II 

Calendar No. 505 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2717 

[Report No. 115–292] 

To reauthorize provisions relating to the Maritime Administration. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 19, 2018 

Mrs. FISCHER (for herself and Mr. PETERS) introduced the following bill; 

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

Science, and Transportation 

JULY 9, 2018 

Reported by Mr. THUNE, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize provisions relating to the Maritime 

Administration. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Maritime Authorization and Enhancement Act for Fiscal 

6 Year 2019’’. 


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

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Authorization of the Maritime Administration. 

Sec. 3. Concurrent jurisdiction. 

Sec. 4. United States Merchant Marine Academy policy on sexual harassment, 

dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 

Sec. 5. Report on implementation of recommendations for the United States 

Merchant Marine Academy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program. 

Sec. 6. Electronic records on mariner availability to meet national security 

needs. 

Sec. 7. Small shipyard grants. 

Sec. 8. Domestic ship recycling facilities. 

Sec. 9. Sea year on contracted vessels. 

Sec. 10. GAO report on national maritime strategy. 

Sec. 11. Department of Transportation Inspector General report on title XI 

program. 

Sec. 12. Multi-year contracts. 

Sec. 13. Use of State academy training vessels. 

Sec. 14. Permanent authority of Secretary of Transportation to issue vessel war 

risk insurance. 

Sec. 15. Navigation system study and report. 

Sec. 16. Miscellaneous. 

3 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF THE MARITIME ADMINISTRA4 TION. 

5 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of 

7 Transportation for fiscal year 2019, to be available with8 out fiscal year limitation if so provided in appropriations 

9 Acts, the following amounts for programs associated with 

10 maintaining the United States merchant marine: 

11 (1) For expenses necessary for operations of the 

12 United States Merchant Marine Academy, 

13 $69,000,000 for Academy operations. 

14 (2) For expenses necessary to support the State 

15 maritime academies, $32,200,000, of which— 


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1 (A) $2,400,000 shall remain available until 

2 September 30, 2019, for the Student Incentive 

3 Program; 

4 (B) $6,000,000 shall remain available until 

5 expended for direct payments to such acad6 emies; 

7 (C) $22,000,000 shall remain available 

8 until expended for maintenance and repair of 

9 State maritime academy training vessels; and 

10 (D) $1,800,000 shall remain available until 

11 expended for training ship fuel assistance. 

12 (3) For expenses necessary to support the Na13 tional Security Multi-Mission Vessel Program, 

14 $300,000,000, which shall remain available until ex15 pended. 

16 (4) For expenses necessary to support Maritime 

17 Administration operations and programs, 

18 $60,442,000. 

19 (5) For expenses necessary to dispose of vessels 

20 in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, $6,000,000, 

21 which shall remain available until expended. 

22 (6) For expenses necessary to maintain and 

23 preserve a United States flag merchant marine to 

24 serve the national security needs of the United 


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1 States under chapter 531 of title 46, United States 

2 Code, $300,000,000. 

3 (7) For expenses necessary for the loan guar4 antee program authorized under chapter 537 of title 

5 46, United States Code, $33,000,000, of which— 

6 (A) $30,000,000 may be used for the cost 

7 (as defined in section 502(5) of the Federal 

8 Credit Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661a(5))) 

9 of loan guarantees under the program; and 

10 (B) $3,000,000 may be used for adminis11 trative expenses relating to loan guarantee com12 mitments under the program. 

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

14 of the enactment of this Act, the Maritime Administrator 

15 shall submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, 

16 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com17 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

18 of Representatives on the status of unexpended appropria19 tions for capital asset management at the United States 

20 Merchant Marine Academy, and the plan for expending 

21 such appropriations. 

22 SEC. 3. CONCURRENT JURISDICTION. 

23 Notwithstanding any other law, the Secretary of 

24 Transportation may relinquish, at the Secretary’s discre25 tion, to the State of New York, such measure of legislative 


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1 jurisdiction over the lands constituting the United States 

2 Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, New York, as 

3 is necessary to establish concurrent jurisdiction between 

4 the Federal Government and the State of New York. Such 

5 partial relinquishment of legislative jurisdiction shall be 

6 accomplished— 

7 (1) by filing with the Governor of New York a 

8 notice of relinquishment to take effect upon accept9 ance thereof; or 

10 (2) as the laws of that State may provide. 

11 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY 

12 POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DATING 

13 VIOLENCE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL AS14 SAULT, AND STALKING. 

15 (a) POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DATING VIO16 LENCE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND

17 STALKING.—Section 51318 of title 46, United States 

18 Code, is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

21 ‘‘and prevention’’ after ‘‘awareness’’; 

22 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 

23 subparagraph (C), and subparagraphs (C) 

24 through (F) as subparagraphs (E) through (H), 

25 respectively; 


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1 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) procedures for documenting, track4 ing, and maintaining the data required to con5 duct the annual assessments to determine the 

6 effectiveness of the policies, procedures, and 

7 training program of the Academy with respect 

8 to sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic 

9 violence, sexual assault, and stalking involving 

10 cadets or other Academy personnel, as required 

11 by subsection (c);’’; and 

12 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (C), 

13 as redesignated by subparagraph (B), the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(D) procedures for investigating sexual 

16 harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, 

17 sexual assault, or stalking involving a cadet or 

18 other Academy personnel to determine whether 

19 disciplinary action is necessary;’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by inserting ‘‘and 

21 other Academy personnel’’ after ‘‘cadets at the 

22 Academy’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (2)(A) by inserting ‘‘, in2 cluding sexual harassment,’’ after ‘‘sexual as3 saults, rapes, and other sexual offenses’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘The 

5 Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than Janu6 ary 15 of each year, the Secretary’’. 

