I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3417 

To amend title 14, United States Code, to modify the process for congressional nomination of individuals for appointment as cadets at the Coast 

Guard Academy, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require 

the Department of Homeland Security to establish a comprehensive recruitment and outreach plan for the Coast Guard Academy, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2015 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 14, United States Code, to modify the process 

for congressional nomination of individuals for appointment as cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, to amend 

the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a comprehensive recruitment and outreach plan for the Coast 

Guard Academy, 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 ‘‘Coast Guard Academy 

3 Opportunity Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ACADEMY NOMINATIONS. 

5 (a) APPOINTMENT.—Subsection (a) of section 182 of 

6 title 14, United States Code, is amended to read as fol7 lows: 

8 ‘‘(a) NOMINATIONS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT REQUIREMENT.—Half 

11 of each incoming class of the Academy shall be 

12 composed of cadets nominated by the following: 

13 ‘‘(i) The Vice President or, if there is 

14 no Vice President, by the President pro 

15 tempore of the Senate. 

16 ‘‘(ii) A Senator. 

17 ‘‘(iii) A Member of the House of Rep18 resentatives. 

19 ‘‘(iv) The Delegate to Congress from 

20 the District of Columbia, the Delegate to 

21 Congress from the Virgin Islands, the 

22 Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, 

23 the Delegate to Congress from Guam, the 

24 Delegate to Congress from American 

25 Samoa, or the Delegate to Congress from 


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1 the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar2 iana Islands. 

3 ‘‘(B) NOMINEES.—Each Senator, Member 

4 of the House of Representatives, and Delegate 

5 to Congress, including such Resident Commis6 sioner, is entitled to nominate 3 persons each 

7 year. Cadets who do not graduate on time shall 

8 not count against the allocations pursuant to 

9 clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A). 

10 ‘‘(2) QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An in11 dividual shall be qualified for nomination, selection, 

12 and appointment as a cadet at the Academy only if 

13 the individual— 

14 ‘‘(A) is a citizen or national of the United 

15 States; and 

16 ‘‘(B) meets such minimum requirements 

17 that the Secretary may establish. 

18 ‘‘(3) NOMINATION INFORMATION.—The Super19 intendent shall furnish to any Member of Congress, 

20 upon the written request of such Member, the name 

21 of the Member of Congress or other nominating au22 thority responsible for the nomination of any named 

23 or identified person for appointment to the Acad24 emy.’’. 


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1 (b) APPLICATION.—The amendment made by sub2 section (a)— 

3 (1) shall apply beginning with academic pro4 gram year 2017, subject to subsection (c), and with 

5 respect to each academic program year thereafter; 

6 and 

7 (2) shall not affect the application of section 

8 182 of title 14, United States Code, as in effect be9 fore the enactment of this section, with respect to 

10 appointment of cadets who will matriculate to the 

11 Coast Guard Academy before such academic pro12 gram year. 

13 (c) TRANSITION.— 

14 (1) NOMINATIONS.—Notwithstanding the 

15 amendment made by subsection (a), with respect to 

16 the nomination of individuals pursuant to section 

17 182 of title 14, United States Code, as amended by 

18 such subsection, who will matriculate to the Coast 

19 Guard Academy in academic program year 2017, 

20 not less than 25 percent of the class shall be from 

21 nominations made pursuant to clauses (i) through 

22 (iv) of subsection (a)(1)(A) of such section 182 (as 

23 amended by subsection (a) of this section). 

24 (2) ADDITIONAL ACTION.—The Secretary (as 

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1 ditional action the Secretary believes necessary and 

2 proper to provide for the transition to the nomina3 tion, selection, and appointment process provided 

4 under this section. 

5 SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY. 

6 (a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Subtitle H of title VIII 

7 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et 

8 seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 890B. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR COAST 

10 GUARD OUTREACH AND RECRUITMENT. 

11 ‘‘(a) COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY REQUIRED.—The 

12 Secretary, acting through the Chief Human Capital Offi13 cer, shall issue a comprehensive strategy to improve out14 reach and recruitment to attract candidates to the Coast 

15 Guard Academy. 

16 ‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Commandant of the 

17 Coast Guard, or the Commandant’s designee, in consulta18 tion with the Chief Human Capital Officer, shall imple19 ment the strategy issued under subsection (a). 

20 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Beginning in 2017 and an21 nually thereafter, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, 

22 in consultation with the Chief Human Capital Officer, 

23 shall provide a report to the Committees on Homeland Se24 curity and Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

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1 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate that in2 cludes— 

3 ‘‘(1) general information on implementation of 

4 the comprehensive strategy required by this section; 

5 ‘‘(2) specific information on Coast Guard out6 reach and recruitment activities for the preceding 

7 year; and 

8 ‘‘(3) enrollment information about the incoming 

9 class that, to the extent practicable, includes infor10 mation on age, gender, ethnicity, religion, and State 

11 of residence.’’. 

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

13 in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by adding at the 

14 end of the items relating to such subtitle the following: 

‘‘Sec. 890B. Comprehensive strategy for Coast Guard outreach and recruitment.’’. 

15 (c) GAO REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the 

16 date of the issuance of the comprehensive strategy re17 quired by the amendment made by subsection (a), the 

18 Comptroller General of the United States shall report to 

19 the Congress on implementation of the comprehensive 

20 strategy and the extent to which such activities are effec21 tive at reaching a broad population of potentially qualified 

22 Academy applicants. 

Æ 


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