I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3214 

To amend title 14, United States Code, to establish the National Icebreaker 

Fund to pay the costs of construction, alteration, renovation, lease, 

or charter of icebreakers for the Coast Guard, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2015 

Mr. HUNTER (for himself, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. 

GARAMENDI, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, and Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 14, United States Code, to establish the 

National Icebreaker Fund to pay the costs of construction, alteration, renovation, lease, or charter of icebreakers for the Coast Guard, 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 ‘‘National Icebreaker 

5 Fund Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL ICEBREAKER FUND. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—Chapter 15 of title 

3 14, United States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subchapter III as sub5 chapter IV; 

6 (2) by redesignating section 581 as section 591; 

7 and 

8 (3) by inserting after chapter II the following: 

9 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—ICEBREAKERS 

10 ‘‘§ 581. National Icebreaker Fund 

11 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

12 Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the 

13 ‘National Icebreaker Fund’. 

14 ‘‘(b) USE.— 

15 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZED PURPOSES.—Amounts in the 

16 Fund shall be available for obligation and expendi17 ture by the Secretary only for the following pur18 poses: 

19 ‘‘(A) Construction, alteration, and renova20 tion of icebreakers for the Coast Guard, includ21 ing design work related to construction, alter22 ation, and renovation. 

23 ‘‘(B) Lease or charter of icebreakers for 

24 the Coast Guard. 


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1 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.—Amounts in 

2 the Fund may be obligated or expended only in 

3 amounts authorized by law. 

4 ‘‘(c) DEPOSITS.—There shall be deposited in the 

5 Fund the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) All funds appropriated to the department 

7 in which the Coast Guard is operating for— 

8 ‘‘(A) construction, alteration, and renova9 tion of icebreakers, including design work re10 lated to construction, alteration, and renova11 tion; or 

12 ‘‘(B) lease or charter of icebreakers. 

13 ‘‘(2) All receipts from the disposition of ice14 breakers by the Federal Government. 

15 ‘‘(3) Unobligated funds that are transferred to 

16 the Fund under subsection (d). 

17 ‘‘(4) Contributions of money, and proceeds of 

18 other contributions, accepted under subsection (e). 

19 ‘‘(5) All funds appropriated to the Department 

20 of Defense or any other Federal agency for— 

21 ‘‘(A) construction, alteration, and renova22 tion of icebreakers, including design work re23 lated to construction, alteration, and renova24 tion; or 

25 ‘‘(B) lease or charter of icebreakers. 


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1 ‘‘(d) TRANSFERS.—At the end of any fiscal year, the 

2 Secretary may transfer to the Fund any unobligated funds 

3 remaining from funds under the administrative control of 

4 the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(e) ACCEPTANCE OF SUPPORT.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may accept 

7 from any person, foreign government, or inter8 national organization any contribution of money, 

9 personal property, or assistance in-kind for support 

10 of icebreaking in the polar regions. 

11 ‘‘(2) USE.—Any contribution accepted under 

12 paragraph (1) may be retained and used by the Sec13 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

14 is operating or disposed of in accordance with proce15 dures prescribed by the Secretary, subject to the 

16 limitations in subsection (f) and paragraph (3) of 

17 this subsection. 

18 ‘‘(f) LIMITATIONS ON USE OF FUNDS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) FOREIGN VESSELS.—Amounts in the Fund 

20 may not be used to lease, charter, construct, alter, 

21 renovate, or in any other way acquire any vessel 

22 built in a shipyard located in a foreign country, un23 less specifically authorized by law. 

24 ‘‘(2) CONSTRUCTION, ALTERATION, AND REN25 OVATION IN UNITED STATES; VESSEL DESIGN REVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:06 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3214.IH H3214

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1 QUIREMENTS.—Amounts in the Fund may not be 

2 used to construct, alter, or renovate a vessel in any 

3 shipyard other than a shipyard in the United States. 

4 ‘‘(3) PURPOSE OF EXPENDITURES.—The Sec5 retary may— 

6 ‘‘(A) expend from the Fund amounts de7 posited under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of 

8 subsection (c), only for the lease, charter, con9 struction, alteration, or renovation of ice10 breakers capable of search and rescue, saving of 

11 life at sea, maritime safety and security, drug 

12 and migrant interdiction, fisheries law enforce13 ment, and environmental response in the Arctic; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(B) expend from the Fund the amounts 

16 deposited under paragraphs (4) and (5) of sub17 section (c), for— 

18 ‘‘(i) activities described in subpara19 graph (A); or 

20 ‘‘(ii) additional capabilities that are— 

21 ‘‘(I) necessary to carry out na22 tional defense missions; or 

23 ‘‘(II) for missions related to re24 search and resupply in the Antarctic. 


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1 ‘‘(g) EXPIRATION OF APPROPRIATED FUNDS AFTER

2 10 YEARS.—No part of an appropriation that is deposited 

3 in the Fund under subsection (c)(1) shall remain available 

4 for obligation more than 10 years after the end of fiscal 

5 year for which appropriated, except to the extent specifi6 cally provided by law. 

7 ‘‘(h) BUDGET REQUESTS.—Budget requests sub8 mitted to Congress for the Fund shall separately iden9 tify— 

10 ‘‘(1) the amount requested for programs, 

11 projects, and activities for construction, alteration, 

12 and renovation of icebreakers; and 

13 ‘‘(2) the amount requested for programs, 

14 projects, and activities for lease or charter of ice15 breakers; 

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

17 ‘‘(1) The term ‘Fund’ means the National Ice18 breaker Fund established by subsection (a). 

19 ‘‘(2) The term ‘icebreaker’ means an icebreaker 

20 capable of operations in polar regions.’’. 

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

22 chapter is amended by striking the items relating to sub23 chapter III and inserting the following: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER III. ICEBREAKERS

‘‘Sec. 581. National Icebreaker Fund 


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‘‘SUBCHAPTER IV. DEFINITIONS

‘‘Sec. 591. Definitions.’’. 

1 SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT. 

2 The Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

3 Guard is operating, in consultation with the Secretary of 

4 State and the Director of the National Science Founda5 tion, shall enter into an agreement with nations that oper6 ate facilities in Antarctica to establish a mechanism to 

7 provide icebreaking services necessary to supply those fa8 cilities by constructing, leasing or chartering, renovating, 

9 operating, or maintaining an icebreaker capable of per10 forming such services. 

Æ 


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