7 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Superintendent of the 

8 United States Merchant Marine Academy may implement 

9 the amendment to subsection (b)(2)(A) of section 51318 

10 of title 46, United States Code, made by subsection (a)(2), 

11 by updating an existing plan issued pursuant to the Na12 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 

13 (Public Law 115–91). 

14 SEC. 5. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDA15 TIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES MERCHANT 

16 MARINE ACADEMY SEXUAL ASSAULT PRE17 VENTION AND RESPONSE PROGRAM. 

18 Not later than December 31, 2018, the Maritime Ad19 ministrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 

20 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com21 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

22 of Representatives a report describing the progress of the 

23 Maritime Administration in implementing and closing 

24 each of the recommendations made in the Office of Inspec25 tor General’s Report issued March 28, 2018 (ST–2018– 


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1 039) identifying gaps in the United States Merchant Ma2 rine Academy’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response 

3 Program. 

4 SEC. 6. ELECTRONIC RECORDS ON MARINER AVAILABILITY 

5 TO MEET NATIONAL SECURITY NEEDS. 

6 Section 7502 of title 46, United States Code, is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub9 section (d); and 

10 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(c) The Secretary shall coordinate with the Sec13 retary of Transportation to ensure that, to the extent fea14 sible, electronic records provide information on mariner 

15 availability to meet national security needs for mariner 

16 credentialing and strategic sealift.’’. 

17 SEC. 7. SMALL SHIPYARD GRANTS. 

18 Section 54101(b) of title 46, United States Code, is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

21 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 

22 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(2) TIMING OF GRANT NOTICE.—The Adminis25 trator shall post a Notice of Funding Opportunity 


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1 regarding grants awarded under this section not 

2 more than 15 days after the date of enactment of 

3 the appropriations Act for the fiscal year con4 cerned.’’; and 

5 (3) in paragraph (4), as redesignated by para6 graph (1), by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘paragraph (3)’’. 

8 SEC. 8. DOMESTIC SHIP RECYCLING FACILITIES. 

9 Section 3502 of the Floyd D. Spence National De10 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 

11 106–398; 54 U.S.C. 308704 note) is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (f) 

13 as subsections (d) through (g), respectively; and 

14 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(c) SCRAPPING OF IMPORTED VESSELS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

18 provision of law, domestic ship scrapping facilities 

19 selected by the Secretary of Transportation in ac20 cordance with subsection (b) may import into the 

21 United States, for the purpose of dismantling, ma22 rine vessels that contain regulated levels of poly23 chlorinated biphenyls that are integral to a vessel’s 

24 structure, equipment, or systems necessary for its 

25 operation. 


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1 ‘‘(2) NO TSCA PRIOR AUTHORIZATION RE2 QUIRED.—In lieu of the rulemaking by the Adminis3 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

4 under section 6(e) of the Toxic Substances Control 

5 Act (15 U.S.C. 2605(e)), imports of vessels con6 taining regulated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls 

7 shall be subject to prior notification and consent in 

8 accordance with this subsection. 

9 ‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) CONTENTS.—An importer of 1 or 

11 more vessels containing regulated levels of poly12 chlorinated biphenyls shall submit a notification 

13 to the Environmental Protection Agency not 

14 less than 75 days before a vessel is imported 

15 into the United States under this subsection. 

16 The import notification may cover up to one 

17 year of shipments of vessels containing regu18 lated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls being 

19 sent to the same ship scrapping facility, and 

20 shall contain, at a minimum, the following 

21 items: 

22 ‘‘(i) The name, contact name, address, 

23 telephone number, email address, and EPA 

24 Identification Number (if applicable) of the 

25 ship scrapping facility and the recognized 


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1 trader, if the ship scrapping facility is not 

2 the importer. 

3 ‘‘(ii) The name, contact name, ad4 dress, telephone number, email address, 

5 and EPA Identification Number (if appli6 cable) of each facility where poly7 chlorinated biphenyls or hazardous mate8 rials contained on a vessel will be stored 

9 and disposed of, including any poly10 chlorinated biphenyls storage or disposal 

11 facility approved under the Toxic Sub12 stances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2601 et 

13 seq.). 

14 ‘‘(iii) The types of polychlorinated 

15 biphenyls or polychlorinated biphenyls 

16 items expected to be removed from the ves17 sels. 

18 ‘‘(iv) The number of vessels proposed 

19 for import and maximum tonnage. 

20 ‘‘(v) The period of time covered by the 

21 import notice (not to exceed one year) and 

22 the start and end dates of shipment. 

23 ‘‘(B) FORM.—Each notice under this para24 graph shall be clearly marked ‘PCB Waste Im25 port Notice’ and shall be submitted to the EnviVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:17 Jul 09, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2717.RS S2717

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1 ronmental Protection Agency in such form and 

2 manner as the Environmental Protection Agen3 cy may require. 

4 ‘‘(C) REVISED NOTIFICATION.—If an im5 porter wishes to change any of the information 

6 specified on the original notification, the im7 porter must submit a revised notification, con8 taining notification of the changes, to the Envi9 ronmental Protection Agency. 

10 ‘‘(4) CONSENT.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An importer shall not 

12 import vessels containing regulated levels of 

13 polychlorinated biphenyls until the importer has 

14 received consent from the Administrator of the 

15 Environmental Protection Agency. 

16 ‘‘(B) TERMS.—Importers shall only import 

17 vessels under the terms of the consent issued by 

18 the Administrator of the Environmental Protec19 tion Agency under this paragraph and subject 

20 to the condition that the facility shall establish 

21 a valid written contract, chain of contracts, or 

22 equivalent arrangements with other United 

23 States facilities, where applicable, to manage 

24 the polychlorinated biphenyls and hazardous 


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1 waste expected to be removed from the vessel or 

2 vessels. 

