IIB 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1987 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 19, 2015 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal 

years 2016 and 2017, 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 Author3 ization Act of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

5 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATIONS 

Sec. 101. Authorizations. 

Sec. 102. Conforming amendments. 

TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

Sec. 201. Vice Commandant. 

Sec. 202. Vice admirals. 

Sec. 203. Coast Guard remission of indebtedness. 

Sec. 204. Acquisition reform. 

Sec. 205. Auxiliary jurisdiction. 

Sec. 206. Long-term major acquisitions plan. 

Sec. 207. Coast Guard communities. 

Sec. 208. ‘‘Polar Sea’’ materiel condition assessment and service life extension 

decision. 

Sec. 209. Repeal. 

Sec. 210. Technical corrections to title 14. 

Sec. 211. Digital boat profile pilot program. 

Sec. 212. Discontinuance of an aid to navigation. 

Sec. 213. Mission performance measures. 

Sec. 214. Communications. 

Sec. 215. Coast Guard graduate maritime operations education. 

TITLE III—SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION 

Sec. 301. Treatment of fishing permits. 

Sec. 302. Survival craft. 

Sec. 303. Enforcement. 

Sec. 304. Model years for recreational vessels. 

Sec. 305. Merchant mariner credential expiration harmonization. 

Sec. 306. Marine event safety zones. 

Sec. 307. Technical corrections. 

Sec. 308. Recommendations for improvements of marine casualty reporting. 

Sec. 309. Recreational vessel engine weights. 

Sec. 310. Merchant mariner medical certification reform. 

Sec. 311. Atlantic Coast port access route study. 

Sec. 312. Certificates of documentation for recreational vessels. 

Sec. 313. Program guidelines. 

Sec. 314. Repeals. 

TITLE IV—FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION 


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Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 402. Duties of the Chairman. 

Sec. 403. Prohibition on awards. 

TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS 

Sec. 501. Conveyance of Coast Guard property in Marin County, California. 

Sec. 502. Elimination of reports. 

Sec. 503. Vessel documentation. 

Sec. 504. Conveyance of Coast Guard property in Tok, Alaska. 

Sec. 505. Safe vessel operation in the Great Lakes. 

Sec. 506. Use of vessel sale proceeds. 

Sec. 507. Fishing vessel and fish tender vessel certification. 

Sec. 508. National Academy of Sciences cost comparison. 

Sec. 509. Penalty wages. 

Sec. 510. Recourse for noncitizens. 

1 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATIONS 

2 SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title 14, United States Code, is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘PART III—COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATIONS AND 

6 REPORTS TO CONGRESS 

‘‘Chap. Sec. 

‘‘27. Authorizations .......................................................................... 2701 

‘‘29. Reports ......................................................................................... 2901. 

7 ‘‘CHAPTER 27—AUTHORIZATIONS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘2702. Authorization of appropriations. 

‘‘2704. Authorized levels of military strength and training. 

8 ‘‘§ 2702. Authorization of appropriations 

9 ‘‘Funds are authorized to be appropriated for each 

10 of fiscal years 2016 and 2017 for necessary expenses of 

11 the Coast Guard as follows: 

12 ‘‘(1) For the operation and maintenance of the 

13 Coast Guard, not otherwise provided for— 


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1 ‘‘(A) $6,981,036,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) $6,981,036,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

4 ‘‘(2) For the acquisition, construction, renova5 tion, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore 

6 facilities, vessels, and aircraft, including equipment 

7 related thereto, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, 

8 lease, and operation of facilities and equipment— 

9 ‘‘(A) $1,546,448,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(B) $1,546,448,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

12 ‘‘(3) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, in13 cluding operations and maintenance of the program, 

14 personnel and training costs, equipment, and serv15 ices— 

16 ‘‘(A) $140,016,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(B) $140,016,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

19 ‘‘(4) For the environmental compliance and res20 toration functions of the Coast Guard under chapter 

21 19 of this title— 

22 ‘‘(A) $16,701,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

23 ‘‘(B) $16,701,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

24 ‘‘(5) To the Commandant of the Coast Guard 

25 for research, development, test, and evaluation of 


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1 technologies, materials, and human factors directly 

2 related to improving the performance of the Coast 

3 Guard’s mission with respect to search and rescue, 

4 aids to navigation, marine safety, marine environ5 mental protection, enforcement of laws and treaties, 

6 ice operations, oceanographic research, and defense 

7 readiness, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, lease, 

8 and operation of facilities and equipment— 

9 ‘‘(A) $19,890,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

10 ‘‘(B) $19,890,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

11 ‘‘§ 2704. Authorized levels of military strength and 

12 training 

13 ‘‘(a) ACTIVE DUTY STRENGTH.—The Coast Guard is 

14 authorized an end-of-year strength for active duty per15 sonnel of 43,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 and 2017. 

16 ‘‘(b) MILITARY TRAINING STUDENT LOADS.—The 

17 Coast Guard is authorized average military training stu18 dent loads for each of fiscal years 2016 and 2017 as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(1) For recruit and special training, 2,500 

21 student years. 

22 ‘‘(2) For flight training, 165 student years. 

23 ‘‘(3) For professional training in military and 

24 civilian institutions, 350 student years. 


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1 ‘‘(4) For officer acquisition, 1,200 student 

2 years. 

3 ‘‘CHAPTER 29—REPORTS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘2904. Manpower requirements plan. 

4 ‘‘§ 2904. Manpower requirements plan 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—On the date on which the Presi6 dent submits to Congress a budget for fiscal year 2017 

7 under section 1105 of title 31, on the date on which the 

8 President submits to Congress a budget for fiscal year 

9 2019 under such section, and every 4 years thereafter, the 

10 Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Transpor11 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

12 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor13 tation of the Senate a manpower requirements plan. 

14 ‘‘(b) SCOPE.—A manpower requirements plan sub15 mitted under subsection (a) shall include for each mission 

16 of the Coast Guard— 

17 ‘‘(1) an assessment of all projected mission re18 quirements for the upcoming fiscal year and for each 

19 of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

20 ‘‘(2) the number of active duty, reserve, and ci21 vilian personnel assigned or available to fulfill such 

22 mission requirements— 

23 ‘‘(A) currently; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) as projected for the upcoming fiscal 

2 year and each of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

3 ‘‘(3) the number of active duty, reserve, and ci4 vilian personnel required to fulfill such mission re5 quirements— 

6 ‘‘(A) currently; and 

7 ‘‘(B) as projected for the upcoming fiscal 

8 year and each of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

9 ‘‘(4) an identification of any capability gaps be10 tween mission requirements and mission perform11 ance caused by deficiencies in the numbers of per12 sonnel available— 

13 ‘‘(A) currently; and 

14 ‘‘(B) as projected for the upcoming fiscal 

15 year and each of the 3 fiscal years thereafter; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(5) an identification of the actions the Com18 mandant will take to address capability gaps identi19 fied under paragraph (4). 

