‘seismic event’’ 

19 means an earthquake, volcanic eruption, submarine 

20 landslide, coastal rockfall, or other event with the 

21 magnitude to cause a tsunami. 

22 (2) TSUNAMI INUNDATION ZONE.—The term 

23 ‘‘tsunami inundation zone’’ means an area of inland 

24 flooding modeled, predicted, or forecasted as a po25 tential result of a tsunami or seismic event. 


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1 (3) VERTICAL EVACUATION STRUCTURE.—The 

2 term ‘‘vertical evacuation structure’’ means an ele3 vated structure above the tsunami inundation zone 

4 designated as a place of refuge from flood waters. 

5 SEC. 204. SERVICE LIFE EXTENSION PROGRAMS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 11 of 

7 title 14, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

8 end the following: 

9 ‘‘§ 1138. Service life extension programs 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Requirements for a Level 1 or 

11 Level 2 acquisition project or program under sections 

12 1131 through 1134 shall not apply to an acquisition by 

13 the Coast Guard that is a service life extension program. 

14 ‘‘(b) SERVICE LIFE EXTENSION PROGRAM DE15 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘service life extension 

16 program’ means a capital investment that is solely in17 tended to extend the service life and address obsolescence 

18 of components or systems of a particular capability or 

19 asset.’’. 

20 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap21 ter 11 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by in22 serting after the item relating to section 1137 the fol23 lowing: 

‘‘1138. Service life extension programs.’’. 


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1 SEC. 205. MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS IN COAST GUARD 

2 SECTOR FOR PUERTO RICO AND VIRGIN IS3 LANDS. 

4 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

5 of this Act, the Commandant shall submit to the Com6 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

7 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

8 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report con9 taining— 

10 (1) an overview of the maritime domain aware11 ness in the area of responsibility of the Coast Guard 

12 sector responsible for Puerto Rico and the United 

13 States Virgin Islands, including— 

14 (A) the average volume of known maritime 

15 traffic that transited the area during fiscal 

16 years 2020 through 2023; 

17 (B) current sensor platforms deployed by 

18 such sector to monitor illicit activity occurring 

19 at sea in such area; 

20 (C) the number of illicit activity incidents 

21 at sea in such area that the sector responded to 

22 during fiscal years 2020 through 2023; 

23 (D) an estimate of the volume of traffic 

24 engaged in illicit activity at sea in such area 

25 and the type and description of any vessels used 

26 to carry out illicit activities that such sector reVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7659.RFS H7659

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1 sponded to during fiscal years 2020 through 

2 2023; and 

3 (E) the maritime domain awareness re4 quirements to effectively meet the mission of 

5 such sector; 

6 (2) a description of current actions taken by the 

7 Coast Guard to partner with Federal, regional, 

8 State, and local entities to meet the maritime do9 main awareness needs of such area; 

10 (3) a description of any gaps in maritime do11 main awareness within the area of responsibility of 

12 such sector resulting from an inability to meet the 

13 enduring maritime domain awareness requirements 

14 of the sector or adequately respond to maritime dis15 order, including illicit drug and migrant activity; 

16 (4) an identification of current technology and 

17 assets the Coast Guard has to mitigate the gaps 

18 identified in paragraph (3); 

19 (5) an identification of capabilities needed to 

20 mitigate such gaps, including any capabilities the 

21 Coast Guard currently possesses that can be de22 ployed to the sector; 

23 (6) an identification of technology and assets 

24 the Coast Guard does not currently possess and are 

25 needed to acquire in order to address such gaps; and 


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1 (7) an identification of any financial obstacles 

2 that prevent the Coast Guard from deploying exist3 ing commercially available sensor technology to ad4 dress such gaps. 

5 SEC. 206. PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ON 

6 MONTHLY DRUG AND MIGRANT INTERDIC7 TIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 11269 of the Don Young 

9 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117– 

10 263) is— 

11 (1) transferred to appear at the end of sub12 chapter II of chapter 5 of title 14, United States 

13 Code; 

14 (2) redesignated as section 529; and 

15 (3) amended— 

16 (A) by striking the section enumerator and 

17 heading and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘§ 529. Public availability of information on monthly 

19 drug and migrant interdictions’’; 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘Not later than’’ and in21 serting the following: 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than’’; 

23 (C) by inserting ‘‘drug and’’ before ‘‘mi24 grant interdictions’’; and 

25 (D) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—In making information about 

2 interdictions publicly available under subsection (a), the 

3 Commandant shall include a description of the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) The number of incidents in which drugs 

5 were interdicted, the amount and type of drugs 

6 interdicted, and the Coast Guard sectors and geo7 graphic areas of responsibility in which such inci8 dents occurred. 

9 ‘‘(2) The number of incidents in which mi10 grants were interdicted, the number of migrants 

11 interdicted, and the Coast Guard sectors and geo12 graphic areas of responsibility in which such inci13 dents occurred.’’. 

14 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

15 (1) The analysis for chapter 5 of title 14, 

16 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

17 the item relating to section 528 the following: 

‘‘529. Public availability of information on monthly drug and migrant interdictions.’’. 

18 (2) The table of sections in section 11001(b) of 

19 the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 

20 2022 (division K of Public Law 117–263) is amend21 ed by striking the item relating to section 11269. 


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1 SEC. 207. REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT OF UNMANNED SYS2 TEMS CAPABILITIES OFFICE. 

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

4 date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall sub5 mit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc6 ture of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

7 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

8 a report that outlines a plan for establishing an unmanned 

9 systems capabilities office within the Coast Guard respon10 sible for the acquisition and development of unmanned 

11 system and counter-unmanned system technologies and to 

12 expand the capabilities of the Coast Guard with respect 

13 to such technologies. 

14 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub15 section (a) shall include the following: 

16 (1) A management strategy for the acquisition, 

17 development, and deployment of unmanned system 

18 and counter-unmanned system technologies. 

19 (2) A service-wide coordination strategy to syn20 chronize and integrate efforts across the Coast 

21 Guard in order to— 

22 (A) support the primary duties of the 

23 Coast Guard pursuant to section 102 of title 

24 14, United States Code; and 

25 (B) pursue expanded research, develop26 ment, testing, and evaluation opportunities and 


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1 funding to expand and accelerate identification 

2 and transition of unmanned system and 

3 counter-unmanned system technologies. 

4 (3) The identification of contracting and acqui5 sition authorities needed to expedite the development 

6 and deployment of unmanned system and counter7 unmanned system technologies. 

8 (4) A detailed list of commercially available un9 manned system and counter-unmanned system tech10 nologies with capabilities determined to be useful for 

11 the Coast Guard. 

12 (5) A cross-agency collaboration plan to engage 

13 with the Department of Homeland Security, the De14 partment of Defense, and other relevant agencies to 

15 identify common requirements and opportunities to 

16 partner in acquiring, contracting, and sustaining un17 manned system and counter-unmanned system capa18 bilities. 

19 (6) Opportunities to obtain and share un20 manned system data from government and commer21 cial sources to improve maritime domain awareness. 

22 (7) The development of a concept of operations 

23 for a data ecosystem that supports and integrates 

24 unmanned system and counter-unmanned system 

25 technologies with key enablers, including enterprise 


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1 communications networks, data storage and manage2 ment, artificial intelligence and machine learning 

3 tools, and information sharing and dissemination ca4 pabilities. 

5 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) COUNTER-UNMANNED SYSTEM.—The term 

7 ‘‘counter-unmanned system’’ means a system or de8 vice capable of lawfully and safely disabling, dis9 rupting, or seizing control of an unmanned system, 

10 including a counter-UAS system (as such term is de11 fined in section 44801 of title 49, United States 

12 Code). 

13 (2) UNMANNED SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘un14 manned system’’ means an unmanned surface, un15 dersea, or aircraft and associated elements (includ16 ing communication links and the components that 

17 control the unmanned system) that are required for 

18 the operator to operate the system safely and effi19 ciently, including an unmanned aircraft system (as 

20 such term is defined in section 44801 of title 49, 

21 United States Code). 

22 SEC. 208. GREAT LAKES ICEBREAKER. 

23 Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 

24 of this Act, the Commandant shall submit to the Com25 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 


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1 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

2 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a strategy de3 tailing how the Coast Guard will complete design and con4 struction of the Great Lakes icebreaker at least as capable 

5 as the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB–30) in not 

6 more than 3 years after funding is provided for such ice7 breaker. 

8 SEC. 209. CONSIDERATION OF LIFE-CYCLE COST ESTI9 MATES FOR ACQUISITION AND PROCURE10 MENT. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 11 of 

12 title 14, United States Code, is further amended by adding 

13 at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘§ 1139. Consideration of life-cycle cost estimates for 

15 acquisition and procurement 

16 ‘‘In carrying out the acquisition and procurement of 

17 vessels and aircraft, the Secretary of the department in 

18 which the Coast Guard is operating, acting through the 

19 Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall consider the life20 cycle cost estimates of vessels and aircraft, as applicable, 

21 during the design and evaluation processes to the max22 imum extent practicable.’’. 

23 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap24 ter 11 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by inVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7659.RFS H7659

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1 serting after the item relating to section 1138 (as added 

2 by this Act) the following: 

‘‘1139. Consideration of life-cycle cost estimates for acquisition and procurement.’’. 

3 SEC. 210. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN SUPPORT FOR 

4 COAST GUARD ACADEMY FOUNDATIONS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 19 of title 

6 14, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘§ 1907. Authorization of certain support for Coast 

9 Guard Academy foundations 

10 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—Subject to subsection (b) and 

11 pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the 

12 department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the 

13 Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy may author14 ize a covered foundation to use, on an unreimbursed basis, 

15 facilities or equipment of the Coast Guard Academy. 

16 ‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS.—Use of facilities or equipment 

17 under subsection (a) may be provided only if such use has 

18 been reviewed and approved by an attorney of the Coast 

19 Guard and only if such use— 

20 ‘‘(1) is without any liability of the United 

21 States to the covered foundation; 

22 ‘‘(2) does not affect the ability of any official or 

23 employee of the Coast Guard, or any member of the 


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1 armed forces, to carry out any responsibility or duty 

2 in a fair and objective manner; 

3 ‘‘(3) does not compromise the integrity or ap4 pearance of integrity of any program of the Coast 

5 Guard, or any individual involved in such a program; 

6 ‘‘(4) does not include the participation of any 

7 cadet other than participation in an honor guard at 

8 an event of the covered foundation; and 

9 ‘‘(5) complies with any applicable ethics regula10 tions. 

11 ‘‘(c) BRIEFING.—In any fiscal year during which the 

12 Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy exercises the 

13 authority under subsection (a), the Commandant of the 

14 Coast Guard shall provide a briefing to the Committee on 

15 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep16 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

17 and Transportation of the Senate not later than the last 

18 day of that fiscal year regarding the number of events or 

19 activities of a covered foundation supported by such exer20 cise during such fiscal year. 

21 ‘‘(d) COVERED FOUNDATION DEFINED.—In this sec22 tion, the term ‘covered foundation’ means a charitable, 

23 educational, or civic nonprofit organization under section 

24 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that the 

25 Secretary concerned determines operates exclusively to 


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1 support, with respect to a Service Academy, any of the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(1) Recruiting. 

4 ‘‘(2) Parent or alumni development. 

5 ‘‘(3) Academic, leadership, or character develop6 ment. 

7 ‘‘(4) Institutional development. 

8 ‘‘(5) Athletics.’’. 

9 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap10 ter 19 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by in11 serting after the item relating to section 1906 the fol12 lowing: 

‘‘1907. Authorization of certain support for Coast Guard Academy foundations.’’. 

13 SEC. 211. NATIONAL COAST GUARD MUSEUM. 

14 Section 316 of title 14, United States Code, is 

15 amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘The Sec18 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 

19 paragraph (2), the Secretary’’; and 

20 (B) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘engi21 neering and design of a Museum’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘design of a Museum, and engineering, con23 struction administration, and quality assurance 

24 services of a Museum’’; 


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1 (2) by amending subsection (e)(2)(A) to read as 

2 follows: 

3 ‘‘(A) lease from the Association for Coast 

4 Guard operations the Museum and properties owned 

5 by the Association adjacent to the railroad tracks to 

6 which the property on which the Museum is located 

7 are adjacent; and’’; and 

8 (3) by amending subsection (g) to read as fol9 lows: 

10 ‘‘(g) SERVICES.—With respect to the services related 

11 to the construction, maintenance, and operation of the 

12 Museum, the Commandant may— 

13 ‘‘(1) solicit and accept services from nonprofit 

14 entities, including the Association; and 

15 ‘‘(2) enter into contracts or memorandums of 

16 agreement with or make grants to the Association to 

17 acquire such services.’’. 

18 SEC. 212. REGULAR POLAR SECURITY CUTTER UPDATES. 

19 (a) REPORT.— 

20 (1) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 60 

21 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

22 Commandant shall submit to the Committee on 

23 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

24 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

25 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 


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1 on the status of acquisition of the first Polar Secu2 rity Cutter. 

3 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report under paragraph 

4 (1) shall include— 

5 (A) a detailed timeline for the acquisition 

6 process of the first Polar Security Cutter, in7 cluding expected milestones and projected com8 missioning date; 

9 (B) an accounting of the previously appro10 priated funds spent to date on the Polar Secu11 rity Cutter Program, updated cost projections 

12 for the first Polar Security Cutter, and projec13 tions for when additional funds will be required; 

14 (C) potential factors and risks that could 

15 further delay or imperil the completion of the 

16 first Polar Security Cutter; and 

17 (D) a review of the acquisition of the first 

18 Polar Security Cutter to date, including factors 

19 that led to substantial cost overruns and deliv20 ery delays. 