3 ‘‘(5) REPORT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PRO4 TECTION AGENCY.—Any ship scrapping facility au5 thorized by this subsection to import vessels con6 taining regulated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls 

7 shall file with the Administrator of the Environ8 mental Protection Agency, not later than April 1 of 

9 each year, a report providing, for each vessel im10 ported in accordance with this subsection, the fol11 lowing information: 

12 ‘‘(A) The vessel name and approximated 

13 tonnage. 

14 ‘‘(B) Registration number and flag of the 

15 vessel. 

16 ‘‘(C) The date of import. 

17 ‘‘(D) The types, quantities, and final des18 tination of all polychlorinated biphenyls and 

19 hazardous waste removed. 

20 ‘‘(E) The EPA-issued consent number 

21 under which the vessel was imported. 

22 ‘‘(6) APPLICABLE LAWS.—Once a vessel has 

23 been imported pursuant to this subsection, the man24 ufacturing, processing, distribution in commerce, 

25 use, and disposal of any polychlorinated biphenyls 


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1 and hazardous waste contained on the vessel shall be 

2 carried out in accordance with applicable Federal, 

3 State, and local laws and regulations.’’. 

4 SEC. 9. SEA YEAR ON CONTRACTED VESSELS. 

5 Section 51307 of title 46, United States Code, is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

8 striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 

11 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

12 (4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; 

13 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(2) on vessels contracted by the United States 

16 Government, subject to subsection (b);’’; and 

17 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(b) Subsection (a)(2) shall only apply to vessels that 

19 are contracted by the United States Government and that 

20 carry more than 75,000 Metric tons of food aid per year 

21 in accordance with section 55305 of title 46, United States 

22 Code.’’. 

23 SEC. 10. GAO REPORT ON NATIONAL MARITIME STRATEGY. 

24 The Comptroller General of the United States shall 

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1 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the 

2 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Represent3 atives, and the Committee on Transportation and Infra4 structure of the House of Representatives, a report on— 

5 (1) the key challenges, if any, to ensuring that 

6 the United States marine transportation system and 

7 merchant marine are sufficient to support United 

8 States economic and defense needs, as articulated by 

9 the Maritime Administration, the Committee on the 

10 Marine Transportation System, and other stake11 holders; 

12 (2) the extent to which a national maritime 

13 strategy incorporates desirable characteristics of suc14 cessful national strategies as identified by the Comp15 troller General, and any key obstacles (as identified 

16 by stakeholders) to successfully implementing such 

17 strategies; and 

18 (3) the extent to which Federal efforts to estab19 lish national maritime strategy are duplicative or 

20 fragmented, and if so, the impact on United States 

21 maritime policy for the future. 


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1 SEC. 11. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION INSPECTOR 

2 GENERAL REPORT ON TITLE XI PROGRAM. 

3 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Department of Transportation Office of 

5 Inspector General shall— 

6 (1) initiate an audit of the financial controls 

7 and protections included in the policies and proce8 dures of the Department of Transportation for ap9 proving loan applications for the loan guarantee pro10 gram authorized under chapter 537 of title 46, 

11 United States Code; and 

12 (2) submit to the Committee on Transportation 

13 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

14 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

15 Transportation of the Senate a report containing the 

16 results of that audit once the audit is completed. 

17 SEC. 12. MULTI-YEAR CONTRACTS. 

18 Nothing in section 3505 of the National Defense Au19 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114– 

20 328) may be construed to prohibit the Maritime Adminis21 tration from entering into a multi-year contract for the 

22 procurement of up to 5 new vessels within the National 

23 Security Multi-Mission Vessel Program and associated 

24 government–furnished equipment, subject to the avail25 ability of appropriations. 


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1 SEC. 13. USE OF STATE ACADEMY TRAINING VESSELS. 

2 Section 51504(g) of title 46, United States Code, is 

3 amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(g) VESSEL SHARING.— 

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

6 after the date of enactment of the Maritime Author7 ization and Enhancement Act for Fiscal Year 2019, 

8 the Secretary, acting through the Maritime Adminis9 trator, shall upon consultation with the maritime 

10 academies, and to the extent feasible with the con11 sent of the maritime academies, implement a pro12 gram of vessel sharing, requiring maritime acad13 emies to share training vessels provided by the Sec14 retary among maritime academies, as necessary to 

15 ensure that training needs of each academy are met. 

16 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM OF VESSEL SHARING.—For pur17 poses of this subsection, a program of vessel sharing 

18 shall include— 

19 ‘‘(A) ways to maximize the available under20 way training capacity available in the fleet of 

21 training vessels; 

22 ‘‘(B) coordinating the dates and duration 

23 of training cruises with the academic calendars 

24 of maritime academies; 


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1 ‘‘(C) coordinating academic programs de2 signed to be implemented aboard training ves3 sels among maritime academies; and 

4 ‘‘(D) identifying ways to minimize costs. 

5 ‘‘(3) EVALUATION.—Not later than 30 days 

6 after the beginning of each fiscal year, the Sec7 retary, acting through the Maritime Administrator, 

8 shall evaluate the vessel sharing program under this 

9 subsection to determine the optimal utilization of 

10 State maritime training vessels, and modify the pro11 gram as necessary to improve utilization.’’. 

12 SEC. 14. PERMANENT AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF 

13 TRANSPORTATION TO ISSUE VESSEL WAR 

14 RISK INSURANCE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 53912 of title 46, United 

16 States Code, is repealed. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

18 at the beginning of chapter 539 of title 46, United States 

19 Code, is amended by striking the item relating to section 

20 53912. 