20 ‘‘(c) CONSIDERATION.—In composing a manpower 

21 requirements plan for submission under subsection (a), 

22 the Commandant shall consider— 

23 ‘‘(1) the marine safety strategy required under 

24 section 2116 of title 46; 


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1 ‘‘(2) information on the adequacy of the acqui2 sition workforce included in the most recent report 

3 under section 2903 of this title; and 

4 ‘‘(3) any other Federal strategic planning effort 

5 the Commandant considers appropriate.’’. 

6 (b) REQUIREMENT FOR PRIOR AUTHORIZATION OF

7 APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 662 of title 14, United States 

8 Code, is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating such section as section 

10 2701; 

11 (2) by transferring such section to appear be12 fore section 2702 of such title (as added by sub13 section (a) of this section); and 

14 (3) by striking paragraphs (1) through (5) and 

15 inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) For the operation and maintenance of the 

17 Coast Guard, not otherwise provided for. 

18 ‘‘(2) For the acquisition, construction, renova19 tion, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore 

20 facilities, vessels, and aircraft, including equipment 

21 related thereto, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, 

22 lease, and operation of facilities and equipment. 

23 ‘‘(3) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, in24 cluding operations and maintenance of the program, 


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1 personnel and training costs, equipment, and serv2 ices. 

3 ‘‘(4) For the environmental compliance and res4 toration functions of the Coast Guard under chapter 

5 19 of this title. 

6 ‘‘(5) For research, development, test, and eval7 uation of technologies, materials, and human factors 

8 directly related to improving the performance of the 

9 Coast Guard. 

10 ‘‘(6) For alteration or removal of bridges over 

11 navigable waters of the United States constituting 

12 obstructions to navigation, and for personnel and 

13 administrative costs associated with the Alteration of 

14 Bridges Program.’’. 

15 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF PERSONNEL END

16 STRENGTHS.—Section 661 of title 14, United States 

17 Code, is amended— 

18 (1) by redesignating such section as section 

19 2703; and 

20 (2) by transferring such section to appear be21 fore section 2704 of such title (as added by sub22 section (a) of this section). 

23 (d) REPORTS.— 


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1 (1) TRANSMISSION OF ANNUAL COAST GUARD

2 AUTHORIZATION REQUEST.—Section 662a of title 

3 14, United States Code, is amended— 

4 (A) by redesignating such section as sec5 tion 2901; 

6 (B) by transferring such section to appear 

7 before section 2904 of such title (as added by 

8 subsection (a) of this section); and 

9 (C) in subsection (b)— 

10 (i) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘de11 scribed in section 661’’ and inserting ‘‘de12 scribed in section 2703’’; and 

13 (ii) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘de14 scribed in section 662’’ and inserting ‘‘de15 scribed in section 2701’’. 

16 (2) CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN.—Section 663 

17 of title 14, United States Code, is amended— 

18 (A) by redesignating such section as sec19 tion 2902; and 

20 (B) by transferring such section to appear 

21 after section 2901 of such title (as so redesig22 nated and transferred by paragraph (1) of this 

23 subsection). 

24 (3) MAJOR ACQUISITIONS.—Section 569a of 

25 title 14, United States Code, is amended— 


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1 (A) by redesignating such section as sec2 tion 2903; 

3 (B) by transferring such section to appear 

4 after section 2902 of such title (as so redesig5 nated and transferred by paragraph (2) of this 

6 subsection); and 

7 (C) in subsection (c)(2) by striking ‘‘of this 

8 subchapter’’. 

9 (e) ICEBREAKING ON THE GREAT LAKES.—For fiscal 

10 years 2016 and 2017, the Commandant of the Coast 

11 Guard may use funds made available pursuant to section 

12 2702(2) of title 14, United States Code (as added by sub13 section (a) of this section) for the selection of a design 

14 for and the construction of an icebreaker that is capable 

15 of buoy tending to enhance icebreaking capacity on the 

16 Great Lakes. 

17 (f) ADDITIONAL SUBMISSIONS.—The Commandant 

18 of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on 

19 Homeland Security of the House of Representatives— 

20 (1) each plan required under section 2904 of 

21 title 14, United States Code, as added by subsection 

22 (a) of this section; 

23 (2) each plan required under section 2903(e) of 

24 title 14, United States Code, as added by section 

25 206 of this Act; 


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1 (3) each plan required under section 2902 of 

2 title 14, United States Code, as redesignated by sub3 section (d) of this section; and 

4 (4) each mission need statement required under 

5 section 569 of title 14, United States Code. 

6 SEC. 102. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

7 (a) ANALYSIS FOR TITLE 14.—The analysis for title 

8 14, United States Code, is amended by adding after the 

9 item relating to part II the following: 

‘‘III. Coast Guard Authorizations and Reports to Congress ............................................................................ 2701’’. 

10 (b) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 15.—The analysis for 

11 chapter 15 of title 14, United States Code, is amended 

12 by striking the item relating to section 569a. 

13 (c) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 17.—The analysis for 

14 chapter 17 of title 14, United States Code, is amended 

15 by striking the items relating to sections 661, 662, 662a, 

16 and 663. 

17 (d) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 27.—The analysis for 

18 chapter 27 of title 14, United States Code, as added by 

19 section 101(a) of this Act, is amended by inserting— 

20 (1) before the item relating to section 2702 the 

21 following: 

‘‘2701. Requirement for prior authorization of appropriations.’’; 

22 and 


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1 (2) before the item relating to section 2704 the 

2 following: 

‘‘2703. Authorization of personnel end strengths.’’. 

3 (e) ANALYSIS FOR CHAPTER 29.—The analysis for 

4 chapter 29 of title 14, United States Code, as added by 

5 section 101(a) of this Act, is amended by inserting before 

6 the item relating to section 2904 the following: 

‘‘2901. Transmission of annual Coast Guard authorization request. 

‘‘2902. Capital investment plan. 

‘‘2903. Major acquisitions.’’. 

7 (f) MISSION NEED STATEMENT.—Section 569(b) of 

8 title 14, United States Code, is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘in section 

10 569a(e)’’ and inserting ‘‘in section 2903’’; and 

11 (2) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘under section 

12 663(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘under section 

13 2902(a)(1)’’. 

14 TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

15 SEC. 201. VICE COMMANDANT. 

16 (a) GRADES AND RATINGS.—Section 41 of title 14, 

17 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘an admiral,’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘admirals (two);’’. 

19 (b) VICE COMMANDANT; APPOINTMENT.—Section 47 

20 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘vice admiral’’ and inserting ‘‘admiral’’. 

22 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 51 of title 

23 14, United States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a) by inserting ‘‘admiral or’’ 

2 before ‘‘vice admiral,’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b) by inserting ‘‘admiral or’’ 

4 before ‘‘vice admiral,’’ each place it appears; and 

5 (3) in subsection (c) by inserting ‘‘admiral or’’ 

6 before ‘‘vice admiral,’’. 

7 (d) APPLICATION.—Notwithstanding any other provi8 sion of law, the officer who, on the date of the enactment 

9 of this Act, is serving as Vice Commandant of the Coast 

10 Guard— 

11 (1) shall have the grade of admiral, with the 

12 pay and allowances of that grade; and 

13 (2) shall not be required to be reappointed by 

14 reason of the enactment of this Act, including the 

15 amendments made by this Act. 