21 (b) BRIEFINGS.— 

22 (1) PROVISION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 

23 60 days after the submission of the report under 

24 subsection (a), and not less frequently than every 60 

25 days thereafter, the Commandant shall provide to 


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1 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

2 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

3 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

4 Senate a briefing on the status of the Polar Security 

5 Cutter acquisition process. 

6 (2) TIMELINE.—The briefings under paragraph 

7 (1) shall occur after any key milestone in the Polar 

8 Security Cutter acquisition process, but not less fre9 quently than every 60 days. 

10 (3) ELEMENTS.—Each briefing under para11 graph (1) shall include— 

12 (A) a summary of acquisition progress 

13 since the most recent previous briefing con14 ducted pursuant to paragraph (1); 

15 (B) an updated timeline and budget esti16 mate for acquisition and building of pending 

17 Polar Security Cutters; and 

18 (C) an explanation of any delays or addi19 tional costs incurred in the acquisition progress. 

20 (c) NOTIFICATIONS.—In addition to the briefings re21 quired under subsection (b), the Commandant shall notify 

22 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

23 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com24 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate within 

25 3 business days of any significant change to the scope or 


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1 funding level of the Polar Security Cutter acquisition 

2 strategy of such change. 

3 SEC. 213. TECHNOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM. 

4 Section 319(b)(1) of title 14, United States Code, is 

5 amended by striking ‘‘2’’ and inserting ‘‘4’’. 

6 SEC. 214. REPORT ON CONDITION OF MISSOURI RIVER 

7 DAYBOARDS. 

8 (a) PROVISION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 

9 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Com10 mandant shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 

11 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 

12 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

13 of the Senate a report on the condition of dayboards and 

14 the placement of buoys on the Missouri River. 

15 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report under paragraph (1) 

16 shall include— 

17 (1) a list of the most recent date on which each 

18 dayboard and buoy was serviced by the Coast Guard; 

19 (2) an overview of the plan of the Coast Guard 

20 to systematically service each dayboard and buoy on 

21 the Missouri River; and 

22 (3) assigned points of contact. 


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1 SEC. 215. DELEGATION OF PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY 

2 AUTHORITIES IN ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY. 

3 Section 70032 of title 46, United States Code, is 

4 amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘§ 70032. Saint Lawrence Seaway 

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

7 (b), the authority granted to the Secretary under sections 

8 70001, 70002, 70003, 70004, and 70011 may not be dele9 gated with respect to the Saint Lawrence Seaway to any 

10 agency other than the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Sea11 way Development Corporation. Any other authority grant12 ed the Secretary under subchapters I through III and this 

13 subchapter shall be delegated by the Secretary to the 

14 Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Cor15 poration to the extent the Secretary determines such dele16 gation is necessary for the proper operation of the Saint 

17 Lawrence Seaway. 

18 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of the department 

19 in which the Coast Guard is operating, after consultation 

20 with the Secretary of Transportation, or the head of an 

21 agency to which the Secretary has delegated the authori22 ties in subsection (a), may— 

23 ‘‘(1) issue and enforce special orders in accord24 ance with section 70002; 

25 ‘‘(2) establish water or waterfront safety zones, 

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1 tional access and activity when necessary for the 

2 protection of any vessel structure, waters, or shore 

3 area, as permitted in section 70011(b)(2); and 

4 ‘‘(3) take actions for port, harbor, and coastal 

5 facility security in accordance with section 70116.’’. 

6 SEC. 216. STUDY ON COAST GUARD MISSIONS. 

7 (a) STUDY.— 

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

9 the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant 

10 shall seek to enter into an agreement with a feder11 ally funded research and development center with 

12 relevant expertise under which such center shall con13 duct an assessment of the operational capabilities 

14 and ability of the Coast Guard to conduct the pri15 mary duties of the Coast Guard under section 102 

16 of title 14, United States Code, and missions under 

17 section 888 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

18 (6 U.S.C. 468). 

19 (2) ELEMENTS.—In carrying out the assess20 ment required under paragraph (1), the federally 

21 funded research and development center selected 

22 under such subsection shall, with respect to the pri23 mary duties and missions described in paragraph 

24 (1), include the following: 


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1 (A) An analysis of the extent to which the 

2 Coast Guard is able to effectively carry out 

3 such duties and missions. 

4 (B) Recommendations for the Coast Guard 

5 to more effectively carry out such duties and 

6 missions, in light of manpower and asset con7 straints. 

8 (C) Recommendations of which such duties 

9 and missions should be transferred to other de10 partments or eliminated in light of the man11 power and asset constraints of the Coast 

12 Guard. 

13 (D) An analysis of the benefits and draw14 backs of transferring the Coast Guard or any of 

15 the duties and missions of the Coast Guard to 

16 other appropriate Federal departments or inde17 pendent agencies. 

18 (b) ASSESSMENT TO COMMANDANT.—Not later than 

19 1 year after the date on which Commandant enters into 

20 an agreement under section (a), the federally funded re21 search and development center selected under such sub22 section shall submit to the Commandant the assessment 

23 required under subsection (a). 

24 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 


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

2 receipt of the assessment under subsection (b), the 

3 Commandant shall submit to the Committee on 

4 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

5 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

6 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

7 that includes recommendations included in the as8 sessment to strengthen the ability of the Coast 

9 Guard to carry out such duties and missions. 

10 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 

11 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

12 (A) The assessment received by the Com13 mandant under subsection (b). 

14 (B) For each recommendation included in 

15 the such assessment— 

16 (i) an assessment by the Commandant 

17 of the feasibility and advisability of imple18 menting such recommendation; and 

19 (ii) if the Commandant of the Coast 

20 Guard considers the implementation of 

21 such recommendation feasible and advis22 able, a description of the actions taken, or 

23 to be taken, to implement such rec24 ommendation. 


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1 SEC. 217. ADDITIONAL PRIBILOF ISLAND TRANSITION COM2 PLETION ACTIONS. 

3 Section 11221 of the Don Young Coast Guard Au4 thorization Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–263) is amended 

5 by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(e) ADDITIONAL REPORTS ON STATUS OF USE OF

7 FACILITIES AND HELICOPTER BASING.—Beginning with 

8 the first quarterly report required under subsection (a) 

9 submitted after the date of enactment of the Coast Guard 

10 Authorization Act of 2024, the Secretary shall include in 

11 each such report— 

12 ‘‘(1) the status of the use of recently renovated 

13 Coast Guard housing facilities, food preparation fa14 cilities, and maintenance and repair facilities on St. 

15 Paul Island, Alaska, including a projected date for 

16 full use and occupancy of such facilities in support 

17 of Coast Guard missions in the Bering Sea; and 

18 ‘‘(2) a detailed plan for the acquisition and con19 struction of a hangar in close proximity to existing 

20 St. Paul airport facilities to house 1 or more Coast 

21 Guard helicopters for the prosecution of Coast 

22 Guard operational missions, including plans for the 

23 use of land needed for such hangar.’’. 


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1 Subtitle B—Personnel 

2 SEC. 221. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY FOR CIVILIAN FACULTY 

3 AT THE COAST GUARD ACADEMY. 

4 Section 1941 of title 14, United States Code, is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub7 section (c); and 

8 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(b) The Secretary may, without regard to the ap11 pointment requirements of title 5, United States Code, 

12 noncompetitively appoint a highly qualified candidate to 

13 a faculty position in the excepted service.’’. 

14 SEC. 222. TEMPORARY EXEMPTION FROM AUTHORIZED 

15 END STRENGTH FOR COAST GUARD EN16 LISTED MEMBERS ON ACTIVE DUTY. 

17 Notwithstanding section 517 of title 10, United 

18 States Code, and until October 1, 2027, the authorized 

19 end strength for enlisted members on active duty (other 

20 than for training) in the Coast Guard in pay grades E– 

21 8 and E–9 may be more than 3.0 percent and 1.25 percent 

22 respectively of the number of enlisted members of the 

23 Coast Guard who are on active duty other than for train24 ing. 


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1 SEC. 223. ADDITIONAL AVAILABLE GUIDANCE AND CONSID2 ERATIONS FOR RESERVE SELECTION 

3 BOARDS. 

4 Section 3740(f) of title 14, United States Code, is 

5 amended by striking ‘‘section 2117’’ and inserting ‘‘sec6 tions 2115 and 2117’’. 

7 SEC. 224. PARENTAL LEAVE PARITY FOR MEMBERS OF CER8 TAIN RESERVE COMPONENTS OF COAST 

9 GUARD. 

10 (a) PARENTAL LEAVE.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 29 

12 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by add13 ing at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘§ 2907. Parental leave for members of certain re15 serve components of Coast Guard 

16 ‘‘(a)(1) Under regulations prescribed by the Sec17 retary, a member of the reserve component of the Coast 

18 Guard described in subsection (b) is allowed parental leave 

19 for a duration of up to 12 inactive-duty training periods, 

20 under section 206 of title 37, during the one-year period 

21 beginning after the following events: 

22 ‘‘(A) the birth or adoption of a child of the 

23 member and to care for such child; or 

24 ‘‘(B) the placement of a minor child with the 

25 member for adoption or long-term foster care. 


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1 ‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary of the department in which the 

2 Coast Guard is operating, may authorize leave described 

3 under subparagraph (A) to be taken after the one-year 

4 period described in subparagraph (A) in the case of a 

5 member described in subsection (b) who, except for this 

6 subparagraph, would lose unused parental leave at the end 

7 of the one-year period described in subparagraph (A) as 

8 a result of— 

9 ‘‘(i) operational requirements; 

10 ‘‘(ii) professional military education obligations; 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(iii) other circumstances that the Secretary de13 termines reasonable and appropriate. 

14 ‘‘(B) The regulations prescribed under clause (i) shall 

15 require that any leave authorized to be taken after the 

16 one-year period described in subparagraph (A) shall be 

17 taken within a reasonable period of time, as determined 

18 by the Secretary in which the department is operating, 

19 after cessation of the circumstances warranting the ex20 tended deadline. 

21 ‘‘(b) A member described in this subsection is a mem22 ber of the Coast Guard who is a member of— 

23 ‘‘(1) the selected reserve who is entitled to com24 pensation under section 206 of title 37; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) the individual ready reserve who is entitled 

2 to compensation under section 206 of title 37 when 

3 attending or participating in a sufficient number of 

4 periods of inactive-duty training during a year to 

5 count the year as a qualifying year of creditable 

6 service toward eligibility for retired pay.’’. 

7 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

8 chapter 29 of title 14, United States Code, is 

9 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec10 tion 2906 the following: 

‘‘2907. Parental leave for members of certain reserve components of Coast 

Guard.’’. 

11 (b) COMPENSATION.—Section 206(a)(4) of title 37, 

12 United States Code, is amended by inserting before the 

13 period at the end ‘‘or parental leave under section 2907 

14 of title 14’’. 

15 SEC. 225. AUTHORIZATION FOR MATERNITY UNIFORM AL16 LOWANCE FOR OFFICERS. 

17 Section 2708 of title 14, United States Code, is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(c) The Coast Guard may provide a cash allowance 

20 in such amount as the Secretary of the department in 

21 which the Coast Guard is operating shall determine in reg22 ulations to be paid to pregnant officer personnel for the 

23 purchase of maternity-related uniform items if such uni24 form items are not so furnished to the member.’’. 


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1 SEC. 226. REPORT ON GAO RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOUS2 ING PROGRAM. 

3 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Commandant shall submit to the Com5 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

6 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

7 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the 

8 status of the implementation of the recommendations con9 tained in the report of the Government Accountability Of10 fice titled ‘‘Coast Guard: Better Feedback Collection and 

11 Information Could Enhance Housing Program’’, and 

12 issued February 5, 2024 (GAO–24–106388). 

13 TITLE III—SHIPPING AND 

14 NAVIGATION 

15 Subtitle A—Vessel Operations 

16 SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this subtitle: 

18 (1) OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—The term 

19 ‘‘outer Continental Shelf’’ has the meaning given 

20 such term in section 2 of the Outer Continental 

21 Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331). 

22 (2) RULING LETTER.—The term ‘‘ruling letter’’ 

23 means any ruling letter or headquarters ruling letter 

24 relating to the enforcement of chapters 121 and 551 

25 of title 46, United States Code (commonly referred 

26 to as the ‘‘Jones Act’’), issued by the Commissioner 


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1 of U.S. Customs and Border Protection pursuant to 

2 sections 502(a) or 625 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 

3 U.S.C. 1502(a) and 1625). 

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

5 the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through 

6 the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Pro7 tection. 

8 SEC. 302. NOTIFICATION. 

9 (a) ADVANCE NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—Prior to 

10 engaging in any activity or operations on the outer Conti11 nental Shelf, the operator of a foreign vessel used in such 

12 activity or operations shall file with the Secretary a notifi13 cation describing all activities and operations to be per14 formed on the outer Continental Shelf and an identifica15 tion of applicable ruling letters issued by the Secretary 

16 that have approved the use of a foreign vessel in a sub17 stantially similar activity or operation. 

18 (b) PUBLICATION OF NOTICES.— 

19 (1) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall publish 

20 a notification under subsection (a) in the Customs 

21 Bulletin and Decisions within 14 days of receipt of 

22 such notification. 

23 (2) CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.—The Sec24 retary shall redact any information exempt from dis25 closure under section 552 of title 5, United States 


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1 Code, in a notification published under paragraph 

2 (1). 

3 SEC. 303. PUBLICATION OF FINES AND PENALTIES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 55102 of title 46, United 

5 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(d) PUBLICATION OF PENALTY.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 14 days 

9 after the issuance of a pre-penalty notice or a pen10 alty, including a settlement, under subsection (c), 

11 the Secretary of Homeland Security shall publish 

12 such pre-penalty notice or a notification of such pen13 alty in the Customs Bulletin and Decisions to the 

14 party impacted by the penalty. 