21 SEC. 15. NAVIGATION SYSTEM STUDY AND REPORT. 

22 (a) STUDY OF THE GREAT LAKES SYSTEM.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Maritime Administrator 

24 shall conduct a comprehensive study of the Great 

25 Lakes—Saint Lawrence Seaway navigation system 


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1 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Great Lakes Sys2 tem’’) that examines the current state of the system 

3 and makes recommendations for improvements. 

4 (2) CONTENTS.—The study— 

5 (A) shall examine, with respect to the 

6 Great Lakes System— 

7 (i) typical cargo routing options; 

8 (ii) the cost profile of each route and 

9 alternative routes; 

10 (iii) port infrastructure quality; 

11 (iv) intermodal connections; 

12 (v) competing transportation options, 

13 including air, rail, and ground transpor14 tation and their relative market position; 

15 (vi) taxes and fees imposed on vessels; 

16 (vii) marketing efforts to increase 

17 shipments; 

18 (viii) subsidies provided to the Great 

19 Lakes System and to competing cargo 

20 transportation systems; 

21 (ix) the condition of the docks at each 

22 port; 

23 (x) United States and Canadian Gov24 ernment icebreaking capabilities to facili25 tate commercial shipping; and 


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1 (xi) the condition of vessel navigation 

2 infrastructure (such as channels, locks, 

3 letties, and breakwaters) and efforts to 

4 maintain, upgrade, or replace that infra5 structure; and 

6 (B) shall make recommendations on— 

7 (i) the level of additional investment 

8 needed to improve the Great Lakes Sys9 tem; 

10 (ii) any benefits of increased Federal 

11 or State investment in the Great Lakes 

12 System; and 

13 (iii) any regulatory or competitive 

14 burdens impeding growth of the Great 

15 Lakes System. 

16 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

17 of the enactment of this Act, the Maritime Administrator 

18 shall submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, 

19 Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee 

20 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

21 Representatives, and the Co-Chairs of the Great Lakes 

22 Task Force of the Senate and of the House of Representa23 tives containing the results of the study conducted under 

24 this section. 


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1 (c) CONTRACT.—The Maritime Administrator may 

2 enter into a contract with another entity to carry out the 

3 study. 

4 SEC. 16. MISCELLANEOUS. 

5 (a) NONCOMMERCIAL VESSELS.—Section 3514(a) of 

6 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

7 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 46 U.S.C. 51318 note) is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) by striking ‘‘Not later than’’ and inserting 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) Not later than’’; and 

12 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

13 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and adjust14 ing the margins accordingly; and 

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

16 ‘‘(2) For the purposes of this section, vessels 

17 operated by any of the following entities shall not be 

18 considered commercial vessels: 

19 ‘‘(A) Any entity or agency of the United 

20 States. 

21 ‘‘(B) The government of a State or terri22 tory. 

23 ‘‘(C) Any political subdivision of a State or 

24 territory. 

25 ‘‘(D) Any other municipal organization.’’. 


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1 (b) PASSENGER RECORDS.—Section 51322(c) of title 

2 46, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(c) MAINTENANCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT TRAINING

4 RECORDS.—The Maritime Administrator shall require the 

5 owner or operator of a commercial vessel, or the seafarer 

6 union for a commercial vessel, to maintain records of sex7 ual assault training for any person required to have such 

8 training.’’. 

9 (c) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN10 ISTRATION.—Section 3134 of title 40, United States Code, 

11 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN13 ISTRATION.—The Secretary of Commerce may waive this 

14 subchapter with respect to contracts for the construction, 

15 alteration, or repair of vessels, regardless of the terms of 

16 the contracts as to payment or title, when the contract 

17 is made under the Act entitled ‘An Act to define the func18 tions and duties of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and 

19 for other purposes’, approved August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 

20 883a et seq.).’’. 

21 (d) ANNUAL PAYMENTS FOR MAINTENANCE AND

22 SUPPORT.—Section 51505(b) of title 46 is amended to 

23 read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM.—The amount under paragraph 

2 (1) may not be more than $25,000, unless the acad3 emy satisfies section 51506(b) of this title.’’. 

4 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

6 ‘‘Maritime Authorization and Enhancement Act for Fiscal 

7 Year 2019’’. 

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

9 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Authorization of the Maritime Administration. 

Sec. 3. Concurrent jurisdiction. 

Sec. 4. United States Merchant Marine Academy policy on sexual harassment, 

dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 

Sec. 5. Report on implementation of recommendations for the United States Merchant Marine Academy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response 

Program. 

Sec. 6. Report on the application of the Uniform Code of Military Justice to the 

United States Merchant Marine Academy. 

Sec. 7. Electronic records on mariner availability to meet national security needs. 

Sec. 8. Small shipyard grants. 

Sec. 9. Domestic ship recycling facilities. 

Sec. 10. Sea year on contracted vessels. 

Sec. 11. GAO report on national maritime strategy. 

Sec. 12. Department of Transportation Inspector General report on Title XI program. 

Sec. 13. Multi-year contracts. 

Sec. 14. Use of State Maritime Academy training vessels. 

Sec. 15. Permanent authority of Secretary of Transportation to issue vessel war 

risk insurance. 

Sec. 16. Buy America. 

Sec. 17. Navigation system study and report. 

Sec. 18. Miscellaneous. 

10 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF THE MARITIME ADMINISTRA11 TION. 

12 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

13 authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Trans14 portation for fiscal year 2019, to be available without fiscal 


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1 year limitation if so provided in appropriations Acts, the 

2 following amounts for programs associated with maintain3 ing the United States merchant marine: 

4 (1) For expenses necessary for operations of the 

5 United States Merchant Marine Academy, 

6 $69,000,000 for Academy operations. 