16 SEC. 202. VICE ADMIRALS. 

17 Section 50 of title 14, United States Code, is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert21 ing the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) The President may— 

23 ‘‘(A) designate, within the Coast Guard, no 

24 more than five positions of importance and responsi25 bility that shall be held by officers who, while so 


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1 serving, shall have the grade of vice admiral, with 

2 the pay and allowances of that grade, and shall per3 form such duties as the Commandant may prescribe 

4 (if the President designates five such positions, one 

5 position shall be a Chief of Staff); and 

6 ‘‘(B) designate, within the executive branch, 

7 other than within the Coast Guard or the National 

8 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, positions 

9 of importance and responsibility that shall be held 

10 by officers who, while so serving, shall have the 

11 grade of vice admiral, with the pay and allowances 

12 of that grade.’’; and 

13 (B) in paragraph (3)(A) by striking 

14 ‘‘under paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘under 

15 paragraph (1)(A)’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (b)(2)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

18 at the end; 

19 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

20 subparagraph (D); and 

21 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘(C) at the discretion of the Secretary, while 

24 awaiting orders after being relieved from the posi25 tion, beginning on the day the officer is relieved 


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1 from the position, but not for more than 60 days; 

2 and’’. 

3 SEC. 203. COAST GUARD REMISSION OF INDEBTEDNESS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 461 of title 14, United 

5 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘§ 461. Remission of indebtedness 

7 ‘‘The Secretary may have remitted or cancelled any 

8 part of a person’s indebtedness to the United States or 

9 any instrumentality of the United States if— 

10 ‘‘(1) the indebtedness was incurred while the 

11 person served on active duty as a member of the 

12 Coast Guard; and 

13 ‘‘(2) the Secretary determines that remitting or 

14 cancelling the indebtedness is in the best interest of 

15 the United States.’’. 

16 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap17 ter 13 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by 

18 striking the item relating to section 461 and inserting the 

19 following: 

‘‘461. Remission of indebtedness.’’. 

20 SEC. 204. ACQUISITION REFORM. 

21 (a) MINIMUM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.—Section 

22 572(d)(3) of title 14, United States Code, is amended— 

23 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) through 

24 (H) as subparagraphs (E) through (J), respectively; 


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1 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub2 paragraph (C); 

3 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(B) the performance data to be used to 

6 determine whether the key performance param7 eters have been resolved;’’; and 

8 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (C), as re9 designated by paragraph (2) of this subsection, the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(D) the results during test and evaluation 

12 that will be required to demonstrate that a ca13 pability, asset, or subsystem meets performance 

14 requirements;’’. 

15 (b) CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN.—Section 

16 2902(a)(1) of title 14, United States Code, as redesig17 nated and otherwise amended by this Act, is further 

18 amended— 

19 (1) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘comple20 tion;’’ and inserting ‘‘completion based on the pro21 posed appropriations included in the budget;’’; and 

22 (2) in subparagraph (D) by striking ‘‘at the 

23 projected funding levels;’’ and inserting ‘‘based on 

24 the proposed appropriations included in the budg25 et;’’. 


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1 (c) DAYS AWAY FROM HOMEPORT.—Not later than 

2 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

3 Commandant of the Coast Guard shall— 

4 (1) implement a standard for tracking oper5 ational days at sea for Coast Guard cutters that 

6 does not include days during which such cutters are 

7 undergoing maintenance or repair; and 

8 (2) notify the Committee on Transportation 

9 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

10 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

11 Transportation of the Senate of the standard imple12 mented under paragraph (1). 

13 (d) FIXED WING AIRCRAFT FLEET MIX ANALYSIS.— 

14 Not later than September 30, 2015, the Commandant of 

15 the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on Trans16 portation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa17 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

18 Transportation of the Senate a revised fleet mix analysis 

19 of Coast Guard fixed wing aircraft. 

20 SEC. 205. AUXILIARY JURISDICTION. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 822 of title 14, United 

22 States Code, is amended— 

23 (1) by striking ‘‘The purpose’’ and inserting the 

24 following: 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The purpose’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—The Auxiliary may conduct a pa3 trol of a waterway, or a portion thereof, only if— 

4 ‘‘(1) the Commandant has determined such wa5 terway, or portion thereof, is navigable for purposes 

6 of the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard; or 

7 ‘‘(2) a State or other proper authority has re8 quested such patrol pursuant to section 141 of this 

9 title or section 13109 of title 46.’’. 

10 (b) NOTIFICATION.—The Commandant of the Coast 

11 Guard shall— 

12 (1) review the waterways patrolled by the Coast 

13 Guard Auxiliary in the most recently completed fis14 cal year to determine whether such waterways are 

15 eligible or ineligible for patrol under section 822(b) 

16 of title 14, United States Code (as added by sub17 section (a)); and 

18 (2) not later than 180 days after the date of 

19 the enactment of this Act, provide to the Committee 

20 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

21 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

22 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a written 

23 notification of— 

24 (A) any waterways determined ineligible 

25 for patrol under paragraph (1); and 


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1 (B) the actions taken by the Commandant 

2 to ensure Auxiliary patrols do not occur on such 

3 waterways. 

4 SEC. 206. LONG-TERM MAJOR ACQUISITIONS PLAN. 

5 Section 2903 of title 14, United States Code, as re6 designated and otherwise amended by this Act, is further 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub9 section (f); and 

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

12 ‘‘(e) LONG-TERM MAJOR ACQUISITIONS PLAN.— 

13 Each report under subsection (a) shall include a plan that 

14 describes for the upcoming fiscal year, and for each of the 

15 20 fiscal years thereafter— 

16 ‘‘(1) the numbers and types of cutters and air17 craft to be decommissioned; 

18 ‘‘(2) the numbers and types of cutters and air19 craft to be acquired to— 

20 ‘‘(A) replace the cutters and aircraft iden21 tified under paragraph (1); or 

22 ‘‘(B) address an identified capability gap; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(3) the estimated level of funding in each fis25 cal year required to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) acquire the cutters and aircraft iden2 tified under paragraph (2); 

3 ‘‘(B) acquire related command, control, 

4 communications, computer, intelligence, surveil5 lance, and reconnaissance systems; and 

6 ‘‘(C) acquire, construct, or renovate shore7 side infrastructure.’’. 

8 SEC. 207. COAST GUARD COMMUNITIES. 

9 Section 409 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act 

10 of 1998 (14 U.S.C. 639 note) is amended by striking the 

11 second sentence and inserting the following: ‘‘The Com12 mandant may recognize any other community in a similar 

13 manner if the Commandant determines that such commu14 nity has demonstrated enduring support of the Coast 

15 Guard, Coast Guard personnel, and the dependents of 

16 Coast Guard personnel.’’. 

17 SEC. 208. ‘‘POLAR SEA’’ MATERIEL CONDITION ASSESSMENT 

18 AND SERVICE LIFE EXTENSION DECISION. 

19 Section 222 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Trans20 portation Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–213; 126 Stat. 