15 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—A pre-penalty notice or pen16 alty notification published under paragraph (1) shall 

17 include— 

18 ‘‘(A) the name and the International Mari19 time Organization identification number of the 

20 vessel that is the subject of the penalty; 

21 ‘‘(B) the name of the owner of the vessel 

22 that is the subject of the penalty; 

23 ‘‘(C) the amount of the fine or value of 

24 merchandise seized; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) a summary of the alleged misconduct 

2 and justification for imposing a penalty.’’. 

3 (b) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 90 days after the 

4 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue 

5 such regulations as are necessary to implement the 

6 amendments made by subsection (a), including— 

7 (1) regulations regarding the information to be 

8 contained in a penalty notification under section 

9 55102(d) of title 46, United States Code (as amend10 ed by such subsection); and 

11 (2) any changes to existing regulations relating 

12 to penalties issued by the Secretary. 

13 Subtitle B—Merchant Mariner 

14 Credentialing 

15 SEC. 311. REVISING MERCHANT MARINER DECK TRAINING 

16 REQUIREMENTS. 

17 (a) GENERAL DEFINITIONS.—Section 2101 of title 

18 46, United States Code, is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (20) through 

20 (56) as paragraphs (21) through (57), respectively; 

21 and 

22 (2) by inserting after paragraph (19) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(20) ‘merchant mariner credential’ means a 

25 merchant mariner license, certificate, or document 


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1 that the Secretary is authorized to issue pursuant to 

2 this title.’’. 

3 (b) EXAMINATIONS.—Section 7116 of title 46, 

4 United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (c). 

5 (c) MERCHANT MARINERS DOCUMENTS.— 

6 (1) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.—Section 7306 

7 of title 46, United States Code, is amended to read 

8 as follows: 

9 ‘‘§ 7306. General requirements and classifications for 

10 members of deck departments 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may issue a mer12 chant mariner credential, to members of the deck depart13 ment in the following classes: 

14 ‘‘(1) Able Seaman-Unlimited. 

15 ‘‘(2) Able Seaman-Limited. 

16 ‘‘(3) Able Seaman-Special. 

17 ‘‘(4) Able Seaman-Offshore Supply Vessels. 

18 ‘‘(5) Able Seaman-Sail. 

19 ‘‘(6) Able Seaman-Fishing Industry. 

20 ‘‘(7) Ordinary Seaman. 

21 ‘‘(b) CLASSIFICATION OF CREDENTIALS.—The Sec22 retary may classify the merchant mariner credential issued 

23 under subsection (a) based on— 

24 ‘‘(1) the tonnage and means of propulsion of 

25 vessels; 


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1 ‘‘(2) the waters on which vessels are to be oper2 ated; or 

3 ‘‘(3) other appropriate standards. 

4 ‘‘(c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In issuing the credential 

5 under subsection (a), the Secretary may consider the fol6 lowing qualifications of the merchant mariner: 

7 ‘‘(1) Age. 

8 ‘‘(2) Character. 

9 ‘‘(3) Habits of life. 

10 ‘‘(4) Experience. 

11 ‘‘(5) Professional qualifications demonstrated 

12 by satisfactory completion of applicable examinations 

13 or other educational requirements. 

14 ‘‘(6) Physical condition, including sight and 

15 hearing. 

16 ‘‘(7) Other requirements established by the Sec17 retary, including career patterns and service appro18 priate to the particular service, industry, or job 

19 functions the individual is engaged.’’. 

20 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

21 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is 

22 amended by striking the item relating to section 

23 7306 and inserting the following: 

‘‘7306. General requirements and classifications for members of deck departments.’’. 


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1 (3) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERS

2 OF ENGINE DEPARTMENTS.—Section 7313(b) of title 

3 46, United States Code, is amended by striking 

4 ‘‘and coal passer’’. 

5 (4) TRAINING.—Section 7315 of title 46, 

6 United States Code, is amended— 

7 (A) by amending subsection (a) to read as 

8 follows: 

9 ‘‘(a) Graduation from a nautical school program ap10 proved by the Secretary may be substituted for the service 

11 requirements under sections 7307–7312 and 7314.’’; 

12 (B) in subsection (b)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘one-third’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘one-half’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘7307–7311 of this 

16 title’’ and inserting ‘‘7307–7312 and 

17 7314’’; and 

18 (C) by striking subsection (c). 

19 (d) REDUCTION OF LENGTHS OF CERTAIN PERIODS

20 OF SERVICE.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Title 46, United States 

22 Code, is amended as follows: 

23 (A) Section 7307 is amended by striking 

24 ‘‘3 years’’ and inserting ‘‘18 months’’. 


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1 (B) Section 7308 is amended by striking 

2 ‘‘18 months’’ and inserting ‘‘12 months’’. 

3 (C) Section 7309 is amended by striking 

4 ‘‘12 months’’ and inserting ‘‘6 months’’. 

5 (2) TEMPORARY REDUCTION OF LENGTHS OF

6 CERTAIN PERIODS OF SERVICE.—Section 3534(j) of 

7 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

8 Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31) is repealed. 

9 (e) MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIALS.—Section 

10 7510 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by strik11 ing subsection (d). 

12 (f) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of the depart13 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating shall imple14 ment the amended requirements under subsections (c)(3), 

15 (c)(4), and (c)(6) of this section without regard to chap16 ters 5 and 6 of title 5, United States Code, and Executive 

17 Orders 12866 and 13563 (5 U.S.C. 601 note). 

18 SEC. 312. AMENDMENTS. 

19 (a) MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIALS.—The head20 ing for part E of subtitle II of title 46, United States 

21 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘MERCHANT SEAMEN LI22 CENSES, CERTIFICATES, AND DOCUMENTS’’ and in23 serting ‘‘MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIALS’’. 

24 (b) ABLE SEAFARERS—UNLIMITED.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The section heading for sec2 tion 7307 of title 46, United States Code, is amend3 ed by striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘sea4 farers’’. 

5 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

6 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is further 

7 amended in the item relating to section 7307 by 

8 striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘seafarers’’. 

9 (c) ABLE SEAMEN—LIMITED.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The section heading for sec11 tion 7308 of title 46, United States Code, is amend12 ed by striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘sea13 farers’’. 

14 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

15 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is further 

16 amended in the item relating to section 7308 by 

17 striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘seafarers’’. 

18 (d) ABLE SEAFARERS—SPECIAL.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The section heading for sec20 tion 7309 of title 46, United States Code, is amend21 ed by striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘sea22 farers’’. 

23 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

24 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is further 


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1 amended in the item relating to section 7309 by 

2 striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘seafarers’’. 

3 (e) ABLE SEAFARERS—OFFSHORE SUPPLY VES4 SELS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The section heading for sec6 tion 7310 of title 46, United States Code, is amend7 ed by striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘sea8 farers’’. 

9 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

10 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is further 

11 amended in the item relating to section 7310 by 

12 striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘seafarers’’. 

13 (f) ABLE SEAFARERS—SAIL.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The section heading for sec15 tion 7311 of title 46, United States Code, is amend16 ed by striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘sea17 farers’’. 

18 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

19 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is further 

20 amended in the item relating to section 7311 by 

21 striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘seafarers’’. 

22 (g) ABLE SEAMEN—FISHING INDUSTRY.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The section heading for sec24 tion 7311a of title 46, United States Code, is 


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1 amended by striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘seafarers’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

4 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is further 

5 amended in the item relating to section 7311a by 

6 striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘seafarers’’. 

7 (h) PARTS E AND F.—Parts E and F of subtitle II 

8 of title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

9 (1) by striking ‘‘seaman’’ and inserting ‘‘sea10 farer’’ each place it appears; and 

11 (2) by striking ‘‘seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘sea12 farers’’ each place it appears. 

13 (i) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The analysis for sub14 title II of title 46, United States Code, is amended in the 

15 item relating to part E by striking ‘‘MERCHANT SEA16 MEN LICENSES, CERTIFICATES, AND DOCU17 MENTS’’ and inserting ‘‘MERCHANT MARINER CRE18 DENTIALS’’. 

19 SEC. 313. RENEWAL OF MERCHANT MARINER LICENSES 

20 AND DOCUMENTS. 

21 Section 7507 of title 46, United States Code, is 

22 amended by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(d) RENEWAL.—With respect to any renewal of an 

24 active merchant mariner credential issued under this part 

25 that is not an extension under subsection (a) or (b), such 


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1 credential shall begin the day after the expiration of the 

2 active credential of the credential holder.’’. 

3 SEC. 314. MERCHANT SEAMEN LICENSES, CERTIFICATES, 

4 AND DOCUMENTS; MANNING OF VESSELS. 

5 (a) CITIZENSHIP OR NONCITIZEN NATIONALITY.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 7102 of title 46, 

7 United States Code, is amended— 

8 (A) in the section heading by inserting ‘‘or 

9 noncitizen nationality’’ after ‘‘Citizen10 ship’’; and 

11 (B) by inserting ‘‘or noncitizen nationals 

12 (as such term is described in section 308 of the 

13 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

14 1408))’’ after ‘‘citizens’’. 

15 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

16 chapter 71 of title 46, United States Code, is 

17 amended by striking the item relating to section 

18 7102 and inserting the following: 

‘‘7102. Citizenship or noncitizen nationality.’’. 

19 (b) CITIZENSHIP OR NONCITIZEN NATIONALITY NO20 TATION ON MERCHANT MARINERS’ DOCUMENTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 7304 of title 46, 

22 United States Code, is amended— 

23 (A) in the section heading by inserting ‘‘or 

24 noncitizen nationality’’ after ‘‘Citizen25 ship’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘or noncitizen national 

2 (as such term is described in section 308 of the 

3 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

4 1408))’’ after ‘‘citizen’’. 

5 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

6 chapter 73 of title 46, United States Code, is 

7 amended by striking the item relating to section 

8 7304 and inserting the following: 

‘‘7304. Citizenship or noncitizen nationality notation on merchant mariners’ documents.’’. 

9 (c) CITIZENSHIP OR NONCITIZEN NATIONALITY.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 8103 of title 46, 

11 United States Code, is amended— 

12 (A) in the section heading by inserting ‘‘or 

13 noncitizen nationality’’ after ‘‘Citizen14 ship’’; 

15 (B) in subsection (a) by inserting ‘‘or non16 citizen national’’ after ‘‘citizen’’; 

17 (C) in subsection (b)— 

18 (i) in paragraph (1)(A)(i) by inserting 

19 ‘‘or noncitizen national’’ after ‘‘citizen’’; 

20 (ii) in paragraph (3) by inserting ‘‘or 

21 noncitizen nationality’’ after ‘‘citizenship’’; 

22 and 

23 (iii) in paragraph (3)(C) by inserting 

24 ‘‘or noncitizen nationals’’ after ‘‘citizens’’; 


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1 (D) in subsection (c) by inserting ‘‘or non2 citizen nationals’’ after ‘‘citizens’’; 

3 (E) in subsection (d)— 

4 (i) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘or 

5 noncitizen nationals’’ after ‘‘citizens’’; and 

6 (ii) in paragraph (2) by inserting ‘‘or 

7 noncitizen national’’ after ‘‘citizen’’ each 

8 place it appears; 

9 (F) in subsection (e) by inserting ‘‘or non10 citizen national’’ after ‘‘citizen’’ each place it 

11 appears; 

12 (G) in subsection (i)(1)(A) by inserting ‘‘or 

13 noncitizen national’’ after ‘‘citizen’’; 

14 (H) in subsection (k)(1)(A) by inserting 

15 ‘‘or noncitizen national’’ after ‘‘citizen’’; and 

16 (I) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(l) NONCITIZEN NATIONAL DEFINED.—In this sec18 tion, the term ‘noncitizen national’ means an individual 

19 described in section 308 of the Immigration and Nation20 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1408).’’. 

21 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

22 chapter 81 of title 46, United States Code, is 

23 amended by striking the item relating to section 

24 8103 and inserting the following: 

‘‘8103. Citizenship or noncitizen nationality and Navy Reserve requirements.’’. 


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1 (d) COMMAND OF DOCUMENTED VESSELS.—Section 

2 12131(a) of title 46, United States Code, is amended by 

3 inserting ‘‘or noncitizen national (as such term is de4 scribed in section 308 of the Immigration and Nationality 

5 Act (8 U.S.C. 1408))’’ after ‘‘citizen’’. 

6 (e) INVALIDATION OF CERTIFICATES OF DOCU7 MENTATION.—Section 12135(2) of title 46, United States 

8 Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘or noncitizen national (as 

9 such term is described in section 308 of the Immigration 

10 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1408))’’ after ‘‘citizen’’. 

11 Subtitle C—Vessel Safety 

12 SEC. 321. GROSSLY NEGLIGENT OPERATIONS OF A VESSEL. 

13 Section 2302(b) of title 46, United States Code, is 

14 amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(b) GROSSLY NEGLIGENT OPERATION.— 

16 ‘‘(1) MISDEMEANOR.—A person operating a 

17 vessel in a grossly negligent manner that endangers 

18 the life, limb, or property of a person commits a 

19 class A misdemeanor. 

20 ‘‘(2) FELONY.—A person operating a vessel in 

21 a grossly negligent manner that results in serious 

22 bodily injury, as defined in section 1365(h)(3) of 

23 title 18— 

24 ‘‘(A) commits a class E felony; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) may be assessed a civil penalty of not 

2 more than $35,000.’’. 

3 SEC. 322. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE FOR SECURITY 

4 RISKS. 

5 (a) SECURITY RISK.—Section 7702(d)(1) of title 46, 

6 United States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) in subparagraph (B) by redesignating 

8 clauses (i) through (iv) as subclauses (I) through 

9 (IV), respectively (and by conforming the margins 

10 accordingly); 

11 (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 

12 (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively (and by con13 forming the margins accordingly); 

14 (3) by striking ‘‘an individual if—’’ and insert15 ing the following: ‘‘an individual— 

16 ‘‘(A) if—’’; 

17 (4) in subparagraph (A)(ii)(IV), as so redesig18 nated, by striking the period at the end and insert19 ing ‘‘; or’’; and 

20 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(B) if there is probable cause to believe that 

22 the individual has violated company policy and is a 

23 security risk that poses a threat to other individuals 

24 on the vessel.’’. 


