II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2791 

To amend title 14, United States Code, to make appropriations for Coast 

Guard pay in the event an appropriations Act expires before the enactment of a new appropriations Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 

Mr. CRUZ (for himself, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. SULLIVAN, and Ms. BALDWIN) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Appropriations 

A BILL 

To amend title 14, United States Code, to make appropriations for Coast Guard pay in the event an appropriations 

Act expires before the enactment of a new appropriations 

Act, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pay Our Coast Guard 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Coast Guard is a military service and 

2 a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States 

3 at all times regardless of whether it operates as a 

4 service in the Department of Homeland Security or 

5 as a service in the Navy. 

6 (2) Notwithstanding respective appropriations 

7 and except as otherwise provided in law, members of 

8 the Coast Guard should receive treatment equitable 

9 to that of other members of the Armed Forces with 

10 regard to pay and benefits. 

11 SEC. 3. COAST GUARD PAY; CONTINUATION. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 27 of title 14, United 

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

15 ‘‘§ 2780. Pay; continuation during lapse in appropria16 tions 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any period in 

18 which there is a Coast Guard-specific funding lapse, there 

19 are appropriated such sums as may be necessary— 

20 ‘‘(1) to provide pay and allowances to military 

21 members of the Coast Guard, including the reserve 

22 component thereof, who perform active service or in23 active-duty training during such period; 

24 ‘‘(2) to provide pay and benefits to qualified ci25 vilian employees of the Coast Guard; 


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1 ‘‘(3) to provide pay and benefits to qualified 

2 contract employees of the Coast Guard; and 

3 ‘‘(4) to provide for— 

4 ‘‘(A) the payment of a death gratuity 

5 under sections 1475 through 1477 and 1489 of 

6 title 10, with respect to members of the Coast 

7 Guard; 

8 ‘‘(B) the payment or reimbursement of au9 thorized funeral travel and travel related to the 

10 dignified transfer of remains and unit memorial 

11 services under section 481f of title 37, with re12 spect to members of the Coast Guard; and 

13 ‘‘(C) the temporary continuation of a basic 

14 allowance of housing for dependents of mem15 bers of the Coast Guard dying on active duty, 

16 as authorized by section 403(l) of title 37. 

17 ‘‘(b) COAST GUARD-SPECIFIC FUNDING LAPSE.— 

18 For purposes of this section, a Coast Guard-specific fund19 ing lapse occurs in any case in which— 

20 ‘‘(1) a general appropriation bill providing ap21 propriations for the Coast Guard for a fiscal year is 

22 not enacted before the beginning of such fiscal year 

23 (and no joint resolution making continuing appro24 priations for the Coast Guard is in effect); and 


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1 ‘‘(2) a general appropriation bill providing ap2 propriations for the Department of Defense for such 

3 fiscal year is enacted before the beginning of such 

4 fiscal year (or a joint resolution making continuing 

5 appropriations for the Department of Defense is in 

6 effect. 

7 ‘‘(c) TERMINATION.—Appropriations and funds made 

8 available and authority granted for any fiscal year for any 

9 purpose under subsection (a) shall be available until 

10 whichever of the following first occurs: 

11 ‘‘(1) The enactment into law of an appropria12 tion (including a continuing appropriation) for such 

13 purpose. 

14 ‘‘(2) The enactment into law of the applicable 

15 regular or continuing appropriations resolution or 

16 other Act without any appropriation for such pur17 pose. 

18 ‘‘(3) The termination of availability of appro19 priations for the Department of Defense. 

20 ‘‘(d) RATE FOR OPERATIONS; APPLICABILITY TO AP21 PROPRIATIONS ACTS.—Appropriations made pursuant to 

22 this section shall be at a rate for operations and to the 

23 extent and manner that would be provided by the perti24 nent appropriations Act. 


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1 ‘‘(e) CHARGE TO FUTURE APPROPRIATIONS.—Ex2 penditures made pursuant to this section shall be charged 

3 to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization 

4 whenever a bill in which such applicable appropriation, 

5 fund, or authorization is enacted into law. 

6 ‘‘(f) APPORTIONMENT.—Appropriations and funds 

7 made available by or authority granted under this section 

8 may be used without regard to the time limitations for 

9 submission and approval of apportionments set forth in 

10 section 1513 of title 31, but nothing in this section may 

11 be construed to waive any other provision of law governing 

12 the apportionment of funds. 

13 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 ‘‘(1) QUALIFIED CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE.—The 

15 term ‘qualified civilian employee’ means a civilian 

16 employee of the Coast Guard who the Commandant 

17 determines is— 

18 ‘‘(A) providing support to members of the 

19 Coast Guard or another Armed Force; or 

20 ‘‘(B) performing work as an excepted em21 ployee or an employee performing emergency 

22 work, as such terms are defined by the Office 

23 of Personnel Management. 

24 ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED CONTRACT EMPLOYEE OF THE

25 COAST GUARD.—The term ‘qualified contract emVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:25 Sep 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2791.IS S2791

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1 ployee of the Coast Guard’ means an individual per2 forming work under a contract who the Com3 mandant determines is— 

4 ‘‘(A) providing support to military mem5 bers or qualified civilian employees of the Coast 

6 Guard or another Armed Force; or 

7 ‘‘(B) required to perform work during a 

8 lapse in appropriations.’’. 

9 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap10 ter 27 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by add11 ing at the end the following: 

‘‘2780. Pay; continuation during lapse in appropriations.’’. 

Æ 


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