21 1560) is amended— 

22 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol23 lows: 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after 

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1 tion Act of 2015, the Secretary of the department in which 

2 the Coast Guard is operating shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) complete a materiel condition assessment 

4 with respect to the Polar Sea; 

5 ‘‘(2) make a determination of whether it is cost 

6 effective to reactivate the Polar Sea compared with 

7 other options to provide icebreaking services as part 

8 of a strategy to maintain polar icebreaking services; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(3) submit to the Committee on Transpor11 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent12 atives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

13 and Transportation of the Senate— 

14 ‘‘(A) the assessment required under para15 graph (1); and 

16 ‘‘(B) written notification of the determina17 tion required under paragraph (2).’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘analysis’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘written notification’’; 

20 (3) by striking subsection (c); 

21 (4) by redesignating subsections (d) through (h) 

22 as subsections (c) through (g), respectively; 

23 (5) in subsection (c) (as redesignated by para24 graph (4) of this section)— 

25 (A) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) in subparagraph (A) by striking 

2 ‘‘based on the analysis required’’; and 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (C) by striking 

4 ‘‘analysis’’ and inserting ‘‘written notifica5 tion’’; 

6 (B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

7 follows: 

8 ‘‘(2) DECOMMISSIONING.—If the Secretary 

9 makes a determination under subsection (a) that it 

10 is not cost effective to reactivate the Polar Sea, 

11 then, not later than 180 days after written notifica12 tion of that determination is submitted under that 

13 subsection, the Commandant of the Coast Guard 

14 may decommission the Polar Sea.’’; and 

15 (C) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 

16 follows: 

17 ‘‘(3) RESULT OF NO DETERMINATION.—If the 

18 Secretary does not make a determination under sub19 section (a) regarding whether it is cost effective to 

20 reactivate the Polar Sea, then the Commandant of 

21 the Coast Guard may decommission the Polar Sea.’’; 

22 (6) in subsection (d)(1) (as redesignated by 

23 paragraph (4) of this section) by striking ‘‘analysis’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘written notification’’; and 


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1 (7) in subsection (e) (as redesignated by para2 graph (4) of this section) by striking ‘‘in subsection 

3 (d)’’ and inserting ‘‘in subsection (c)’’. 

4 SEC. 209. REPEAL. 

5 Section 225(b)(2) of the Howard Coble Coast Guard 

6 and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 (Public Law 

7 113–281; 128 Stat. 3039) is repealed. 

8 SEC. 210. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO TITLE 14. 

9 Title 14, United States Code, as amended by this Act, 

10 is further amended— 

11 (1) in the analysis for part I by striking the 

12 item relating to chapter 19 and inserting the fol13 lowing: 

‘‘19. Environmental Compliance and Restoration Program ............................................................................ 690’’; 

14 (2) in section 46(a) by striking ‘‘subsection’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘section’’; 

16 (3) in section 47 in the section heading by 

17 striking ‘‘commandant’’ and inserting ‘‘Com18 mandant’’; 

19 (4) in section 93(f) by striking paragraph (2) 

20 and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The Commandant may 

22 lease submerged lands and tidelands under para23 graph (1) only if— 

24 ‘‘(A) the lease is for cash exclusively; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the lease amount is equal to the fair 

2 market value of the use of the leased sub3 merged lands or tidelands for the period during 

4 which such lands are leased, as determined by 

5 the Commandant; 

6 ‘‘(C) the lease does not provide authority 

7 to or commit the Coast Guard to use or support 

8 any improvements to such submerged lands and 

9 tidelands, or obtain goods and services from the 

10 lessee; and 

11 ‘‘(D) proceeds from the lease are deposited 

12 in the Coast Guard Housing Fund established 

13 under section 687.’’; 

14 (5) in the analysis for chapter 9 by striking the 

15 item relating to section 199 and inserting the fol16 lowing: 

‘‘199. Marine safety curriculum.’’; 

17 (6) in section 427(b)(2) by striking ‘‘this chap18 ter’’ and inserting ‘‘chapter 61 of title 10’’; 

19 (7) in the analysis for chapter 15 before the 

20 item relating to section 571 by striking the fol21 lowing: 

‘‘Sec.’’; 

22 (8) in section 573(c)(3)(A) by inserting ‘‘and 

23 shall maintain such cutter in class’’ before the pe24 riod at the end; 


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1 (9) in section 581(5)(B) by striking 

2 ‘‘$300,000,0000,’’ and inserting ‘‘$300,000,000,’’; 

3 (10) in section 637(c)(3) in the matter pre4 ceding subparagraph (A) by inserting ‘‘it is’’ before 

5 ‘‘any’’; 

6 (11) in section 641(d)(3) by striking ‘‘Guard, 

7 installation’’ and inserting ‘‘Guard installation’’; 

8 (12) in section 691(c)(3) by striking ‘‘state’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘State’’; 

10 (13) in the analysis for chapter 21— 

11 (A) by striking the item relating to section 

12 709 and inserting the following: 

‘‘709. Reserve student aviation pilots; Reserve aviation pilots; appointments in 

commissioned grade.’’; 

13 and 

14 (B) by striking the item relating to section 

15 740 and inserting the following: 

‘‘740. Failure of selection and removal from an active status.’’; 

16 (14) in section 742(c) by striking ‘‘subsection’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘subsections’’; 

18 (15) in section 821(b)(1) by striking ‘‘Chapter 

19 26’’ and inserting ‘‘Chapter 171’’; and 

20 (16) in section 823a(b)(1), by striking ‘‘Chap21 ter 26’’ and inserting ‘‘Chapter 171’’. 


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1 SEC. 211. DIGITAL BOAT PROFILE PILOT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—If, during the 1-year period begin3 ning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec4 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard is op5 erating determines that there are at least two digital boat 

6 profile technologies that are commercially available, the 

7 Secretary shall establish a pilot program, in accordance 

8 with this section, under which digital boat profiles are uti9 lized for— 

10 (1) not less than two National Security Cutters; 

11 (2) not less than four Fast Response Cutters; 

12 and 

13 (3) not less than four Medium Endurance Cut14 ters (270 foot). 

15 (b) TIMING.—With respect to the National Security 

16 Cutters and Fast Response Cutters participating in the 

17 pilot program, a digital boat profile shall be established 

18 prior to the commissioning of the cutters. 

19 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the estab20 lishment of the pilot program, and annually thereafter for 

21 the succeeding 4 years, the Secretary of the department 

22 in which the Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the 

23 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

24 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com25 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

26 describing— 


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1 (1) the implementation of the pilot program; 

2 and 

3 (2) the results of the use of digital boat profiles 

4 under the pilot program with respect to— 

5 (A) efficient maintenance of the cutters in6 volved; and 

7 (B) the post-delivery warranty manage8 ment of equipment items, the repair and re9 placement of which are contractually obligated. 

10 (d) DIGITAL BOAT PROFILE DEFINED.—In this sec11 tion, the term ‘‘digital boat profile’’ means a commercially 

12 available off-the-shelf technology that creates an electronic 

13 data source with respect to a vessel that— 

14 (1) provides lifecycle management support, in15 cluding through the incorporation of systems manu16 als, schematics, and vessel documentation; 

17 (2) incorporates all manufacturer recommenda18 tions and operator best practices; 

19 (3) incorporates the use of real-time analytics 

20 of deferred tasks, future tasks, readiness assess21 ments, and budgetary planners; 

22 (4) provides advance electronic notification of 

23 upcoming maintenance and inspections to multi-level 

24 permission-based recipients on a daily, weekly, or 

25 monthly basis; 


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1 (5) facilitates oversight for pre-delivery discrep2 ancy reporting and post-delivery warranty manage3 ment of equipment items, the repair and replace4 ment of which are contractually obligated; and 

5 (6) is accessible by computing devices. 