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1 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 2101(47)(B) 

2 of title 46, United States Code (as so redesignated), is 

3 amended by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting ‘‘; or’’. 

4 SEC. 323. REQUIREMENTS FOR DUKW AMPHIBIOUS PAS5 SENGER VESSELS. 

6 Section 11502 of the James M. Inhofe National De7 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 

8 117–263) is amended— 

9 (1) in the section header by striking ‘‘DUKW

10 AMPHIBIOUS PASSENGER VESSELS’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘COMMERCIAL AMPHIBIOUS SMALL PAS12 SENGER VESSELS’’; 

13 (2) by striking ‘‘DUKW amphibious passenger 

14 vessel’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘com15 mercial amphibious small passenger vessel’’; 

16 (3) by striking ‘‘DUKW amphibious passenger 

17 vessels’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘com18 mercial amphibious small passenger vessels’’; 

19 (4) in subsection (h)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘DEFINITIONS’’ and all 

21 that follows through ‘‘The term ‘appropriate 

22 congressional committees’ ’’ and inserting ‘‘AP23 PROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE24 FINED.—The term ‘appropriate congressional 

25 committees’ ’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 

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

3 ‘‘(i) APPLICATION.—This section shall apply to am4 phibious vessels operating as a small passenger vessel in 

5 waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, as 

6 such term is defined in section 2.38 of title 33, Code of 

7 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment 

8 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024).’’. 

9 SEC. 324. RISK BASED EXAMINATION OF TANK VESSELS. 

10 Section 3714 of title 46, United States Code, is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘The Sec13 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in sub14 section (c), the Secretary’’; 

15 (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub16 section (d); and 

17 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(c) RISK-BASED EXAMINATION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to examina21 tions of foreign-flagged vessels to which this chapter 

22 applies, the Secretary may adopt a risk-based exam23 ination schedule to which such vessels shall be exam24 ined and the frequency with which the examinations 

25 occur. 


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1 ‘‘(2) RESTRICTION.—The Secretary may not 

2 adopt a risk-based examination schedule under para3 graph (1) until the Secretary has— 

4 ‘‘(A) received and reviewed the study by 

5 the National Academies required under section 

6 8254(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 

7 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

8 Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283); 

9 ‘‘(B) conducted the assessment rec10 ommended in the report of the Government Ac11 countability Office submitted under section 

12 8254(a) of such Act; 

13 ‘‘(C) concluded through such assessment 

14 that a risk-based examination schedule provides 

15 not less than the level of safety provided by the 

16 annual examinations required under subsection 

17 (a)(1); and 

18 ‘‘(D) provided the results of such assess19 ment to the Committee on Transportation and 

20 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

21 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

22 Transportation of the Senate.’’. 

23 SEC. 325. PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY. 

24 (a) WATERFRONT SAFETY.—Section 70011(a) of 

25 title 46, United States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘, including 

2 damage or destruction resulting from cyber inci3 dents, transnational organized crime, or foreign 

4 state threats’’ after ‘‘adjacent to such waters’’; and 

5 (2) in paragraph (2) by inserting ‘‘or harm re6 sulting from cyber incidents, transnational organized 

7 crime, or foreign state threats’’ after ‘‘loss’’. 

8 (b) REGULATION OF ANCHORAGE AND MOVEMENT

9 OF VESSELS DURING NATIONAL EMERGENCY.—Section 

10 70051 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by in11 serting ‘‘or cyber incidents, or transnational organized 

12 crime, or foreign state threats,’’ after ‘‘threatened war, or 

13 invasion, or insurrection, or subversive activity,’’. 

14 (c) FACILITY VISIT BY STATE SPONSOR OF TER15 RORISM.—Section 70011(b) of title 46, United States 

16 Code, is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

18 end; 

19 (2) in paragraph (4) by striking the period at 

20 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

21 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(5) prohibiting a representative of a govern23 ment of country that the Secretary of State has de24 termined has repeatedly provided support for acts of 

25 international terrorism under section 620A of the 


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1 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371) 

2 from visiting a facility for which a facility security 

3 plan is required under section 70103(c).’’. 

4 SEC. 326. STUDY ON BERING STRAIT VESSEL TRAFFIC PRO5 JECTIONS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE POS6 TURE AT THE PORT OF POINT SPENCER, 

7 ALASKA. 

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

9 date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall seek 

10 to enter into an agreement with the National Academies 

11 of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, under which the 

12 Marine Board of the Transportation Research Board (in 

13 this section referred to as the ‘‘Board’’) shall conduct a 

14 study to— 

15 (1) analyze commercial vessel traffic that tran16 sits through the Bering Strait and projections for 

17 the growth of such traffic during the 10-year period 

18 beginning after such date of enactment; and 

19 (2) assess the adequacy of emergency response 

20 capabilities and infrastructure at the Port of Point 

21 Spencer, Alaska, to address navigation safety risks 

22 and geographic challenges necessary to conduct 

23 emergency maritime response operations in the Arc24 tic environment. 


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1 (b) ELEMENTS.—The study required under sub2 section (a) shall include the following: 

3 (1) An analysis of the volume and types of do4 mestic and international commercial vessel traffic 

5 through the Bering Strait and the projected growth 

6 of such traffic, including a summary of— 

7 (A) the sizes, ages, and flag states of ves8 sels; and 

9 (B) the oil and product tankers that are— 

10 (i) in transit to or from Russia or 

11 China; or 

12 (ii) owned or operated by a Russian 

13 or Chinese entity. 

14 (2) An assessment of the state and adequacy of 

15 vessel traffic services and oil spill and emergency re16 sponse capabilities in the vicinity of the Bering 

17 Strait, including its approaches. 

18 (3) A risk assessment of the projected growth 

19 in commercial vessel traffic in the Bering Strait and 

20 higher probability of increased frequency in the 

21 number of maritime accidents, including spill events, 

22 and the potential impacts to the Arctic maritime en23 vironment and Native Alaskan village communities 

24 in the vicinity of the Bering Strait. 


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1 (4) An evaluation of the ability of the Port of 

2 Point Spencer, Alaska, to serve as a port of refuge 

3 and as a staging, logistics, and operations center to 

4 conduct and support maritime emergency and spill 

5 response activities. 

6 (5) Recommendations for practical actions that 

7 can be taken by the Congress, Federal agencies, the 

8 State of Alaska, vessel carriers and operators, the 

9 marine salvage and emergency response industry, 

10 and other relevant stakeholders to mitigate risks, 

11 upgrade infrastructure, and improve the posture of 

12 the Port of Point Spencer, Alaska, to function as a 

13 strategic staging and logistics center for maritime 

14 emergency and spill response operations in the Ber15 ing Strait region. 

16 (c) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the study re17 quired under subsection (a), the Board shall consult 

18 with— 

19 (1) the Department of Transportation; 

20 (2) the Corps of Engineers; 

21 (3) the National Transportation Safety Board; 

22 (4) relevant ministries of the government of 

23 Canada; 

24 (5) the Port Coordination Council for the Port 

25 of Point Spencer; and 


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1 (6) non-government entities with relevant exper2 tise in monitoring and characterizing vessel traffic in 

3 the Arctic. 

4 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after initiating 

5 the study under subsection (a), the Board shall submit 

6 to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

7 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

8 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 

9 report containing the findings and recommendations of the 

10 study. 

11 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) ARCTIC.—The term ‘‘Arctic’’ has the mean13 ing given such term in section 112 of the Arctic Re14 search and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111). 

15 (2) PORT COORDINATION COUNCIL FOR THE

16 PORT OF POINT SPENCER.—The term ‘‘Port Coordi17 nation Council for the Port of Point Spencer’’ means 

18 the Council established under section 541 of the 

19 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 (Public Law 

20 114–120). 

21 SEC. 327. UNDERWATER INSPECTIONS BRIEF. 

22 Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 

23 of this Act, the Commandant, or a designated individual, 

24 shall brief the Committee on Transportation and Infra25 structure of the House of Representatives and the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7659.RFS H7659

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1 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

2 Senate on the underwater inspection in lieu of drydock 

3 program established under section 176.615 of title 46, 

4 Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of 

5 enactment of this Act). 

6 SEC. 328. ST. LUCIE RIVER RAILROAD BRIDGE. 

7 Regarding Docket Number USCG–2022–0222, be8 fore adopting a final rule, the Commandant shall conduct 

9 an independent boat traffic study at mile 7.4 of the St. 

10 Lucie River. 

11 SEC. 329. RULEMAKING REGARDING PORT ACCESS 

12 ROUTES. 

13 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

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

15 Coast Guard is operating shall issue a final rule for the 

16 Atlantic Coast Port Route Access Study for which an Ad17 vanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled ‘‘Shipping 

18 Safety Fairways Along the Atlantic Coast’’ was issued on 

19 June 19, 2020. 

20 SEC. 330. ARTICULATED TUG-BARGE MANNING. 

21 Section 11508 of the James M. Inhofe National De22 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 

23 117–263) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 11508. ARTICULATED TUG-BARGE MANNING. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the watch set3 ting requirements set forth in section 8104 of title 46, 

4 United States Code, or any other provision of law or regu5 lation, an Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection may au6 thorize a covered vessel— 

7 ‘‘(1) when engaged on a domestic voyage of 

8 more than 600 miles, to be manned with a minimum 

9 number of 2 licensed engineers in the engine depart10 ment; and 

11 ‘‘(2) when engaged on a voyage of less than 

12 600 miles, to be manned with a minimum number 

13 of 1 licensed engineer in the engine department. 

14 ‘‘(b) COVERED VESSEL DEFINED.—In this section, 

15 the term ‘covered vessel’ means a towing vessel issued a 

16 certificate of inspection under subchapter M of chapter I 

17 of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, which— 

18 ‘‘(1) forms part of an articulated tug-barge 

19 unit; and 

20 ‘‘(2) is either— 

21 ‘‘(A) equipped with engineering control 

22 and monitoring systems of a type accepted by 

23 a recognized classification society for a periodi24 cally unmanned machinery space notation or ac25 cepted by the Commandant for a periodically 

26 unattended machinery space endorsement; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) is a vessel that, prior to July 19, 

2 2022, was issued a minimum safe manning doc3 ument or certificate of inspection that author4 ized equivalent or less manning levels.’’. 

5 Subtitle D—Other Matters 

6 SEC. 341. ANCHOR HANDLING ACTIVITIES. 

7 Section 12111(d) of title 46, United States Code, is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ‘‘or 

11 other energy production or transmission facility, 

12 or vessel engaged in the launch, recovery, or 

13 support of commercial space transportation or 

14 space exploration activities’’ after ‘‘drilling 

15 unit’’; and 

16 (B) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ‘‘or 

17 other energy production or transmission facility, 

18 or vessel engaged in the launch, recovery, or 

19 support of commercial space transportation or 

20 space exploration activities’’ after ‘‘drilling 

21 unit’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(3) ENERGY PRODUCTION OR TRANSMISSION

24 FACILITY DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term 


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1 ‘energy production or transmission facility’ means a 

2 floating offshore facility that is— 

3 ‘‘(A) not a vessel; 

4 ‘‘(B) securely and substantially moored to 

5 the seabed; and 

6 ‘‘(C) equipped with wind turbines which 

7 are used for the generation and transmission of 

8 non-mineral energy resources.’’. 

9 SEC. 342. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL ADVISORY COM10 MITTEE ON AUTONOMOUS MARITIME SYS11 TEMS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 151 of title 46, United 

13 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘§ 15110. Establishment of National Advisory Com16 mittee on Autonomous Maritime Systems 

17 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Na18 tional Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Sys19 tems (in this section referred to as the ‘Committee’). 

20 ‘‘(b) FUNCTION.—The Committee shall advise the 

21 Secretary on matters relating to the regulation and use 

22 of Autonomous Systems within the territorial waters of 

23 the United States. 

24 ‘‘(c) MEMBERSHIP.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall con2 sist of 9 members appointed by the Secretary in ac3 cordance with this section and section 15109. 

4 ‘‘(2) EXPERTISE.—Each member of the Com5 mittee shall have particular expertise, knowledge, 

6 and experience in matters relating to the function of 

7 the Committee. 

8 ‘‘(3) REPRESENTATION.—Each of the following 

9 groups shall be represented by at least 1 member on 

10 the Committee: 

11 ‘‘(A) Marine safety or security entities. 

12 ‘‘(B) Vessel design and construction enti13 ties. 

14 ‘‘(C) Entities engaged in the production or 

15 research of unmanned vehicles, including 

16 drones, autonomous or semi-autonomous vehi17 cles, or any other product or service integral to 

18 the provision, maintenance, or management of 

19 such products or services. 

20 ‘‘(D) Port districts, authorities, or terminal 

21 operators. 

22 ‘‘(E) Vessel operators. 

23 ‘‘(F) National labor unions representing 

24 merchant mariners. 

25 ‘‘(G) Maritime pilots. 


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1 ‘‘(H) Commercial space transportation op2 erators. 

3 ‘‘(I) Academic institutions.’’. 

4 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The analysis for 

5 chapter 151 of title 46, United States Code, is amended 

6 by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘15110. Establishment of National Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Systems.’’. 