7 (2) For expenses necessary to support the State 

8 maritime academies, $32,200,000, of which— 

9 (A) $2,400,000 shall remain available until 

10 September 30, 2020, for the Student Incentive 

11 Program; 

12 (B) $6,000,000 shall remain available until 

13 expended for direct payments to such academies; 

14 (C) $22,000,000 shall remain available 

15 until expended for maintenance and repair of 

16 State maritime academy training vessels; and 

17 (D) $1,800,000 shall remain available until 

18 expended for training ship fuel assistance. 

19 (3) For expenses necessary to support the Na20 tional Security Multi-Mission Vessel Program, 

21 $300,000,000, which shall remain available until ex22 pended. 

23 (4) For expenses necessary to support Maritime 

24 Administration operations and programs, 

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1 able until expended for port infrastructure develop2 ment under section 50302 of title 46, United States 

3 Code. 

4 (5) For expenses necessary to dispose of vessels in 

5 the National Defense Reserve Fleet, $6,000,000, which 

6 shall remain available until expended. 

7 (6) For expenses necessary to maintain and pre8 serve a United States flag merchant marine to serve 

9 the national security needs of the United States under 

10 chapter 531 of title 46, United States Code, 

11 $300,000,000. 

12 (7) For expenses necessary for the loan guarantee 

13 program authorized under chapter 537 of title 46, 

14 United States Code, $33,000,000, of which— 

15 (A) $30,000,000 may be used for the cost 

16 (as defined in section 502(5) of the Federal Cred17 it Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661a(5))) of 

18 loan guarantees under the program; and 

19 (B) $3,000,000 may be used for administra20 tive expenses relating to loan guarantee commit21 ments under the program. 

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

23 of the enactment of this Act, the Maritime Administrator 

24 shall submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, 

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1 mittee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transpor2 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

3 on the status of unexpended appropriations for capital asset 

4 management at the United States Merchant Marine Acad5 emy, and the plan for expending such appropriations. 

6 SEC. 3. CONCURRENT JURISDICTION. 

7 Notwithstanding any other law, the Secretary of 

8 Transportation may relinquish, at the Secretary’s discre9 tion, to the State of New York, such measure of legislative 

10 jurisdiction over the lands constituting the United States 

11 Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, New York, as 

12 is necessary to establish concurrent jurisdiction between the 

13 Federal Government and the State of New York. Such par14 tial relinquishment of legislative jurisdiction shall be ac15 complished— 

16 (1) by filing with the Governor of New York a 

17 notice of relinquishment to take effect upon acceptance 

18 thereof; or 

19 (2) as the laws of that State may provide. 

20 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY POL21 ICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DATING VIO22 LENCE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL AS23 SAULT, AND STALKING. 

24 (a) POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DATING VIO25 LENCE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND


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1 STALKING.—Section 51318 of title 46, United States Code, 

2 is amended— 

3 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

4 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and 

5 prevention’’ after ‘‘awareness’’; 

6 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 

7 subparagraph (C), and subparagraphs (C) 

8 through (F) as subparagraphs (E) through (H), 

9 respectively; 

10 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(B) procedures for documenting, tracking, 

13 and maintaining the data required to conduct 

14 the annual assessments to determine the effective15 ness of the policies, procedures, and training 

16 program of the Academy with respect to sexual 

17 harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, 

18 sexual assault, and stalking involving cadets or 

19 other Academy personnel, as required by sub20 section (c);’’; and 

21 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (C), as 

22 redesignated by subparagraph (B), the following: 

23 ‘‘(D) procedures for investigating sexual 

24 harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, 

25 sexual assault, or stalking involving a cadet or 


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1 other Academy personnel to determine whether 

2 disciplinary action is necessary;’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by inserting ‘‘and 

4 other Academy personnel’’ after ‘‘cadets at the Acad5 emy’’; and 

6 (3) in subsection (d)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (2)(A) by inserting ‘‘, in8 cluding sexual harassment,’’ after ‘‘sexual as9 saults, rapes, and other sexual offenses’’; and 

10 (B) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘The 

11 Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than Janu12 ary 15 of each year, the Secretary’’. 

13 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Superintendent of the 

14 United States Merchant Marine Academy may implement 

15 the amendment to subsection (b)(2)(A) of section 51318 of 

16 title 46, United States Code, made by subsection (a)(2), by 

17 updating an existing plan issued pursuant to the National 

18 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public 

19 Law 115-91). 

20 SEC. 5. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDA21 TIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES MERCHANT 

22 MARINE ACADEMY SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVEN23 TION AND RESPONSE PROGRAM. 

24 Not later than April 1, 2019, the Maritime Adminis25 trator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 


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1 and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

2 Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and 

3 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report de4 scribing the progress of the Maritime Administration in im5 plementing and closing each of the recommendations made 

6 in the Office of Inspector General’s Report issued March 

7 28, 2018 (ST-2018-039) identifying gaps in the United 

8 States Merchant Marine Academy’s Sexual Assault Preven9 tion and Response Program. 

10 SEC. 6. REPORT ON THE APPLICATION OF THE UNIFORM 

11 CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE TO THE UNITED 

12 STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY. 

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

14 of this Act, the Maritime Administrator shall submit a re15 port to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans16 portation of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Serv17 ices and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc18 ture of the House of Representatives on the impediments 

19 to the application of the Uniform Code of Military Justice 

20 at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. 

21 SEC. 7. ELECTRONIC RECORDS ON MARINER AVAILABILITY 

22 TO MEET NATIONAL SECURITY NEEDS. 

23 Section 7502 of title 46, United States Code, is amend24 ed— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 

2 (d); and 

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

5 ‘‘(c) The Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary 

6 of Transportation to ensure that, to the extent feasible, elec7 tronic records provide information on mariner availability 

8 and respective credentials to meet national security needs 

9 for credentialed mariners crewing strategic sealift vessels.’’. 