6 SEC. 212. DISCONTINUANCE OF AN AID TO NAVIGATION. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 

9 department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 

10 establish a process for the discontinuance of an aid to 

11 navigation established, maintained, or operated by the 

12 Coast Guard. 

13 (b) REQUIREMENT.—The process established under 

14 subsection (a) shall include procedures to notify the public 

15 of any discontinuance of an aid to navigation described 

16 in that subsection. 

17 (c) CONSULTATION.—In establishing a process under 

18 subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with and con19 sider any recommendations of the Navigation Safety Advi20 sory Council. 

21 (d) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 days after es22 tablishing a process under subsection (a), the Secretary 

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1 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

2 Senate of the process established. 

3 SEC. 213. MISSION PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 

4 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

5 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

6 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In7 frastructure and the Committee on Homeland Security of 

8 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com9 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an as10 sessment of the efficacy of the Coast Guard’s Standard 

11 Operational Planning Process with respect to annual mis12 sion performance measures. 

13 SEC. 214. COMMUNICATIONS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the department 

15 in which the Coast Guard is operating shall establish and 

16 carry out a response capabilities pilot program to assess, 

17 at not fewer than two Coast Guard command centers, the 

18 effectiveness of a radio gateway that— 

19 (1) provides for— 

20 (A) multiagency collaboration and inter21 operability; and 

22 (B) wide-area, secure, and peer-invitation23 and-acceptance-based multimedia communica24 tions; 


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1 (2) is certified by the Department of Defense 

2 Joint Interoperability Test Center; and 

3 (3) is composed of commercially available, off4 the-shelf technology. 

5 (b) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 

7 for the succeeding 4 years, the Secretary shall submit to 

8 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

9 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com10 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an as11 sessment of the pilot program, including the impacts of 

12 the program with respect to interagency and Coast Guard 

13 response capabilities. 

14 SEC. 215. COAST GUARD GRADUATE MARITIME OPER15 ATIONS EDUCATION. 

16 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

17 of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which the 

18 Coast Guard is operating shall establish an education pro19 gram, for members and employees of the Coast Guard, 

20 that— 

21 (1) offers a master’s degree in maritime oper22 ations; 

23 (2) is relevant to the professional development 

24 of such members and employees; 


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1 (3) provides resident and distant education op2 tions, including the ability to utilize both options; 

3 and 

4 (4) to the greatest extent practicable, is con5 ducted using existing academic programs at an ac6 credited public academic institution that— 

7 (A) is located near a significant number of 

8 Coast Guard, maritime, and other Department 

9 of Homeland Security law enforcement per10 sonnel; and 

11 (B) has an ability to simulate operations 

12 normally conducted at a command center. 

13 TITLE III—SHIPPING AND 

14 NAVIGATION 

15 SEC. 301. TREATMENT OF FISHING PERMITS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 313 of 

17 title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

18 end the following: 

19 ‘‘§ 31310. Treatment of fishing permits 

20 ‘‘(a) LIMITATION ON MARITIME LIENS.—This chap21 ter— 

22 ‘‘(1) does not establish a maritime lien on a 

23 fishing permit; and 

24 ‘‘(2) does not authorize any civil action to en25 force a maritime lien on a fishing permit. 


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1 ‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF FISHING PERMITS UNDER

2 STATE AND FEDERAL LAW.—A fishing permit— 

3 ‘‘(1) is governed solely by the State or Federal 

4 law under which it is issued; and 

5 ‘‘(2) shall not be treated as part of a vessel, or 

6 as an appurtenance or intangible of a vessel, for any 

7 purpose under Federal law. 

8 ‘‘(c) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF COMMERCE NOT

9 AFFECTED.—Nothing in this section shall be construed as 

10 imposing any limitation upon the authority of the Sec11 retary of Commerce— 

12 ‘‘(1) to modify, suspend, revoke, or impose a 

13 sanction on any fishing permit issued by the Sec14 retary of Commerce; or 

15 ‘‘(2) to bring a civil action to enforce such a 

16 modification, suspension, revocation, or sanction. 

17 ‘‘(d) FISHING PERMIT DEFINED.—In this section the 

18 term ‘fishing permit’ means any authorization of a person 

19 or vessel to engage in fishing that is issued under State 

20 or Federal law.’’. 

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

22 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

23 after the item relating to section 31309 the following: 

‘‘31310. Treatment of fishing permits.’’. 


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1 SEC. 302. SURVIVAL CRAFT. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3104 of title 46, United 

3 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘§ 3104. Survival craft 

5 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT TO EQUIP.—The Secretary shall 

6 require that a passenger vessel be equipped with survival 

7 craft that ensures that no part of an individual is im8 mersed in water, if— 

9 ‘‘(1) such vessel is built or undergoes a major 

10 conversion after January 1, 2016; and 

11 ‘‘(2) operates in cold waters as determined by 

12 the Secretary. 

13 ‘‘(b) HIGHER STANDARD OF SAFETY.—The Sec14 retary may revise part 117 or part 180 of title 46, Code 

15 of Federal Regulations, as in effect before January 1, 

16 2016, if such revision provides a higher standard of safety 

17 than is provided by the regulations in effect on or before 

18 the date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Authoriza19 tion Act of 2015. 

20 ‘‘(c) INNOVATIVE AND NOVEL DESIGNS.—The Sec21 retary may, in lieu of the requirements set out in part 

22 117 or part 180 of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, 

23 as in effect on the date of the enactment of the Coast 

24 Guard Authorization Act of 2015, allow a passenger vessel 

25 to be equipped with a life saving appliance or arrangement 

26 of an innovative or novel design that— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ensures no part of an individual is im2 mersed in water; and 

3 ‘‘(2) provides an equal or higher standard of 

4 safety than is provided by such requirements as in 

5 effect before such date of the enactment. 

6 ‘‘(d) BUILT DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

7 ‘built’ has the meaning that term has under section 

8 4503(e).’’. 

9 (b) REVIEW; REVISION OF REGULATIONS.— 

10 (1) REVIEW.—Not later than December 31, 

11 2015, the Secretary of the department in which the 

12 Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the Com13 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

14 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

15 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen16 ate a review of— 

17 (A) the number of casualties for individ18 uals with disabilities, children, and the elderly 

19 as a result of immersion in water, reported to 

20 the Coast Guard over the preceding 30-year pe21 riod, by vessel type and area of operation; 

22 (B) the risks to individuals with disabil23 ities, children, and the elderly as a result of im24 mersion in water, by passenger vessel type and 

25 area of operation; 


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1 (C) the effect that carriage of survival 

2 craft that ensure that no part of an individual 

3 is immersed in water has on— 

4 (i) passenger vessel safety, including 

5 stability and safe navigation; 

6 (ii) improving the survivability of indi7 viduals, including individuals with disabil8 ities, children, and the elderly; and 

9 (iii) the costs, the incremental cost 

10 difference to vessel operators, and the cost 

11 effectiveness of requiring the carriage of 

12 such survival craft to address the risks to 

13 individuals with disabilities, children, and 

14 the elderly; 

15 (D) the efficacy of alternative safety sys16 tems, devices, or measures in improving surviv17 ability of individuals with disabilities, children, 

18 and the elderly; and 

19 (E) the number of small businesses and 

20 nonprofit vessel operators that would be af21 fected by requiring the carriage of such survival 

22 craft on passenger vessels to address the risks 

23 to individuals with disabilities, children, and the 

24 elderly. 