7 (c) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

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

9 department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 

10 establish the Committee under section 15110 of title 46, 

11 United States Code (as added by this section). 

12 SEC. 343. CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE ONBOARD VESSELS. 

13 Section 70503(a) of title 46, United States Code, is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by 

16 striking ‘‘While on board a covered vessel, an indi17 vidual’’ and inserting ‘‘An individual’’; 

18 (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(1) manufacture or distribute, possess with in21 tent to manufacture or distribute, or place or cause 

22 to be placed with intent to manufacture or distribute 

23 a controlled substance on board a covered vessel;’’; 

24 and 


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1 (3) in paragraph (2) by inserting ‘‘aboard a 

2 covered vessel’’ after ‘‘Comprehensive Drug Abuse 

3 Prevention and Control Act of 1970 (21 U.S.C. 

4 881(a))’’. 

5 SEC. 344. NONOPERATING INDIVIDUAL. 

6 Section 8313(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 

7 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 

8 (Public Law 116– 283) is amended by striking ‘‘2025’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘2027’’. 

10 SEC. 345. INFORMATION ON TYPE APPROVAL CERTIFI11 CATES. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title IX of the Frank LoBiondo 

13 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115– 

14 282) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 904. INFORMATION ON TYPE APPROVAL CERTIFI16 CATES. 

17 ‘‘The Commandant of the Coast Guard shall, upon 

18 request by any State, the District of Columbia, or any ter19 ritory of the United States, provide all data possessed by 

20 the Coast Guard pertaining to challenge water quality 

21 characteristics, challenge water biological organism con22 centrations, post-treatment water quality characteristics, 

23 and post-treatment biological organism concentrations 

24 data for a ballast water management system with a type 

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1 ant to subpart 162.060 of title 46, Code of Federal Regu2 lations.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

4 in section 2 of the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Author5 ization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–282) is amended by 

6 inserting after the item relating to section 903 the fol7 lowing: 

‘‘Sec. 904. Information on type approval certificates.’’. 

8 SEC. 346. MANNING AND CREWING REQUIREMENTS FOR 

9 CERTAIN VESSELS, VEHICLES, AND STRUC10 TURES. 

11 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF LIMITED EXEMPTIONS

12 FROM MANNING AND CREW REQUIREMENT.—Chapter 81 

13 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding at 

14 the end the following: 

15 ‘‘§ 8109. Exemptions from manning and crew require16 ments 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide an 

18 exemption described in subsection (b) to the owner or op19 erator of a covered facility if each individual who is man20 ning or crewing the covered facility is— 

21 ‘‘(1) a citizen of the United States; 

22 ‘‘(2) an alien lawfully admitted to the United 

23 States for permanent residence; or 

24 ‘‘(3) a citizen of the nation under the laws of 

25 which the vessel is documented. 


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1 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR EXEMP2 TION.—An exemption under this subsection is an exemp3 tion from the regulations established pursuant to section 

4 302(a)(3) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 

5 U.S.C. 1356(a)(3)). 

6 ‘‘(c) LIMITATIONS.—An exemption under this sec7 tion— 

8 ‘‘(1) shall provide that the number of individ9 uals manning or crewing the covered facility who are 

10 described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection 

11 (a) may not exceed two and one- half times the 

12 number of individuals required to man or crew the 

13 covered facility under the laws of the nation under 

14 the laws of which the covered facility is documented; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(2) shall be effective for not more than 12 

17 months, but may be renewed by application to and 

18 approval by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for an exemption 

20 or a renewal of an exemption under this section, the owner 

21 or operator of a covered facility shall apply to the Sec22 retary with an application that includes a sworn statement 

23 by the applicant of all information required for the 

24 issuance of the exemption. 

25 ‘‘(e) REVOCATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary— 

2 ‘‘(A) may revoke an exemption for a cov3 ered facility under this section if the Secretary 

4 determines that information provided in the ap5 plication for the exemption was false or incom6 plete, or is no longer true or complete; and 

7 ‘‘(B) shall immediately revoke such an ex8 emption if the Secretary determines that the 

9 covered facility, in the effective period of the ex10 emption, was manned or crewed in a manner 

11 not authorized by the exemption. 

12 ‘‘(2) NOTICE REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall 

13 provides notice of a determination under subpara14 graph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) to the owner or 

15 operator of the covered facility. 

16 ‘‘(f) REVIEW OF COMPLIANCE.—The Secretary shall 

17 periodically, but not less than once annually, inspect each 

18 covered facility that operates under an exemption under 

19 this section to verify the owner or operator of the covered 

20 facility’s compliance with the exemption. During an in21 spection under this subsection, the Secretary shall require 

22 all crew members serving under the exemption to hold a 

23 valid transportation security card issued under section 

24 70105. 


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1 ‘‘(g) PENALTY.—In addition to revocation under sub2 section (e), the Secretary may impose on the owner or op3 erator of a covered facility a civil penalty of $10,000 per 

4 day for each day the covered facility— 

5 ‘‘(1) is manned or crewed in violation of an ex6 emption under this subsection; or 

7 ‘‘(2) operated under an exemption under this 

8 subsection that the Secretary determines was not 

9 validly obtained. 

10 ‘‘(h) NOTIFICATION OF SECRETARY OF STATE.—The 

11 Secretary shall notify the Secretary of State of each ex12 emption issued under this section, including the effective 

13 period of the exemption. 

14 ‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 ‘‘(1) COVERED FACILITY.—The term ‘covered 

16 facility’ means any vessel, rig, platform, or other ve17 hicle or structure, over 50 percent of which is owned 

18 by citizens of a foreign nation or with respect to 

19 which the citizens of a foreign nation have the right 

20 effectively to control, except to the extent and to the 

21 degree that the President determines that the gov22 ernment of such foreign nation or any of its political 

23 subdivisions has implemented, by statute, regulation, 

24 policy, or practice, a national manning requirement 

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1 oping, or producing resources, including non-mineral 

2 energy resources in its offshore areas. 

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

4 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

5 Guard is operating.’’. 

6 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

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

8 the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

9 thereafter, the Secretary of the department in which 

10 the Coast Guard is operating shall submit to Com11 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

12 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

13 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen14 ate a report containing information on each letter of 

15 nonapplicability of section 8109 of title 46, United 

16 States Code, with respect to a covered facility that 

17 was issued by the Secretary during the preceding 

18 year. 

19 (2) CONTENTS.—The report under paragraph 

20 (1) shall include, for each covered facility— 

21 (A) the name and International Maritime 

22 Organization number; 

23 (B) the nation in which the covered facility 

24 is documented; 

25 (C) the nationality of owner or owners; and 


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1 (D) for any covered facility that was pre2 viously issued a letter of nonapplicability in a 

3 prior year, any changes in the information de4 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (C). 

5 (c) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall pro7 mulgate regulations that specify the documentary and 

8 other requirements for the issuance of an exemption under 

9 the amendment made by this section. 

10 (d) EXISTING EXEMPTIONS.— 

11 (1) EFFECT OF AMENDMENTS; TERMI12 NATION.—Each exemption under section 30(c)(2) of 

13 the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 

14 1356(c)(2)) issued before the date of the enactment 

15 of this Act— 

16 (A) shall not be affected by the amend17 ments made by this section during the 120-day 

18 period beginning on the date of the enactment 

19 of this Act; and 

20 (B) shall not be effective after such period. 

21 (2) NOTIFICATION OF HOLDERS.—Not later 

22 than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 

23 Act, the Secretary shall notify all persons that hold 

24 such an exemption that it will expire as provided in 

25 paragraph (1). 


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1 (e) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap2 ter 81 of the title 46, United States Code, is amended 

3 by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘8109. Exemptions from manning and crew requirements.’’. 

4 SEC. 347. CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES. 

5 Section 3316(d) of title 46, United States Code, is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) by amending paragraph (2)(B)(i) to read as 

8 follows: 

9 ‘‘(i) the government of the foreign country in 

10 which the foreign society is headquartered— 

11 ‘‘(I) delegates that authority to the Amer12 ican Bureau of Shipping; or 

13 ‘‘(II) does not delegate that authority to 

14 any classification society; or’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(5) CLARIFICATION ON AUTHORITY.—Nothing 

17 in this subsection authorizes the Secretary to make 

18 a delegation under paragraph (2) to a classification 

19 society from the People’s Republic of China.’’. 

20 SEC. 348. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH SAFETY ZONES FOR 

21 SPECIAL ACTIVITIES IN EXCLUSIVE ECO22 NOMIC ZONE. 

23 (a) REPEAL.—Section 8343 of the William M. (Mac) 

24 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

25 Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283) is repealed. 


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1 (b) SPECIAL ACTIVITIES IN EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC

2 ZONE.—Subchapter I of chapter 700 of title 46, United 

3 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘§ 70008. Special activities in exclusive economic 

6 zone 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the department 

8 in which the Coast Guard is operating may establish safe9 ty zones to address special activities in the exclusive eco10 nomic zone. 

11 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 ‘‘(1) SAFETY ZONE.—The term ‘safety zone’— 

13 ‘‘(A) means a water area, shore area, or 

14 water and shore area to which, for safety or en15 vironmental purposes, access is limited to au16 thorized persons, vehicles, or vessels; and 

17 ‘‘(B) may be stationary and described by 

18 fixed limits or may be described as a zone 

19 around a vessel in motion. 

20 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL ACTIVITIES.—The term ‘special 

21 activities’ includes— 

22 ‘‘(A) space activities, including launch and 

23 reentry (as such terms are defined in section 

24 50902 of title 51) carried out by United States 

25 citizens; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) offshore energy development activi2 ties, as described in section 8(p)(1)(C) of the 

3 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 

4 1337(p)(1)(C)), on or near fixed platforms (as 

5 such term is defined in section 2281(d) of title 

6 18). 

7 ‘‘(3) UNITED STATES CITIZEN.—The term 

8 ‘United States citizen’ has the meaning given the 

9 term ‘eligible owners’ in section 12103 of title 46, 

10 United States Code.’’. 

11 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap12 ter 700 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by 

13 inserting after the item relating to section 70007 the fol14 lowing: 

‘‘70008. Special activities in exclusive economic zone.’’. 

15 SEC. 349. FISHING VESSEL AND FISHERMAN TRAINING 

16 SAFETY. 

17 Section 4502 of title 46, United States Code, is 

18 amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (i)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (i) in subparagraph (A)(ii) by striking 

22 ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

23 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

24 (B) as subparagraph (C); and 


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1 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

2 (A) the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) to conduct safety and prevention 

4 training that addresses behavioral and physical 

5 health risks, to include substance use disorder 

6 and worker fatigue, facing fishing vessel opera7 tors and crewmembers; and’’; 

8 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘, in consultation with 

10 and based on criteria established by the 

11 Commandant of the Coast Guard’’; and 

12 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection on a com13 petitive basis’’ and inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘subsection— 

15 ‘‘(A) on a competitive basis; and 

16 ‘‘(B) based on criteria developed in con17 sultation with the Commandant of the Coast 

18 Guard’’; and 

19 (C) in paragraph (4) by striking 

20 ‘‘$3,000,000 for fiscal year 2023’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘to the Secretary of Health and Human Serv22 ices $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

23 and 2026’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (j)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘, and 

2 understanding and mitigating behavioral and 

3 physical health risks, to include substance use 

4 disorder and worker fatigue, facing members of 

5 the commercial fishing industry’’ after ‘‘weather 

6 detection’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘, in consultation with 

9 and based on criteria established by the 

10 Commandant of the Coast Guard,’’; and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection on a com12 petitive basis’’ and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘subsection— 

14 ‘‘(A) on a competitive basis; and 

15 ‘‘(B) based on criteria developed in con16 sultation with the Commandant of the Coast 

17 Guard’’; and 

18 (C) in paragraph (4) by striking 

19 ‘‘$3,000,000 for fiscal year 2023’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘to the Secretary of Health and Human Serv21 ices $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

22 and 2026’’. 


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1 SEC. 350. AUTHORITY OVER DEEPWATER PORT ACT OF 

2 1974. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5(a) of the Deepwater 

4 Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1504(a)) is amended by 

5 striking the first sentence and inserting ‘‘Notwithstanding 

6 section 888(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 

7 U.S.C. 468(b)), the Secretary shall have the authority to 

8 issue regulations to carry out the purposes and provisions 

9 of this Act, in accordance with the provisions of section 

10 553 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to sub11 section (a) thereof.’’. 

12 (b) AFFIRMING THE AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF

13 TRANSPORTATION OVER ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS.— 

14 Section 5(f) of the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 

15 1504(f) is amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(f) COMPLIANCE.—Notwithstanding section 888(b) 

17 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 468(b)), 

18 the Secretary, in cooperation with other involved Federal 

19 agencies and departments, shall comply with the National 

20 Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

21 seq.) and act as the lead agency under section 4336a of 

22 title 42, United States Code, for all applications under this 

23 Act. Such compliance shall fulfill the requirement of all 

24 Federal agencies in carrying out their responsibilities 

25 under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 pur26 suant to this chapter.’’. 


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1 (c) REGULATIONS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Com4 mandant shall transfer the authorities provided to 

5 the Coast Guard in part 148 of title 33, Code of 

6 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of the 

7 enactment of this Act), except as provided in para8 graph (2), to the Secretary of Transportation. 

9 (2) RETENTION OF AUTHORITY.—The Com10 mandant shall retain responsibility for authorities 

11 pertaining to design, construction, equipment, and 

12 operation of deepwater ports and navigational safe13 ty. 

14 (3) UPDATES TO AUTHORITY.—As soon as 

15 practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, 

16 the Secretary shall issue such regulations as are nec17 essary to reflect the updates to authorities pre18 scribed by this subsection. 

19 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec20 tion, or the amendments made by this section, may be con21 strued to limit the authorities of other governmental agen22 cies previously delegated authorities of the Deepwater 

23 Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.). 


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1 (e) APPLICATIONS.—Nothing in this section shall 

2 apply to any application submitted before the date of en3 actment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 351. NATIONAL OFFSHORE SAFETY ADVISORY COM5 MITTEE COMPOSITION. 