10 SEC. 8. SMALL SHIPYARD GRANTS. 

11 Section 54101(b) of title 46, United States Code, is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

14 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 

15 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(2) TIMING OF GRANT NOTICE.—The Adminis18 trator shall post a Notice of Funding Opportunity re19 garding grants awarded under this section not more 

20 than 15 days after the date of enactment of the appro21 priations Act for the fiscal year concerned.’’; and 

22 (3) in paragraph (4), as redesignated by para23 graph (1), by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘paragraph (3)’’. 


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1 SEC. 9. DOMESTIC SHIP RECYCLING FACILITIES. 

2 Section 3502 of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense 

3 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106- 

4 398; 54 U.S.C. 308704 note) is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (f) 

6 as subsections (d) through (g), respectively; and 

7 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(c) SCRAPPING OF IMPORTED VESSELS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

11 provision of law, domestic ship scrapping facilities se12 lected by the Secretary of Transportation in accord13 ance with subsection (b) may import into the United 

14 States, for the purpose of dismantling, marine vessels 

15 that contain regulated levels of polychlorinated 

16 biphenyls that are integral to a vessel’s structure, 

17 equipment, or systems necessary for its operation. 

18 ‘‘(2) NO TSCA PRIOR AUTHORIZATION RE19 QUIRED.—In lieu of rulemaking by the Administrator 

20 of the Environmental Protection Agency under section 

21 6(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 

22 2605(e)), imports of vessels containing regulated levels 

23 of polychlorinated biphenyls shall be subject to prior 

24 notification and consent in accordance with this sub25 section. 

26 ‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) CONTENTS.—An importer of 1 or more 

2 vessels containing regulated levels of poly3 chlorinated biphenyls shall submit a notification 

4 to the Environmental Protection Agency not less 

5 than 75 days before a vessel is imported into the 

6 United States under this subsection. The import 

7 notification may cover up to one year of ship8 ments of vessels containing regulated levels of 

9 polychlorinated biphenyls being sent to the same 

10 ship scrapping facility, and shall contain, at a 

11 minimum, the following items: 

12 ‘‘(i) The name, contact name, address, 

13 telephone number, email address, and EPA 

14 Identification Number (if applicable) of the 

15 ship scrapping facility and the recognized 

16 trader, if the ship scrapping facility is not 

17 the importer. 

18 ‘‘(ii) The name, contact name, address, 

19 telephone number, email address, and EPA 

20 Identification Number (if applicable) of 

21 each facility where polychlorinated 

22 biphenyls or hazardous materials contained 

23 on a vessel will be stored and disposed of, 

24 including any polychlorinated biphenyls 

25 storage or disposal facility approved under 


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1 the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 

2 2601 et seq.). 

3 ‘‘(iii) The types of polychlorinated 

4 biphenyls or polychlorinated biphenyls 

5 items expected to be removed from the ves6 sels. 

7 ‘‘(iv) The number of vessels proposed 

8 for import and maximum tonnage. 

9 ‘‘(v) The period of time covered by the 

10 import notice (not to exceed one year) and 

11 the start and end dates of shipment. 

12 ‘‘(B) FORM.—Each notice under this para13 graph shall be clearly marked ‘PCB Waste Im14 port Notice’ and shall be submitted to the Envi15 ronmental Protection Agency in such form and 

16 manner as the Environmental Protection Agency 

17 may require. 

18 ‘‘(C) REVISED NOTIFICATION.—If an im19 porter wishes to change any of the information 

20 specified on the original notification, the im21 porter must submit a revised notification, con22 taining notification of the changes, to the Envi23 ronmental Protection Agency. 

24 ‘‘(4) CONSENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An importer shall not 

2 import vessels containing regulated levels of pol3 ychlorinated biphenyls until the importer has re4 ceived consent from the Administrator of the En5 vironmental Protection Agency. 

6 ‘‘(B) TERMS.—Importers shall only import 

7 vessels under the terms of the consent issued by 

8 the Administrator of the Environmental Protec9 tion Agency under this paragraph and subject to 

10 the condition that the facility shall establish a 

11 valid written contract, chain of contracts, or 

12 equivalent arrangements with other United 

13 States facilities, where applicable, to manage the 

14 polychlorinated biphenyls and hazardous waste 

15 expected to be removed from the vessel or vessels. 

16 ‘‘(5) REPORT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEC17 TION AGENCY.—Any ship scrapping facility author18 ized by this subsection to import vessels containing 

19 regulated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls shall file 

20 with the Administrator of the Environmental Protec21 tion Agency, not later than April 1 of each year, a 

22 report providing, for each vessel imported in accord23 ance with this subsection, the following information: 

24 ‘‘(A) The vessel name and approximated 

25 tonnage. 


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1 ‘‘(B) Registration number and flag of the 

2 vessel. 

3 ‘‘(C) The date of import. 

4 ‘‘(D) The types, quantities, and final des5 tination of all polychlorinated biphenyls and 

6 hazardous waste removed. 

7 ‘‘(E) The EPA-issued consent number under 

8 which the vessel was imported. 

9 ‘‘(6) APPLICABLE LAWS.—Once a vessel has been 

10 imported pursuant to this subsection, the manufac11 turing, processing, distribution in commerce, use, and 

12 disposal of any polychlorinated biphenyls and haz13 ardous waste contained on the vessel shall be carried 

14 out in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and 

15 local laws and regulations. 