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1 (2) REVISION.—Based on the review conducted 

2 under paragraph (1), the Secretary may revise regu3 lations concerning the carriage of survival craft pur4 suant to section 3104(c) of title 46, United States 

5 Code. 

6 SEC. 303. ENFORCEMENT. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 55305(d) of title 46, 

8 United States Code, is amended— 

9 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol10 lows: 

11 ‘‘(1) Each department or agency that has re12 sponsibility for a program under this section shall 

13 administer that program consistent with this section 

14 and any regulations promulgated pursuant to sub15 chapter II of chapter 5 of title 5, issued by the Sec16 retary of Transportation, and developed in consulta17 tion with each department and agency subject to 

18 this section.’’; 

19 (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para20 graph (3), and by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary, after consulting with 

23 the department, agency, organization, or person in24 volved, shall have sole responsibility for determining 

25 the applicability of this section to a program of a 


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1 Federal department or agency, after consulting with 

2 the department, agency, organization, or person in3 volved. 

4 ‘‘(B) The head of a Federal department or 

5 agency shall request the Secretary to determine the 

6 applicability of this section to a program of such de7 partment or agency if the department or agency is 

8 uncertain of such applicability. Not later than 30 

9 days after receiving such a request, the Secretary 

10 shall make such determination. 

11 ‘‘(C) Subparagraph (B) shall not be construed 

12 to limit the authority of the Secretary to make a de13 termination regarding the applicability of this sec14 tion to a program administered by a Federal depart15 ment or agency. 

16 ‘‘(D) A determination made by the Secretary 

17 under this paragraph regarding a program shall re18 main in effect until the Secretary determines that 

19 this section no longer applies to such program.’’; 

20 (3) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, by 

21 amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(A) shall conduct an annual review of the 

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1 ance with the requirements of this section;’’; 

2 and 

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

4 ‘‘(4) On the date on which the President sub5 mits to Congress a budget pursuant to section 1105 

6 of title 31, the Secretary shall make available on the 

7 Internet website of the Department of Transpor8 tation a report that— 

9 ‘‘(A) lists the programs that were subject 

10 to determinations made by the Secretary under 

11 paragraph (2) in the preceding year; and 

12 ‘‘(B) describes the results of the most re13 cent annual review required by paragraph 

14 (3)(A), including identification of the depart15 ments and agencies that transported cargo in 

16 violation of this section and any action the Sec17 retary took under paragraph (3) with respect to 

18 each violation.’’. 

19 (b) DEADLINE FOR FIRST REVIEW.—The Secretary 

20 of Transportation shall complete the first review required 

21 under the amendment made by subsection (a)(1)(C) by 

22 not later than December 31, 2015. 

23 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3511(c) of 

24 the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act 

25 for Fiscal Year 2009 (46 U.S.C. 55305 note) is repealed. 


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1 SEC. 304. MODEL YEARS FOR RECREATIONAL VESSELS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4302 of title 46, United 

3 States Code is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(e)(1) If in prescribing regulations under this sec6 tion the Secretary establishes a model year for recreational 

7 vessels and associated equipment, such model year shall, 

8 except as provided in paragraph (2)— 

9 ‘‘(A) begin on June 1 of a year and end on July 

10 31 of the following year; and 

11 ‘‘(B) be designated by the year in which it ends. 

12 ‘‘(2) Upon the request of a recreational vessel manu13 facturer to which this chapter applies, the Secretary may 

14 alter a model year for a model of recreational vessel of 

15 the manufacturer and associated equipment, by no more 

16 than 6 months from the model year described in para17 graph (1).’’. 

18 (b) APPLICATION.—This section shall only apply with 

19 respect to recreational vessels and associated equipment 

20 constructed or manufactured, respectively, on or after 

21 June 1, 2015. 

22 (c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 90 days after the 

23 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 

24 department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 

25 publish guidance to implement section 4302(d)(2) of title 

26 46, United States Code. 


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1 SEC. 305. MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIAL EXPIRATION 

2 HARMONIZATION. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

4 (c) and not later than 1 year after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which 

6 the Coast Guard is operating shall establish a process to 

7 harmonize the expiration dates of merchant mariner cre8 dentials, mariner medical certificates, and radar observer 

9 endorsements for individuals applying to the Secretary for 

10 a new merchant mariner credential or for renewal of an 

11 existing merchant mariner credential. 

12 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall ensure 

13 that the process established under subsection (a)— 

14 (1) does not require an individual to renew a 

15 merchant mariner credential earlier than the date on 

16 which the individual’s current credential expires; and 

17 (2) results in harmonization of expiration dates 

18 for merchant mariner credentials, mariner medical 

19 certificates, and radar observer endorsements for all 

20 individuals by not later than 6 years after the date 

21 of the enactment of this Act. 

22 (c) EXCEPTION.—The process established under sub23 section (a) does not apply to individuals— 

24 (1) holding a merchant mariner credential 

25 with— 


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1 (A) an active Standards of Training, Cer2 tification, and Watchkeeping endorsement; or 

3 (B) Federal first-class pilot endorsement; 

4 or 

5 (2) who have been issued a time-restricted med6 ical certificate. 

7 SEC. 306. MARINE EVENT SAFETY ZONES. 

8 Section 6 of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (33 

9 U.S.C. 1225) is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(c) MARINE EVENT SAFETY ZONES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para13 graph (2), the Secretary shall recover all costs the 

14 Coast Guard incurs to enforce a safety zone under 

15 this section if such safety zone is established for a 

16 marine event conducted under a permit or other au17 thorization by the Coast Guard. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may not re19 cover costs under paragraph (1) from a State or 

20 local government. 

21 ‘‘(3) TREATMENT OF RECOVERED COSTS.— 

22 Costs recovered by the Secretary under this sub23 section shall be credited to the appropriation for op24 erating expenses of the Coast Guard. 


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1 ‘‘(4) MARINE EVENT DEFINED.—In this section 

2 the term ‘marine event’ means a planned activity of 

3 limited duration that by its nature, circumstances, 

4 or location, will introduce extra or unusual hazards 

5 to the safety of life on the navigable waters of the 

6 United States.’’. 

7 SEC. 307. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

8 (a) TITLE 46.—Title 46, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in section 103, by striking ‘‘(33 U.S.C. 