6 Section 15106(c) of title 46, United States Code, is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘15 members’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘17 members’’; and 

10 (2) in paragraph (3) by adding at the end the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(L) 2 members shall represent entities 

13 engaged in non-mineral energy activities on the 

14 Outer Continental Shelf.’’. 

15 SEC. 352. IMPROVING VESSEL TRAFFIC SERVICE MONI16 TORING. 

17 (a) PROXIMITY OF ANCHORAGES TO PIPELINES.— 

18 (1) IMPLEMENTATION OF RESTRUCTURING

19 PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the date of en20 actment of this Act, the Commandant shall imple21 ment the November 2021 proposed plan of the Ves22 sel Traffic Service Los Angeles-Long Beach for re23 structuring the Federal anchorages in San Pedro 

24 Bay described on page 54 of the Report of the Na25 tional Transportation Safety Board titled ‘‘Anchor 


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1 Strike of Underwater Pipeline and Eventual Crude 

2 Oil Release’’ and issued January 2, 2024. 

3 (2) STUDY.—The Secretary of the department 

4 in which the Coast Guard is operating shall conduct 

5 a study to identify any anchorage grounds other 

6 than the San Pedro Bay Federal anchorages in 

7 which the distance between the center of an ap8 proved anchorage ground and a pipeline is less than 

9 1 mile. 

10 (3) REPORT.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

13 Commandant shall submit to the Committee on 

14 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

15 of Representatives and the Committee on Com16 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen17 ate a report on the results of the study required 

18 under paragraph (2). 

19 (B) CONTENTS.—The report under sub20 paragraph (A) shall include— 

21 (i) a list of the anchorage grounds de22 scribed under paragraph (2); 

23 (ii) whether it is possible to move each 

24 such anchorage ground to provide a min25 imum distance of 1 mile; and 


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1 (iii) a recommendation of whether to 

2 move any such anchorage ground and ex3 planation for the recommendation. 

4 (b) PROXIMITY TO PIPELINE ALERTS.— 

5 (1) AUDIBLE AND VISUAL ALARMS.—The Com6 mandant shall consult with the providers of vessel 

7 monitoring systems to add to the monitoring sys8 tems for vessel traffic services audible and visual 

9 alarms that alert the watchstander when an an10 chored vessel is encroaching on a pipeline. 

11 (2) NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES.—Not later 

12 than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

13 the Commandant shall develop procedures for all 

14 vessel traffic services to notify pipeline and utility 

15 operators following potential incursions on sub16 merged pipelines within the vessel traffic service 

17 area of responsibility. 

18 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

19 date of enactment of this Act, and annually there20 after, the Commandant shall submit to the Com21 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

22 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

23 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen24 ate a report on the implementation of paragraphs 

25 (1) and (2). 


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1 SEC. 353. ABANDONED AND DERELICT VESSEL REMOVALS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 47 of title 46, United 

3 States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) in the chapter heading by striking 

5 ‘‘BARGES’’ and inserting ‘‘VESSELS’’; 

6 (2) by inserting before section 4701 the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—BARGES’’; AND

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

10 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—NON-BARGE VESSELS 

11 ‘‘§ 4710. Definitions 

12 ‘‘In this subchapter: 

13 ‘‘(1) ABANDON.—The term ‘abandon’ means to 

14 moor, strand, wreck, sink, or leave a covered vessel 

15 unattended for longer than 45 days. 

16 ‘‘(2) COVERED VESSEL.—The term ‘covered 

17 vessel’ means a vessel that is not a barge to which 

18 subchapter I applies. 

19 ‘‘(3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

20 has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 

21 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

22 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

23 ‘‘§ 4711. Abandonment of vessels prohibited 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An owner or operator of a cov25 ered vessel may not abandon such vessel on the navigable 

26 waters of the United States. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DETERMINATION OF ABANDONMENT.— 

2 ‘‘(1) NOTIFICATION.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a cov4 ered vessel that appears to be abandoned, the 

5 Commandant of the Coast Guard shall— 

6 ‘‘(i) attempt to identify the owner 

7 using the vessel registration number, hull 

8 identification number, or any other infor9 mation that can be reasonably inferred or 

10 gathered; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) notify such owner— 

12 ‘‘(I) of the penalty described in 

13 subsection (c); and 

14 ‘‘(II) that the vessel will be re15 moved at the expense of the owner if 

16 the Commandant determines that the 

17 vessel is abandoned and the owner 

18 does not remove or account for the 

19 vessel. 

20 ‘‘(B) FORM.—The Commandant shall pro21 vide the notice required under subparagraph 

22 (A)— 

23 ‘‘(i) if the owner can be identified, via 

24 certified mail or other appropriate forms 

25 determined by the Commandant; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) if the owner cannot be identified, 

2 via an announcement in a local publication 

3 and on a website maintained by the Coast 

4 Guard. 

5 ‘‘(2) DETERMINATION.—The Commandant 

6 shall make a determination not earlier than 45 days 

7 after the date on which the Commandant provides 

8 the notification required under paragraph (1) of 

9 whether a covered vessel described in such para10 graph is abandoned. 

11 ‘‘(c) PENALTY.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant may as13 sess a civil penalty of not more than $500 against 

14 an owner or operator of a covered vessel determined 

15 to be abandoned under subsection (b) for a violation 

16 of subsection (a). 

17 ‘‘(2) LIABILITY IN REM.—The owner or oper18 ator of a covered vessel shall also be liable in rem 

19 for a penalty imposed under paragraph (1). 

20 ‘‘(d) VESSELS NOT ABANDONED.—The Commandant 

21 may not determine that a covered vessel is abandoned 

22 under this section if— 

23 ‘‘(1) such vessel is located at a federally ap24 proved or State approved mooring area; 


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1 ‘‘(2) such vessel is located on private property 

2 with the permission of the owner of such property; 

3 ‘‘(3) the owner or operator of such vessel pro4 vides a notification to the Commandant that— 

5 ‘‘(A) indicates the location of the vessel; 

6 ‘‘(B) indicates that the vessel is not aban7 doned; and 

8 ‘‘(C) contains documentation proving that 

9 the vessel is allowed to be in such location; or 

10 ‘‘(4) the Commandant determines that such an 

11 abandonment determination would not be in the 

12 public interest. 

13 ‘‘§ 4712. Inventory of abandoned vessels 

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

15 date of enactment of this section, the Commandant, in 

16 consultation with the Administrator of the National Oce17 anic and Atmospheric Administration and relevant State 

18 agencies, shall establish and maintain a national inventory 

19 of covered vessels that are abandoned. 

20 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The inventory established and 

21 maintained under subsection (a) shall include data on each 

22 vessel, including geographic information system data re23 lated to the location of each such vessel. 


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1 ‘‘(c) PUBLICATION.—The Commandant shall make 

2 the inventory established under subsection (a) publicly 

3 available on a website of the Coast Guard. 

4 ‘‘(d) REPORTING OF POTENTIALLY ABANDONED

5 VESSELS.—In carrying out this section, the Commandant 

6 shall develop a process by which— 

7 ‘‘(1) a State, Indian Tribe, or person may re8 port a covered vessel that may be abandoned to the 

9 Commandant for potential inclusion in the inventory 

10 established under subsection (a); and 

11 ‘‘(2) the Commandant shall review any such re12 port and add such vessel to the inventory if the 

13 Commandant determines that the reported vessel is 

14 abandoned pursuant to section 4711.’’. 

15 (b) RULEMAKING.—The Secretary of the department 

16 in which the Coast Guard is operating, in consultation 

17 with the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief 

18 of Engineers, and the Secretary of Commerce, acting 

19 through the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, 

20 shall issue regulations with respect to the procedures for 

21 determining that a vessel is abandoned for the purposes 

22 of subchapter II of chapter 47 of title 46, United States 

23 Code (as added by this section). 

24 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 47 of title 

25 46, United States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 4701— 

2 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 

3 by striking ‘‘chapter’’ and inserting ‘‘sub4 chapter’’; and 

5 (B) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘chapter’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘subchapter’’; 

7 (2) in section 4703 by striking ‘‘chapter’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘subchapter’’; 

9 (3) in section 4704 by striking ‘‘chapter’’ each 

10 place it appears and inserting ‘‘subchapter’’; and 

11 (4) in section 4705 by striking ‘‘chapter’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘subchapter’’. 

13 (d) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The analysis for 

14 chapter 47 of title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) by inserting before the item relating to sec16 tion 4701 the following: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—BARGES’’; AND

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

‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—NON-BARGE VESSELS

‘‘4710. Definitions. 

‘‘4711. Abandonment of vessels prohibited. 

‘‘4712. Inventory of abandoned vessels.’’. 

18 SEC. 354. ANCHORAGES. 

19 Section 8437 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 

20 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 

21 (Public Law 116–283) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking subsections (d) and (e); 


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1 (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub2 section (d); and 

3 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(c) PROHIBITION.—The Commandant shall prohibit 

6 any vessel anchoring on the reach of the Hudson River 

7 described in subsection (a) unless such anchoring is within 

8 any anchorage established before January 1, 2021.’’. 

9 TITLE IV—OIL POLLUTION 

10 INCIDENT LIABILITY 

11 SEC. 401. VESSEL RESPONSE PLANS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 311(j)(6) of the Federal 

13 Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1321(j)(6)) is 

14 amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(6) EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS, 

16 VERIFICATION, AND INSPECTION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The President may re18 quire— 

19 ‘‘(i) periodic inspection of containment 

20 booms, skimmers, vessels, and other major 

21 equipment used to remove discharges; 

22 ‘‘(ii) periodic inspection of vessels, sal23 vage and marine firefighting equipment, 

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1 spond to marine casualties or prevent dis2 charges; 

3 ‘‘(iii) periodic verification of capabili4 ties to appropriately, and in a timely man5 ner, respond to a marine casualty, a worst 

6 case discharge, or a substantial threat of a 

7 discharge, including— 

8 ‘‘(I) drills, with or without prior 

9 notice; 

10 ‘‘(II) review of contracts and rel11 evant third-party agreements; 

12 ‘‘(III) testing of equipment; 

13 ‘‘(IV) review of training; and 

14 ‘‘(V) other evaluations of re15 sponse capabilities, as determined ap16 propriate by the President; and 

17 ‘‘(iv) vessels operating on navigable 

18 waters and carrying oil or a hazardous 

19 substance in bulk as cargo, and nontank 

20 vessels carrying oil of any kind as fuel for 

21 main propulsion, to carry appropriate re22 moval equipment that employs the best 

23 technology economically feasible and that 

24 is compatible with the safe operation of the 

25 vessel. 


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1 ‘‘(B) MARINE CASUALTY.—In this para2 graph, the term ‘marine casualty’ means a ma3 rine casualty that is required to be reported 

4 pursuant to section 6101 of title 46, United 

5 States Code.’’. 

6 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

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

8 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp9 troller General of the United States shall submit to 

10 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

11 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

12 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

13 Senate a report on the state of marine firefighting 

14 authorities, jurisdiction, plan review, and other con15 siderations with respect to vessel fires at waterfront 

16 facilities and within the navigable waters of the 

17 United States up to 3 nautical miles from the shore18 line. 

19 (2) CONTENTS.—In carrying out paragraph (1), 

20 the Comptroller General shall— 

21 (A) examine factors that affect Federal 

22 and non-Federal collaboration aimed at reduc23 ing vessel and waterfront facility fire risk to 

24 local communities; 


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1 (B) focus on the prevalence and frequency 

2 of vessel fires described in paragraph (1); and 

3 (C) make recommendations for prepared4 ness, responses to, training for, and other items 

5 for consideration. 

6 SEC. 402. USE OF MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATIONS. 

7 Section 6308 of title 46, United States Code, is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘initiated’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘conducted’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(e) For purposes of this section, an administrative 

13 proceeding conducted by the United States includes pro14 ceedings under section 7701 and claims adjudicated under 

15 section 1013 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 

16 2713).’’. 

17 SEC. 403. TIMING OF REVIEW. 

18 Section 1017 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 

19 U.S.C. 2717) is amended by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(g) TIMING OF REVIEW.—Before the date of com22 pletion of a removal action, no person may bring an action 

23 under this Act, section 311 of the Federal Water Pollution 

24 Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1321), or chapter 7 of title 5, 

25 United States Code, challenging any decision relating to 


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1 such removal action that is made by an on-scene coordi2 nator appointed under the National Contingency Plan.’’. 

3 SEC. 404. ONLINE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM. 

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

5 date of enactment of this Act, the National Response Cen6 ter shall— 

7 (1) develop an online capacity through a web8 based application to receive a notification of an oil 

9 discharge or release of a hazardous substance; and 

10 (2) allow any such notification to the National 

11 Response Center that is required under Federal law 

12 or regulation to be made online using the applica13 tion. 

14 (b) USE OF APPLICATION.—In carrying out sub15 section (a), the National Response Center may not require 

16 the notification of an oil discharge or release of a haz17 ardous substance to be made using the application devel18 oped under such subsection. 


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1 TITLE V—IMPLEMENTATION OF 

2 ACCOUNTABILITY AND 

3 TRANSPARENCY REVIEW REC4 OMMENDATIONS 

5 SEC. 501. IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF DIRECTED AC6 TIONS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 51 of title 14, United 

8 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘§ 5116. Implementation status of directed actions 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 2025, 

12 and not later than March 1 of each of the 3 subsequent 

13 years thereafter, the Commandant shall submit to the 

14 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

15 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com16 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

17 on the status of the implementation of each directed action 

18 outlined in enclosure 1 of the memorandum of the Com19 mandant titled ‘Commandant’s Directed Actions—Ac20 countability and Transparency’, dated November 27, 

21 2023. 

