II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1783 

To amend title 46, United States Code, to require the Maritime Administrator, in making determinations regarding the non-availability of qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense requirements, 

to identify any actions that could be taken to enable such capacity 

to meet some or all of those requirements, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 2, 2011 

Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself and Mr. VITTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To amend title 46, United States Code, to require the Maritime Administrator, in making determinations regarding 

the non-availability of qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense requirements, to identify 

any actions that could be taken to enable such capacity 

to meet some or all of those requirements, and for other 

purposes. 

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. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Mariners 

3 Job Protection Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION OF ACTIONS TO ENABLE QUALI5 FIED UNITED STATES FLAG CAPACITY TO 

6 MEET NATIONAL DEFENSE REQUIREMENTS. 

7 (a) IDENTIFICATION OF ACTIONS.—Section 501(b) of 

8 title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

9 (1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘When the head’’; 

10 and 

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

12 ‘‘(2) The Administrator of the Maritime Administra13 tion shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) in each determination referred to in para15 graph (1), identify any actions that could be taken 

16 to enable qualified United States flag capacity to 

17 meet national defense requirements; 

18 ‘‘(B) provide each such determination to the 

19 Secretary of Transportation and the head of the 

20 agency referred to in paragraph (1) for which the 

21 determination is made; and 

22 ‘‘(C) publish each such determination on the 

23 Internet site of the Department of Transportation 

24 within 48 hours after it is provided to the Secretary 

25 of Transportation. 


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1 ‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary of Transportation, in con2 sultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall 

3 notify the Committees on Appropriations, Transportation 

4 and Infrastructure, and Homeland Security of the House 

5 of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations 

6 and Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen7 ate— 

8 ‘‘(i) of any request for a waiver of the naviga9 tion or vessel-inspection laws under this section not 

10 later than 48 hours after receiving the request; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) of the issuance of any waiver of compli12 ance of such a law not later than 48 hours after 

13 such issuance. 

14 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall include in each notification 

15 under subparagraph (A)(ii) an explanation of— 

16 ‘‘(i) the reasons the waiver is necessary; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) the reasons actions referred to in subpara18 graph (A) are not feasible.’’. 

Æ 


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