11 151).’’ and inserting ‘‘(33 U.S.C. 151(b)).’’; 

12 (2) in section 2118— 

13 (A) in subsection (a), in the matter pre14 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘title,’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘subtitle,’’; and 

16 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘title’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘subtitle’’; 

18 (3) in the analysis for chapter 35— 

19 (A) by adding a period at the end of the 

20 item relating to section 3507; and 

21 (B) by adding a period at the end of the 

22 item relating to section 3508; 

23 (4) in section 3715(a)(2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

24 and inserting a semicolon; 


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1 (5) in section 8103(b)(1)(A)(iii), by striking 

2 ‘‘Academy.’’ and inserting ‘‘Academy; and’’; and 

3 (6) in section 11113(c)(1)(A)(i), by striking 

4 ‘‘under this Act’’. 

5 (b) GENERAL BRIDGE STATUTES.— 

6 (1) ACT OF MARCH 3, 1899.—The Act of March 

7 3, 1899, popularly known as the Rivers and Harbors 

8 Appropriations Act of 1899, is amended— 

9 (A) in section 9 (33 U.S.C. 401), by strik10 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

11 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart12 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’; 

13 and 

14 (B) in section 18 (33 U.S.C. 502), by 

15 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each 

16 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the 

17 department in which the Coast Guard is oper18 ating’’. 

19 (2) ACT OF MARCH 23, 1906.—The Act of March 

20 23, 1906, popularly known as the Bridge Act of 

21 1906, is amended— 

22 (A) in the first section (33 U.S.C. 491), by 

23 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and in24 serting ‘‘Secretary of the department in which 

25 the Coast Guard is operating’’; 


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1 (B) in section 4 (33 U.S.C. 494), by strik2 ing ‘‘Secretary of Homeland Security’’ each 

3 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the 

4 department in which the Coast Guard is oper5 ating’’; and 

6 (C) in section 5 (33 U.S.C. 495), by strik7 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

8 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart9 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’. 

10 (3) ACT OF AUGUST 18, 1894.—Section 5 of the 

11 Act entitled ‘‘An Act making appropriations for the 

12 construction, repair, and preservation of certain pub13 lic works on rivers and harbors, and for other pur14 poses’’, approved August 18, 1894 (33 U.S.C. 499) 

15 is amended by striking ‘‘Secretary of Transpor16 tation’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Sec17 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

18 is operating’’. 

19 (4) ACT OF JUNE 21, 1940.—The Act of June 

20 21, 1940, popularly known as the Truman-Hobbs 

21 Act, is amended— 

22 (A) in the first section (33 U.S.C. 511), by 

23 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and in24 serting ‘‘Secretary of the department in which 

25 the Coast Guard is operating’’; 


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1 (B) in section 4 (33 U.S.C. 514), by strik2 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘Secretary of the department in which the 

4 Coast Guard is operating’’; 

5 (C) in section 7 (33 U.S.C. 517), by strik6 ing ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each place it 

7 appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the depart8 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating’’; 

9 and 

10 (D) in section 13 (33 U.S.C. 523), by 

11 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and in12 serting ‘‘Secretary of the department in which 

13 the Coast Guard is operating’’. 

14 (5) GENERAL BRIDGE ACT OF 1946.—The Gen15 eral Bridge Act of 1946 is amended— 

16 (A) in section 502(b) (33 U.S.C. 525(b)), 

17 by striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘Secretary of the department in which 

19 the Coast Guard is operating’’; and 

20 (B) in section 510 (33 U.S.C. 533), by 

21 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each 

22 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the 

23 department in which the Coast Guard is oper24 ating’’. 


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1 (6) INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE ACT OF 1972.—The 

2 International Bridge Act of 1972 is amended— 

3 (A) in section 5 (33 U.S.C. 535c), by 

4 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ and in5 serting ‘‘Secretary of the department in which 

6 the Coast Guard is operating’’; and 

7 (B) in section 8 (33 U.S.C. 535e), by 

8 striking ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’ each 

9 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary of the 

10 department in which the Coast Guard is oper11 ating’’. 

12 SEC. 308. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS OF MA13 RINE CASUALTY REPORTING. 

14 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact15 ment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard 

16 shall notify the Committee on Transportation and Infra17 structure of the House of Representatives and the Com18 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

19 Senate of the actions the Commandant will take to imple20 ment recommendations on improvements to the Coast 

21 Guard’s marine casualty reporting requirements and pro22 cedures included in— 

23 (1) the Department of Homeland Security Of24 fice of Inspector General report entitled ‘‘Marine Ac25 cident Reporting, Investigations, and Enforcement 


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1 in the United States Coast Guard’’, released on May 

2 23, 2013; and 

3 (2) the Towing Safety Advisory Committee re4 port entitled ‘‘Recommendations for Improvement of 

5 Marine Casualty Reporting’’, released on March 26, 

6 2015. 

7 SEC. 309. RECREATIONAL VESSEL ENGINE WEIGHTS. 

8 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact9 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which 

10 the Coast Guard is operating shall issue regulations 

11 amending Table 4 to Subpart H of Part 183–Weights 

12 (Pounds) of Outboard Motor and Related Equipment for 

13 Various Boat Horsepower Ratings (33 CFR 183) as ap14 propriate to reflect ‘‘Standard 30–Outboard Engine and 

15 Related Equipment Weights’’ published by the American 

16 Boat and Yacht Council, as in effect on the date of the 

17 enactment of this Act. 

18 SEC. 310. MERCHANT MARINER MEDICAL CERTIFICATION 

19 REFORM. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 75 of title 46, United 

21 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘§ 7509. Medical certification by trusted agents 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro25 vision of law and pursuant to regulations prescribed by 


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1 the Secretary, a trusted agent may issue a medical certifi2 cate to an individual who— 

3 ‘‘(1) must hold such certificate to qualify for a 

4 license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s 

5 document, or endorsement thereto under this part; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(2) is qualified as to sight, hearing, and phys8 ical condition to perform the duties of such license, 

9 certificate, document, or endorsement, as determined 

10 by the trusted agent. 

11 ‘‘(b) TRUSTED AGENT DEFINED.—In this section the 

12 term ‘trusted agent’ means a medical practitioner certified 

13 by the Secretary to perform physical examinations of an 

14 individual for purposes of a license, certificate of registry, 

15 or merchant mariner’s document under this part.’’. 

16 (b) DEADLINE.—Not later than 3 years after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 

18 department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 

19 issue a final rule implementing section 7509 of title 46, 

20 United States Code, as added by this section. 

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

22 chapter is amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘7509. Medical certification by trusted agents.’’. 

23 SEC. 311. ATLANTIC COAST PORT ACCESS ROUTE STUDY. 

24 Not later than April 1, 2016, the Commandant of the 

25 Coast Guard shall conclude the Atlantic Coast Port Access 


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1 Route Study and submit the results of such study to the 

2 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

3 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com4 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

5 SEC. 312. CERTIFICATES OF DOCUMENTATION FOR REC6 REATIONAL VESSELS. 

7 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact8 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Department in 

9 which the Coast Guard is operating shall issue regulations 

10 that— 

11 (1) make certificates of documentation for rec12 reational vessels effective for 5 years; and 

13 (2) require the owner of such a vessel— 

14 (A) to notify the Coast Guard of each 

15 change in the information on which the 

16 issuance of the certificate of documentation is 

17 based, that occurs before the expiration of the 

18 certificate; and 

19 (B) apply for a new certificates of docu20 mentation for such a vessel if there is any such 

21 change. 