22 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The report required under section 

23 (a) shall contain the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) The status of the implementation of each 

25 directed action from enclosure 1 of the memorandum 


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1 titled ‘Commandant’s Directed Actions—Account2 ability and Transparency’ dated November 27, 2023. 

3 ‘‘(2) A plan and timeline for the next steps to 

4 be taken to complete outstanding directed actions in 

5 enclosure 1 of the memorandum titled ‘Com6 mandant’s Directed Actions—Accountability and 

7 Transparency’ dated November 27, 2023, including 

8 identifying the individual the Commandant has se9 lected to ensure the successful completion of each di10 rected action. 

11 ‘‘(3) Metrics to determine the effectiveness of 

12 each directed action in such enclosure. 

13 ‘‘(4) Any additional actions the Commandant is 

14 taking to mitigate instances of sexual assault and 

15 sexual harassment within the Coast Guard.’’. 

16 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap17 ter 51 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by add18 ing at the end the following: 

‘‘5116. Implementation status of directed actions.’’. 

19 SEC. 502. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF COAST GUARD RE20 FORMS. 

21 (a) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE22 PORT.— 

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

24 the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

25 General of the United States shall report to the 


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1 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

2 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

3 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen4 ate on the efforts of the Coast Guard to mitigate 

5 cases of sexual assault and sexual harassment within 

6 the service. 

7 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 

8 paragraph (1) shall— 

9 (A) evaluate— 

10 (i) the efforts of the Commandant to 

11 implement the directed actions from enclo12 sure 1 of the memorandum titled ‘‘Com13 mandant’s Directed Actions—Account14 ability and Transparency’’ dated November 

15 27, 2023; 

16 (ii) whether the Commandant met the 

17 reporting requirements under section 5112 

18 of title 14, United States Code; and 

19 (iii) the effectiveness of the actions of 

20 the Coast Guard, including efforts outside 

21 of the actions described in the memo22 randum titled ‘‘Commandant’s Directed 

23 Actions—Accountability and Trans24 parency’’ dated November 27, 2023, to 

25 mitigate instances of sexual assault and 


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1 sexual harassment and improve the en2 forcement relating to such instances within 

3 the Coast Guard, and how the Coast 

4 Guard is overcoming challenges in imple5 menting such actions. 

6 (B) make recommendations to the Com7 mandant for improvements to the efforts of the 

8 service to mitigate instances of sexual assault 

9 and sexual harassment and improve the en10 forcement relating to such instances within the 

11 Coast Guard; and 

12 (C) make recommendations to the Com13 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

14 the House of Representatives and the Com15 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor16 tation of the Senate to mitigate instances of 

17 sexual assault and sexual harassment in the 

18 Coast Guard and improve the enforcement re19 lating to such instances within the Coast 

20 Guard, including proposed changes to any legis21 lative authorities. 

22 (b) REPORT BY COMMANDANT.—Not later than 90 

23 days after the date on which the Comptroller General com24 pletes all actions under subsection (a), the Commandant 

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1 frastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com2 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

3 Senate a report that includes the following: 

4 (1) A plan for Coast Guard implementation, in5 cluding interim milestones and timeframes, of any 

6 recommendation made by the Comptroller General 

7 under subsection (a)(2)(B) with which the Com8 mandant concurs. 

9 (2) With respect to any recommendation made 

10 under subsection (a)(2)(B) with which the Com11 mandant does not concur, an explanation of the rea12 sons why the Commandant does not concur. 

13 SEC. 503. REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN CERTAIN RECORDS. 

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

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

17 ‘‘§ 955. Requirement to maintain certain records 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant shall maintain 

19 all work product related to documenting a disposition deci20 sion on an investigation by the Coast Guard Investigative 

21 Service or other law enforcement entity investigating a 

22 Coast Guard member accused of an offense against chap23 ter 47 of title 10. 

24 ‘‘(b) RECORD RETENTION PERIOD.—Work product 

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1 section (c) shall be maintained for a period of not less 

2 than 7 years from date of the disposition decision. 

3 ‘‘(c) CASE ACTION SUMMARY.—Upon a final disposi4 tion action for cases described in subsection (a), except 

5 for offenses of wrongful use or possession of a controlled 

6 substance under section 912a of title 10 (article 112a of 

7 the Uniform Code of Military Justice) where the member 

8 accused is an officer of pay grade O-4 and below or an 

9 enlisted member of pay grade E-7 and below, a convening 

10 authority shall sign a case action summary that includes 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(1) The disposition actions. 

13 ‘‘(2) The name and command of the referral 

14 authority. 

15 ‘‘(3) Records documenting when a referral au16 thority consulted with a staff judge advocate or spe17 cial trial counsel, as applicable, before a disposition 

18 action was taken, to include the recommendation of 

19 the staff judge advocate or special trial counsel. 

20 ‘‘(4) A reference section listing the materials re21 viewed in making a disposition decision. 

22 ‘‘(5) The Coast Guard Investigative Service re23 port of investigation. 


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1 ‘‘(6) The completed Coast Guard Investigative 

2 Service report of adjudication included as an enclo3 sure. 

4 ‘‘(d) WORK PRODUCT.—In this section, the term 

5 ‘work product’ includes— 

6 ‘‘(1) a prosecution memorandum; 

7 ‘‘(2) emails, notes, and other correspondence re8 lated to a disposition decision; and 

9 ‘‘(3) the contents described in paragraphs (1) 

10 through (6) of subsection (c). 

11 ‘‘(e) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section au12 thorizes or requires, or shall be construed to authorize or 

13 require, the discovery, inspection, or production of reports, 

14 memoranda, or other internal documents or work product 

15 generated by counsel, an attorney for the government, or 

16 their assistants or representatives.’’. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap18 ter 9 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by add19 ing at the end the following: 

‘‘955. Requirement to maintain certain records.’’. 

20 SEC. 504. STUDY ON COAST GUARD ACADEMY OVERSIGHT. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

22 date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant, in con23 sultation with relevant stakeholders, shall conduct a study 

24 on the governance of the Coast Guard Academy, including 

25 examining the roles, responsibilities, authorities, advisory 


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1 functions, and membership qualifications and expertise of 

2 the Board of Visitors and Board of Trustees of such Acad3 emy. 

4 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

5 of enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall submit 

6 to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

7 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

8 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 

9 written report that contains— 

10 (1) the results of the study required under sub11 section (a); and 

12 (2) recommendations to improve governance at 

13 the Coast Guard Academy. 

14 SEC. 505. PROVIDING FOR THE TRANSFER OF A CADET 

15 WHO IS THE VICTIM OF A SEXUAL ASSAULT 

16 OR RELATED OFFENSE. 

17 Section 1902 of title 14, United States Code, is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(f) CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR TRANSFER

20 OF CADET WHO IS THE VICTIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR

21 RELATED OFFENSE.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant shall 

23 provide for timely consideration of and action on a 

24 request submitted by a cadet appointed to the Coast 

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1 ual assault or other offense covered by section 920, 

2 920c, or 930 of title 10 (article 120, 120c, or 130 

3 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice) for transfer 

4 to a Service Academy or to enroll in a Senior Re5 serve Officers’ Training Corps program affiliated 

6 with another institution of higher education. 

7 ‘‘(2) RULEMAKING.—The Commandant shall 

8 prescribe regulations to carry out this subsection 

9 that— 

10 ‘‘(A) ensure that any cadet who has been 

11 appointed to the Coast Guard Academy is in12 formed of the right to request a transfer pursu13 ant to this subsection, and that any formal re14 quest submitted by a cadet is processed as ex15 peditiously as practicable for review and action 

16 by the Superintendent; 

17 ‘‘(B) direct the Superintendent of the 

18 Coast Guard Academy, in coordination with the 

19 Superintendent of the Service Academy to 

20 which the cadet requests to transfer— 

21 ‘‘(i) to act on a request for transfer 

22 under this subsection not later than 72 

23 hours after receiving the formal request 

24 from the cadet; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) to approve such request for 

2 transfer unless there are exceptional cir3 cumstances that require denial of the re4 quest; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) upon approval of such request, 

6 to take all necessary and appropriate ac7 tion to effectuate the transfer of the cadet 

8 to the Service Academy concerned as expe9 ditiously as possible; and 

10 ‘‘(C) direct the Superintendent of the 

11 Coast Guard Academy, in coordination with the 

12 Secretary of the military department that spon13 sors the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training 

14 Corps program at the institution of higher edu15 cation to which the cadet requests to transfer— 

16 ‘‘(i) to act on a request for transfer 

17 under this subsection not later than 72 

18 hours after receiving the formal request 

19 from the cadet; 

20 ‘‘(ii) subject to the cadet’s acceptance 

21 for admission to the institution of higher 

22 education to which the cadet wishes to 

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1 cumstances that require denial of the re2 quest; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) to take all necessary and appro4 priate action to effectuate the cadet’s en5 rollment in the institution of higher edu6 cation to which the cadet wishes to trans7 fer and to process the cadet for participa8 tion in the relevant Senior Reserve Offi9 cers’ Training Corps program as expedi10 tiously as possible. 

11 ‘‘(3) DENIAL OF TRANSFER REQUEST.—If the 

12 Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy denies 

13 a request for transfer under this subsection, the 

14 cadet may request review of the denial by the Sec15 retary of the Department in which the Coast Guard 

16 is operating, who shall act on such request not later 

17 than 72 hours after receipt of the formal request for 

18 review. 

19 ‘‘(4) CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS.—The 

20 Secretary of the Department in which the Coast 

21 Guard is operating shall ensure that all records of 

22 any request, determination, transfer, or other action 

23 under this subsection remain confidential, consistent 

24 with applicable law and regulation. 


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1 ‘‘(5) APPOINTMENT TO SERVICE ACADEMY.—A 

2 cadet who transfers under this subsection may retain 

3 the cadet’s appointment to the Coast Guard Acad4 emy or may be appointed to the Service Academy to 

5 which the cadet transfers without regard to the limi6 tations and requirements described in sections 7442, 

7 8454, and 9442 of title 10. 

8 ‘‘(6) APPOINTMENT UPON GRADUATION.— 

9 ‘‘(A) PREFERENCE.—A cadet who trans10 fers under this subsection to a Service Acad11 emy, is entitled, before graduating from such 

12 Academy, to state the preference of the cadet 

13 for appointment, upon graduation, as a com14 missioned officer in the Coast Guard. 

15 ‘‘(B) MANNER OF APPOINTMENT.—Upon 

16 graduation, a cadet described in subparagraph 

17 (A) is entitled to be accepted for appointment 

18 as a permanent commissioned officer in the 

19 Regular Coast Guard in the same manner as 

20 graduates of the Coast Guard Academy as de21 scribed in section 2101. 

22 ‘‘(7) COMMISSION INTO COAST GUARD.—A 

23 cadet who transfers under this subsection to a Sen24 ior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program affili25 ated with another institution of higher education is 


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1 entitled upon graduation from the Senior Reserve 

2 Officers’ Training program to commission into the 

3 Coast Guard as described in section 3738a. 

4 ‘‘(8) SERVICE ACADEMY DEFINED.—In this 

5 subsection, the term ‘Service Academy’ has the 

6 meaning given such term in section 347 of title 10.’’. 

7 SEC. 506. DESIGNATION OF OFFICERS WITH PARTICULAR 

8 EXPERTISE IN MILITARY JUSTICE OR 

9 HEALTHCARE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 21 of title 

11 14, United States Code is amended by adding at the end 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘§ 2132. Designation of officers with particular exper14 tise in military justice or healthcare 

15 ‘‘(a) SECRETARY DESIGNATION.—The Secretary may 

16 designate a limited number of officers of the Coast Guard 

17 as having particular expertise in— 

18 ‘‘(1) military justice; or 

19 ‘‘(2) healthcare. 

20 ‘‘(b) PROMOTION AND GRADE.—An individual des21 ignated under this section— 

22 ‘‘(1) shall not be included on the active duty 

23 promotion list; 

24 ‘‘(2) shall be promoted under section 2126; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) may not be promoted to a grade higher 

2 than captain.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap4 ter 21 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by in5 serting after the item relating to section 2131 the fol6 lowing: 

‘‘2132. Designation of officers with particular expertise in military justice or 

healthcare.’’. 

7 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

8 (1) Section 2102(a) of title 14, United States 

9 Code, is amended, in the second sentence, by strik10 ing ‘‘and officers of the permanent commissioned 

11 teaching staff of the Coast Guard Academy’’ and in12 serting ‘‘officers of the permanent commissioned 

13 teaching staff of the Coast Guard Academy, and of14 ficers designated by the Secretary pursuant to sec15 tion 2132’’. 

16 (2) Subsection (e) of section 2103 of title 14, 

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

18 ‘‘(e) SECRETARY TO PRESCRIBE NUMBERS FOR CER19 TAIN OFFICERS.—The Secretary shall prescribe the num20 ber of officers authorized to be serving on active duty in 

21 each grade of— 

22 ‘‘(1) the permanent commissioned teaching 

23 staff of the Coast Guard Academy; 


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1 ‘‘(2) the officers designated by the Secretary 

2 pursuant to section 2132; and 

3 ‘‘(3) the officers of the Reserve serving in con4 nection with organizing, administering, recruiting, 

5 instructing, or training the reserve components.’’. 

6 (3) Section 2126 of title 14, United States 

7 Code, is amended, in the second sentence, by insert8 ing ‘‘and as to officers designated by the Secretary 

9 pursuant to section 2132’’ after ‘‘reserve compo10 nents’’. 

11 (4) Section 3736(a) of title 14, United States 

12 Code, is amended— 

13 (A) in the first sentence by striking ‘‘pro14 motion list and the’’ and inserting ‘‘promotion 

15 list, officers designated by the Secretary pursu16 ant to section 2132, and the officers on the’’; 

17 and 

18 (B) in the second sentence by striking 

19 ‘‘promotion list or the’’ and inserting ‘‘pro20 motion list, officers designated by the Secretary 

21 pursuant to section 2132, or the officers on 

22 the’’. 