16 ‘‘(7) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator of the En17 vironmental Protection Agency may promulgate addi18 tional standards or procedures for the import of ships 

19 that contain regulated levels of polychlorinated 

20 biphenyls and hazardous waste, for the purpose of re21 cycling, under this subsection, if— 

22 ‘‘(A) the benefits of such additional stand23 ards or procedures exceed the costs of those stand24 ards or procedures; 


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1 ‘‘(B) not later than 180 days prior to pro2 mulgating such additional standards or proce3 dures, the Administrator of the Environmental 

4 Protection Agency submits a report to the Com5 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor6 tation of the Senate and the Committee on 

7 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

8 of Representatives demonstrating compliance 

9 with subparagraph (A) and the reasons such 

10 standards or procedures are necessary; and 

11 ‘‘(C) the Administrator of the Environ12 mental Protection Agency receives the concur13 rence of the Maritime Administrator on any 

14 such additional standards or procedures.’’. 

15 SEC. 10. SEA YEAR ON CONTRACTED VESSELS. 

16 Section 51307 of title 46, United States Code, is 

17 amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 

21 (2) in paragraph (1) of subsection (a)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘owned or subsidized by’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘owned, subsidized by, or con24 tracted with’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘, including in accordance 

2 with subsections (b), (c), and (d)’’ after ‘‘Govern3 ment’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(b) MARITIME SECURITY PROGRAM VESSELS.—Sub6 ject to subsection (d), the Secretary shall require an oper7 ator of a vessel participating in the Maritime Security Pro8 gram under chapter 531 of this title to carry on each Mari9 time Security Program vessel 2 United States Merchant 

10 Marine Academy cadets, if available, on each voyage. 

11 ‘‘(c) MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND VESSELS.—Subject 

12 to subsection (d), the Secretary and Commander of the Mili13 tary Sealift Command shall require an operator of a vessel 

14 contracted for service for the United States Navy’s Military 

15 Sealift Command to carry on each such vessel 2 United 

16 States Merchant Marine Academy cadets, if available, on 

17 each voyage, if the vessel— 

18 ‘‘(1) is flagged in the United States; and 

19 ‘‘(2) is rated at 10,000 gross tons or higher. 

20 ‘‘(d) WAIVER.—If it is determined at any time by the 

21 Secretary or the Commander of the Military Sealift Com22 mand that cadets from the United States Merchant Marine 

23 Academy would place an undue burden on a vessel or vessel 

24 operator, the Secretary or Commander may waive the re25 quirements described in subsection (b) or (c).’’. 


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1 SEC. 11. GAO REPORT ON NATIONAL MARITIME STRATEGY. 

2 The Comptroller General of the United States shall 

3 complete a study and submit to the Committee on Com4 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Com5 mittee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, 

6 and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

7 of the House of Representatives, a report on— 

8 (1) the key challenges, if any, to ensuring that 

9 the United States marine transportation system and 

10 merchant marine are sufficient to support United 

11 States economic and defense needs, as articulated by 

12 the Maritime Administration, the Committee on the 

13 Marine Transportation System, and other stake14 holders; 

15 (2) the extent to which a national maritime 

16 strategy incorporates desirable characteristics of suc17 cessful national strategies as identified by the Comp18 troller General, and any key obstacles (as identified 

19 by stakeholders) to successfully implementing such 

20 strategies; and 

21 (3) the extent to which Federal efforts to establish 

22 national maritime strategy are duplicative or frag23 mented, and if so, the impact on United States mari24 time policy for the future. 


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1 SEC. 12. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION INSPECTOR 

2 GENERAL REPORT ON TITLE XI PROGRAM. 

3 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Department of Transportation Office of In5 spector General shall— 

6 (1) initiate an audit of the financial controls 

7 and protections included in the policies and proce8 dures of the Department of Transportation for ap9 proving loan applications for the loan guarantee pro10 gram authorized under chapter 537 of title 46, United 

11 States Code; and 

12 (2) submit to the Committee on Commerce, 

13 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

14 Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 

15 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

16 Representatives a report containing the results of that 

17 audit once the audit is completed. 

18 SEC. 13. MULTI-YEAR CONTRACTS. 

19 Nothing in section 3505 of the National Defense Au20 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328) 

21 may be construed to prohibit the Maritime Administration 

22 from entering into a multi-year contract for the procure23 ment of up to 5 new vessels within the National Security 

24 Multi-Mission Vessel Program and associated government– 

25 furnished equipment, subject to the availability of appro26 priations. 


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1 SEC. 14. USE OF STATE MARITIME ACADEMY TRAINING VES2 SELS. 

3 Section 51504(g) of title 46, United States Code, is 

4 amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(g) VESSEL CAPACITY SHARING.— 

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

7 the date of enactment of the Maritime Authorization 

8 and Enhancement Act for Fiscal Year 2019, the Sec9 retary, acting through the Maritime Administrator, 

10 shall upon consultation with the maritime academies, 

11 and to the extent feasible with the consent of the mar12 itime academies, implement a program of vessel shar13 ing, requiring maritime academies to share training 

14 capacity vessels provided by the Secretary among 

15 maritime academies, as necessary to ensure that 

16 training needs of each academy are met. 

17 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM OF VESSEL CAPACITY SHARING.— 

18 For purposes of this subsection, a program of vessel 

19 capacity sharing shall include— 

20 ‘‘(A) ways to maximize the available under21 way training capacity available in the fleet of 

22 training vessels; 

23 ‘‘(B) coordinating the dates and duration of 

24 training cruises with the academic calendars of 

25 maritime academies; 


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1 ‘‘(C) coordinating academic programs de2 signed to be implemented aboard training vessels 

3 among maritime academies; and 

4 ‘‘(D) identifying ways to minimize costs. 