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1 SEC. 507. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN PER2 SONNEL OF COAST GUARD. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 25 of title 

4 14, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘§ 2517. Direct hire authority for certain personnel of 

7 Coast Guard 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant may appoint, 

9 without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 

10 33 of title 5 (other than section 3303 and 3328 of such 

11 chapter), qualified candidates to any non-clinical specialist 

12 intended to engage in the integrated primary prevention 

13 of harmful behaviors, including suicide, sexual assault, 

14 harassment, domestic abuse, and child abuse and qualified 

15 candidates to any criminal investigative law enforcement 

16 position of the Coast Guard Criminal Investigative Service 

17 intended to engage in the primary response to such harm18 ful behaviors. 

19 ‘‘(b) SUNSET.—Effective on September 30, 2034, the 

20 authority provided under subsection (a) shall cease.’’. 

21 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap22 ter 25 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by in23 serting after the item related to section 2516 the fol24 lowing: 

‘‘2517. Direct hire authority for certain personnel of United States Coast 

Guard.’’. 


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1 SEC. 508. SAFE-TO-REPORT POLICY FOR COAST GUARD. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 19 of title 

3 14, United States Code, is further amended by adding at 

4 the end the following: 

5 ‘‘§ 1908. Safe-to-report policy for Coast Guard 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the department 

7 in which the Coast Guard is operating shall, in consulta8 tion with the Secretaries of the military departments, issue 

9 such regulations as are necessary to establish the safe-to10 report policy described in subsection (b) that applies with 

11 respect to all members of the Coast Guard (including 

12 members of the reserve and auxiliary components of the 

13 Coast Guard) and cadets at the Coast Guard Academy. 

14 ‘‘(b) SAFE-TO-REPORT POLICY.—The safe-to-report 

15 policy described in this subsection is a policy that pre16 scribes the handling of minor collateral misconduct involv17 ing a member of the Coast Guard who is the alleged victim 

18 or reporting witness of a sexual assault. 

19 ‘‘(c) MITIGATING AND AGGRAVATING CIR20 CUMSTANCES.—In issuing regulations under subsection 

21 (a), the Secretary shall specify mitigating circumstances 

22 that decrease the gravity of minor collateral misconduct 

23 or the impact of such misconduct on good order and dis24 cipline and aggravating circumstances that increase the 

25 gravity of minor collateral misconduct or the impact of 


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1 such misconduct on good order and discipline for purposes 

2 of the safe-to-report policy. 

3 ‘‘(d) TRACKING OF COLLATERAL MISCONDUCT INCI4 DENTS.—In conjunction with the issuance of regulations 

5 under subsection (a), Secretary shall develop and imple6 ment a process to anonymously track incidents of minor 

7 collateral misconduct that are subject to the safe-to-report 

8 policy established under such regulations. 

9 ‘‘(e) MINOR COLLATERAL MISCONDUCT DEFINED.— 

10 In this section, the term ‘minor collateral misconduct’ 

11 means any minor misconduct that is punishable under 

12 chapter 47 of title 10 that— 

13 ‘‘(1) is committed close in time to or during a 

14 sexual assault and directly related to the incident 

15 that formed the basis of the sexual assault allega16 tion; 

17 ‘‘(2) is discovered as a direct result of the re18 port of sexual assault or the ensuing investigation 

19 into such sexual assault; and 

20 ‘‘(3) does not involve aggravating circumstances 

21 (as specified in the regulations issued under sub22 section (a)) that increase the gravity of the minor 

23 misconduct or the impact of such misconduct on 

24 good order and discipline.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap2 ter 19 of title 14, United States Code, is further amended 

3 by inserting after the item relating to section 1907 (as 

4 added by this Act) the following: 

‘‘1908. Safe-to-report policy for Coast Guard.’’. 

5 SEC. 509. MODIFICATION OF DELIVERY DATE OF COAST 

6 GUARD SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORT. 

7 Section 5112(a) of title 14, United States Code, is 

8 amended by striking ‘‘January 15’’ and inserting ‘‘March 

9 1’’. 

10 SEC. 510. HIGHER-LEVEL REVIEW OF BOARD OF DETER11 MINATION DECISIONS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2158 of title 14, United 

13 States Code, is amended— 

14 (1) in the first sentence by striking ‘‘The Sec15 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(b) HIGHER-LEVEL REVIEW OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

19 CASES.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a board convened under 

21 this section determines that the officer should be re22 tained when the officer’s record indicates that the 

23 officer has committed a sexual assault offense, the 

24 board shall forward the record of the proceedings 

25 and recommendation of the board for higher-level reVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00117 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7659.RFS H7659

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1 view, in accordance with regulations prescribed by 

2 the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(2) AUTHORITY.—The official exercising high4 er-level review shall have authority to forward the 

5 case for consideration by a Board of Inquiry in ac6 cordance with section 2159. 

7 ‘‘(c) SEXUAL ASSAULT OFFENSE DEFINED.—In this 

8 section, the term ‘sexual assault offense’ means a violation 

9 of section 920 or 920b of title 10, United States Code 

10 (article 120 or 120b of the Uniform Code of Military Jus11 tice) or attempt to commit an offense specified under sec12 tion 920 or 920b as punishable under section 880 of such 

13 title (article 80 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice).’’. 

14 SEC. 511. REVIEW OF DISCHARGE OR DISMISSAL. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 25 of title 

16 14, United States Code, is further amended by adding at 

17 the end the following: 

18 ‘‘§ 2518. Review of discharge or dismissal 

19 ‘‘(a) DOWNGRADE.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the require21 ments of section 1553 of title 10, a board of review 

22 for a former member of the Coast Guard established 

23 pursuant to such section may, upon a motion of the 

24 board and subject to review by the Secretary of the 

25 department in which the Coast Guard is operating, 


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1 downgrade an honorable discharge or dismissal to a 

2 general (under honorable conditions) discharge or 

3 dismissal upon a finding that a former member of 

4 the Coast Guard, while serving on active duty as a 

5 member of the armed forces, committed sexual as6 sault or sexual harassment in violation of section 

7 920, 920b, or 934 of this title (article 120, 120b, or 

8 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice). 

9 ‘‘(2) EVIDENCE.—Any downgrade under para10 graph (1) shall be supported by clear and convincing 

11 evidence. 

12 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—The review board under 

13 paragraph (1) may not downgrade a discharge or 

14 dismissal of a former member of the Coast Guard if 

15 the same action described in paragraph (1) was con16 sidered prior to separation from active duty by an 

17 administrative board in determining the character18 ization of discharge as otherwise provided by law 

19 and in accordance with regulations prescribed by the 

20 Secretary of the Department in which the Coast 

21 Guard is operating. 

22 ‘‘(b) PROCEDURAL RIGHTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A review by a board estab24 lished under section 1553 of title 10 shall be based 

25 on the records of the armed forces concerned and 


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1 such other evidence as may be presented to the 

2 board. 

3 ‘‘(2) EVIDENCE BY WITNESS.—A witness may 

4 present evidence to the board in person or by affi5 davit. 

6 ‘‘(3) APPEARANCE BEFORE BOARD.—A person 

7 who requests a review under this section may appear 

8 before the board in person or by counsel or an ac9 credited representative of an organization recognized 

10 by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under chapter 

11 59 of title 38. 

12 ‘‘(4) NOTIFICATION.—A former member of the 

13 Coast Guard who is subject to a downgrade in dis14 charge characterization review under subsection 

15 (b)(3) shall be notified in writing of such pro16 ceedings, afforded the right to obtain copies of 

17 records and documents relevant to the proceedings, 

18 and the right to appear before the board in person 

19 or by counsel or an accredited representative of an 

20 organization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans 

21 Affairs under chapter 59 of title 38.’’. 

22 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap23 ter 25 of title 14, United States Code, is further amended 

24 by inserting after the item relating to section 2517 (as 

25 added by this Act) the following: 

‘‘2518. Review of discharge or dismissal.’’. 


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1 SEC. 512. CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER AS GROUNDS FOR 

2 DENIAL. 

3 Section 7511(a) of title 46, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘or’’; 

6 (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘State, local, 

7 or Tribal law’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal, State, local, 

8 or Tribal law’’; 

9 (3) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para10 graph (3); and 

11 (4) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(2) section 920 or 920b of title 10 (article 120 

14 and 120b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice); 

15 or’’. 

16 SEC. 513. COAST GUARD ACADEMY ROOM REASSIGNMENT. 

17 Section 1902 of title 14, United States Code, is fur18 ther amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(g) ROOM REASSIGNMENT.—Coast Guard Academy 

20 Cadets may request room reassignment if experiencing 

21 discomfort due to Coast Guard Academy rooming assign22 ments.’’ 

23 TITLE VI—AMENDMENTS 

24 SEC. 601. AMENDMENTS. 

25 (a) PROHIBITION ON ENTRY AND OPERATION.—Sec26 tion 70022(b)(1) of title 46, United States Code, is 


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1 amended by striking ‘‘Federal Register’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘the Federal Register’’. 

3 (b) PORT, HARBOR, AND COASTAL FACILITY SECU4 RITY.—Section 70116(b) of title 46, United States Code, 

5 is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘terrorism 

7 cyber’’ and inserting ‘‘terrorism, cyber’’; and 

8 (2) in paragraph (2) by inserting a comma 

9 after ‘‘acts of terrorism’’. 

10 (c) ENFORCEMENT BY STATE AND LOCAL OFFI11 CERS.—Section 70118(a) of title 46, United States Code, 

12 is amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘section 1 of title II of the Act 

14 of June 15, 1917 (chapter 30; 50 U.S.C. 191)’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘section 70051’’; and 

16 (2) by striking ‘‘section 7(b) of the Ports and 

17 Waterways Safety Act (33 U.S.C. 1226(b))’’ and in18 serting ‘‘section 70116(b)’’. 

19 (d) CHAPTER 701 DEFINITIONS.—Section 70131(2) 

20 of title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘section 1 of title II of the Act 

22 of June 15, 1917 (50 U.S.C. 191)’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘section 70051’’; and 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘section 7(b) of the Ports and 

2 Waterways Safety Act (33 U.S.C. 1226(b))’’ and in3 serting ‘‘section 70116(b)’’. 

4 (e) NOTICE OF ARRIVAL REQUIREMENTS FOR VES5 SELS ON THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.— 

6 (1) PREPARATORY CONFORMING AMEND7 MENT.—Section 70001 of title 46, United States 

8 Code, is amended by redesignating subsections (l) 

9 and (m) as subsections (m) and (n), respectively. 

10 (2) TRANSFER OF PROVISION.—Section 704 of 

11 the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act 

12 2012 (Public Law 112–213; 46 U.S.C. 70001 note) 

13 is— 

14 (A) amended by striking ‘‘of title 46, 

15 United States Code,’’; 

16 (B) transferred to appear after 70001(k) 

17 of title 46, United States Code; and 

18 (C) redesignated as subsection (l). 

19 (f) TITLE 46.—Title 46, United States Code, is 

20 amended as follows: 

21 (1) Section 2101(2) is amended by striking 

22 ‘‘section 1’’ and inserting ‘‘section 101’’. 

23 (2) Section 2116(b)(1)(D) is amended by strik24 ing ‘‘section 93(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 504(c)’’. 


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1 (3) In the analysis for subtitle VII by striking 

2 the period after ‘‘70001’’ in the item relating to 

3 chapter 700. 

4 (4) In the analysis for chapter 700 by striking 

5 the item relating to section 70006 and inserting the 

6 following: 

‘‘70006. Establishment by Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

Guard is operating of anchorage grounds and regulations generally.’’. 

7 (5) In the heading for subchapter IV in the 

8 analysis for chapter 700 by inserting a comma after 

9 ‘‘DEFINITIONS’’. 

10 (6) In the heading for subchapter VI in the 

11 analysis for chapter 700 by striking ‘‘OF THE 

12 UNITED’’and inserting ‘‘OF UNITED’’. 

13 (7) Section 70052(e)(1) is amended by striking 

14 ‘‘section 4197 of the Revised Statutes of the United 

15 States (46 U.S.C. App. 91)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

16 60105’’. 

17 (g) OIL POLLUTION ACT OF 1990.—The Oil Pollu18 tion Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) is amended as 

19 follows: 

20 (1) Section 1001(32)(G) (33 U.S.C. 

21 2701(32)(G)) is amended by striking ‘‘pipeline’’ and 

22 all that follows through ‘‘offshore facility’’ and in23 serting ‘‘pipeline, offshore facility’’. 


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1 (2) Section 1016 (33 U.S.C. 2716) is amend2 ed— 

3 (A) by redesignating subsections (e) 

4 through (i) as subsections (d) through (h), re5 spectively; and 

6 (B) in subsection (e)(1)(B), as redesig7 nated by subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘sub8 section (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (d)’’. 

9 (3) Section 1012(b)(2) (33 U.S.C. 2712(b)(2)) 

10 is amended by striking ‘‘section 1016(f)(1)’’ and in11 serting ‘‘section 1016(e)(1)’’. 

12 (4) Section 1005(b)(5)(B) (33 U.S.C. 

13 2705(b)(5)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 

14 1016(g)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1016(f)’’. 

15 (5) Section 1018(c) (33 U.S.C. 2718(c)) is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘the Act of March 3, 1851 (46 

17 U.S.C. 183 et seq.)’’ and inserting ‘‘chapter 305 of 

18 title 46, United States Code’’. 


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1 (6) Section 7001(h)(1) (33 U.S.C. 2761(h)(1)) 

2 is amended by striking ‘‘subsection (c)(4)’’ and in3 serting ‘‘subsection (e)(4)’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 14, 2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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