5 ‘‘(3) EVALUATION.—Not later than 30 days after 

6 the beginning of each fiscal year, the Secretary, acting 

7 through the Maritime Administrator, shall evaluate 

8 the vessel capacity sharing program under this sub9 section to determine the optimal utilization of State 

10 maritime training vessels, and modify the program as 

11 necessary to improve utilization.’’. 

12 SEC. 15. PERMANENT AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF 

13 TRANSPORTATION TO ISSUE VESSEL WAR 

14 RISK INSURANCE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 53912 of title 46, United 

16 States Code, is repealed. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 

18 the beginning of chapter 539 of title 46, United States Code, 

19 is amended by striking the item relating to section 53912. 

20 SEC. 16. BUY AMERICA. 

21 Subsection (c) of section 54101 of title 46, United 

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

23 ‘‘(3) BUY AMERICA.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

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1 portation shall not obligate any funds authorized 

2 to be appropriated to carry out this chapter un3 less any steel, iron, and manufactured products 

4 used in the project authorized under this chapter 

5 are produced in the United States. 

6 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—The provisions of sub7 paragraph (A) shall not apply where the Sec8 retary finds— 

9 ‘‘(i) that their application would be in10 consistent with the public interest; 

11 ‘‘(ii) that such materials and products 

12 are not produced in the United States in 

13 sufficient and reasonably available quan14 tities and of a satisfactory quality; or 

15 ‘‘(iii) that inclusion of domestic mate16 rial will increase the cost of the overall 

17 project by more than 25 percent.’’. 

18 SEC. 17. NAVIGATION SYSTEM STUDY AND REPORT. 

19 (a) STUDY OF THE GREAT LAKES SYSTEM.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Maritime Administrator 

21 shall conduct a comprehensive study of the Great 

22 Lakes - Saint Lawrence Seaway navigation system 

23 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Great Lakes Sys24 tem’’) that examines the current state of the system 

25 and makes recommendations for improvements. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—The study— 

2 (A) shall examine, with respect to the Great 

3 Lakes System— 

4 (i) typical cargo routing options; 

5 (ii) the cost profile of each route and 

6 alternative routes; 

7 (iii) port infrastructure quality; 

8 (iv) intermodal connections; 

9 (v) competing transportation options, 

10 including air, rail, and ground transpor11 tation and their relative market position; 

12 (vi) taxes and fees imposed on vessels; 

13 (vii) marketing efforts to increase ship14 ments; 

15 (viii) subsidies provided to the Great 

16 Lakes System and to competing cargo 

17 transportation systems; 

18 (ix) the condition of the docks at each 

19 port; 

20 (x) United States and Canadian Gov21 ernment icebreaking capabilities to facili22 tate commercial shipping; and 

23 (xi) the condition of vessel navigation 

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1 tain, upgrade, or replace that infrastruc2 ture; and 

3 (B) shall make recommendations on— 

4 (i) the level of additional investment 

5 needed to improve the Great Lakes System; 

6 (ii) any benefits of increased Federal 

7 or State investment in the Great Lakes Sys8 tem; and 

9 (iii) any regulatory or competitive 

10 burdens impeding growth of the Great Lakes 

11 System. 

12 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

13 the enactment of this Act, the Maritime Administrator shall 

14 submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

15 and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Trans16 portation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa17 tives, and the Co-Chairs of the Great Lakes Task Force of 

18 the Senate and of the House of Representatives containing 

19 the results of the study conducted under this section. 

20 (c) CONTRACT.—The Maritime Administrator may 

21 enter into a contract with an independent entity to carry 

22 out the study. 

23 SEC. 18. MISCELLANEOUS. 

24 (a) NONCOMMERCIAL VESSELS.—Section 3514(a) of 

25 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 


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1 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 46 U.S.C. 51318 note) is 

2 amended— 

3 (1) by striking ‘‘Not later than’’ and inserting 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(1) Not later than’’; and 

6 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

7 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and adjust8 ing the margins accordingly; and 

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

10 ‘‘(2) For the purposes of this section, vessels op11 erated by any of the following entities shall not be 

12 considered commercial vessels: 

13 ‘‘(A) Any entity or agency of the United 

14 States. 

15 ‘‘(B) The government of a State or terri16 tory. 

17 ‘‘(C) Any political subdivision of a State or 

18 territory. 

19 ‘‘(D) Any other municipal organization.’’. 

20 (b) PASSENGER RECORDS.—Section 51322(c) of title 

21 46, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(c) MAINTENANCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT TRAINING

23 RECORDS.—The Maritime Administrator shall require the 

24 owner or operator of a commercial vessel, or the seafarer 

25 union for a commercial vessel, to maintain records of sexual 


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1 assault training for any person required to have such train2 ing.’’. 

3 (c) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS4 TRATION.—Section 3134 of title 40, United States Code, is 

5 amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS7 TRATION.—The Secretary of Commerce may waive this sub8 chapter with respect to contracts for the construction, alter9 ation, or repair of vessels, regardless of the terms of the con10 tracts as to payment or title, when the contract is made 

11 under the Act entitled ‘An Act to define the functions and 

12 duties of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and for other pur13 poses’, approved August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 883a et seq.).’’. 

14 (d) ANNUAL PAYMENTS FOR MAINTENANCE AND SUP15 PORT.—Section 51505(b)(2) of title 46 is amended to read 

16 as follows: 

17 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM.—The amount under paragraph 

18 (1) may not be more than $25,000, unless the acad19 emy satisfies section 51506(b) of this title.’’. 


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Calendar No. 505 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2717 

[Report No. 115–292] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize provisions relating to the Maritime 

Administration. 

JULY 9, 2018 

Reported with an amendment 


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