22 SEC. 313. PROGRAM GUIDELINES. 

23 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact24 ment this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall— 


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1 (1) develop guidelines to implement the pro2 gram authorized under section 304(a) of the Coast 

3 Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 

4 (Public Law 109–241), including specific actions to 

5 ensure the future availability of able and 

6 credentialed United States licensed and unlicensed 

7 seafarers including— 

8 (A) incentives to encourage partnership 

9 agreements with operators of foreign-flag ves10 sels that carry liquified natural gas, that pro11 vide no less than one training billet per vessel 

12 for United States merchant mariners in order 

13 to meet minimum mandatory sea service re14 quirements; 

15 (B) development of appropriate training 

16 curricula for use by public and private maritime 

17 training institutions to meet all United States 

18 merchant mariner license, certification, and 

19 document laws and requirements under the 

20 International Convention on Standards of 

21 Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for 

22 Seafarers, 1978; and 

23 (C) steps to promote greater outreach and 

24 awareness of additional job opportunities for 


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1 sea service veterans of the United States Armed 

2 Forces; and 

3 (2) submit such guidelines to the Committee 

4 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

5 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

6 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

7 SEC. 314. REPEALS. 

8 (a) REPEALS, MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 1936.—Sec9 tions 601 through 606, 608 through 611, 613 through 

10 616, 802, and 809 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 

11 U.S.C. 53101 note) are repealed. 

12 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 575 of 

13 title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

14 (1) in section 57501, by striking ‘‘titles V and 

15 VI’’ and inserting ‘‘title V’’; and 

16 (2) in section 57531(a), by striking ‘‘titles V 

17 and VI’’ and inserting ‘‘title V’’. 

18 (c) TRANSFER FROM MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 

19 1936.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 801 of the Merchant 

21 Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. 53101 note) is— 

22 (A) redesignated as section 57522 of title 

23 46, United States Code, and transferred to ap24 pear after section 57521 of such title; and 


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1 (B) as so redesignated and transferred, is 

2 amended— 

3 (i) by striking so much as precedes 

4 the first sentence and inserting the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘§ 57522. Books and records, balance sheets, and in7 spection and auditing’’; 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘the provision of title 

9 VI or VII of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘this 

10 chapter’’; 

11 (iii) by striking ‘‘That the provisions’’ 

12 and all that follows through ‘‘Commission; 

13 (2)’’; and 

14 (iv) by redesignating clauses (3) and 

15 (4) as clauses (2) and (3), respectively. 

16 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

17 chapter 575, of title 46, United States Code, is 

18 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec19 tion 57521 the following: 

‘‘57522. Books and records, balance sheets, and inspection and auditing.’’. 

20 (d) REPEALS, TITLE 46, U.S.C.—Section 8103 of 

21 title 46, United States Code, is amended in subsections 

22 (c) and (d) by striking ‘‘or operating’’ each place it ap23 pears. 


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1 TITLE IV—FEDERAL MARITIME 

2 COMMISSION 

3 SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 46, United 

5 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘§ 308. Authorization of appropriations 

8 ‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fed9 eral Maritime Commission $24,700,000 for each of fiscal 

10 years 2016 and 2017 for the activities of the Commission 

11 authorized under this chapter and subtitle IV.’’. 

12 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap13 ter 3 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by add14 ing at the end the following: 

‘‘308. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

15 SEC. 402. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRMAN. 

16 Section 301(c)(3)(A) of title 46, United States Code, 

17 is amended— 

18 (1) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘units, but only 

19 after consultation with the other Commissioners;’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘units (with such appointments sub21 ject to the approval of the Commission);’’; 

22 (2) in clause (iv) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

23 (3) in clause (v) by striking the period at the 

24 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(vi) prepare and submit to the Presi3 dent and Congress requests for appropria4 tions for the Commission (with such re5 quests subject to the approval of the Com6 mission).’’. 

7 SEC. 403. PROHIBITION ON AWARDS. 

8 Section 307 of title 46, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘The Federal Maritime Commis11 sion’’ and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Maritime Commis13 sion’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 

16 the Federal Maritime Commission may not expend any 

17 funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it to 

18 issue an award, prize, commendation, or other honor to 

19 a non-Federal entity.’’. 

20 TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS 

21 SEC. 501. CONVEYANCE OF COAST GUARD PROPERTY IN 

22 MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 

23 (a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Commandant 

24 of the Coast Guard may convey all right, title, and interest 

25 of the United States in and to the covered property, upon 


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1 payment to the United States of the fair market value of 

2 the covered property. 

3 (b) RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL.—The County of 

4 Marin, California shall have the right of first refusal with 

5 respect to purchase of the covered property under this sec6 tion. 

7 (c) SURVEY.—The exact acreage and legal descrip8 tion of the covered property shall be determined by a sur9 vey satisfactory to the Commandant. 

10 (d) FAIR MARKET VALUE.—The fair market value 

11 of the covered property shall— 

12 (1) be determined by appraisal; and 

13 (2) be subject to the approval of the Com14 mandant. 

15 (e) COSTS OF CONVEYANCE.—The responsibility for 

16 all reasonable and necessary costs, including real estate 

17 transaction and environmental documentation costs, asso18 ciated with a conveyance under this section shall be deter19 mined by the Commandant and the purchaser. 

20 (f) ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The 

21 Commandant may require such additional terms and con22 ditions in connection with a conveyance under this section 

23 as the Commandant considers appropriate and reasonable 

24 to protect the interests of the United States. 


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1 (g) DEPOSIT OF PROCEEDS.—Any proceeds received 

2 by the United States in a conveyance under this section 

3 shall be deposited in the Coast Guard Housing Fund es4 tablished by section 687 of title 14, United States Code. 

5 (h) COVERED PROPERTY DEFINED.—In this section, 

6 the term ‘‘covered property’’ means the approximately 32 

7 acres of real property (including all improvements located 

8 on the property) that are— 

9 (1) located at Station Point Reyes in Marin 

10 County, California; 

11 (2) under the administrative control of the 

12 Coast Guard; and 

13 (3) described as ‘‘Parcel A, Tract 1’’, ‘‘Parcel 

14 B, Tract 2’’, ‘‘Parcel C’’, and ‘‘Parcel D’’ in the 

15 Declaration of Taking (Civil No. C–71–1245 SC) 

16 filed June 28, 1971, in the United States District 

17 Court for the Northern District of California. 

18 SEC. 502. ELIMINATION OF REPORTS. 

19 (a) DISTANT WATER TUNA FLEET.—Section 421 of 

20 the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 

21 2006 (46 U.S.C. 8103 note) is amended by striking sub22 section (d). 

23 (b) ANNUAL UPDATES ON LIMITS TO LIABILITY.— 

24 Section 603(c)(3) of the Coast Guard and Maritime 

25 Transportation Act of 2006 (33 U.S.C. 2704 note) is 


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1 amended by striking ‘‘on an annual basis.’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘not later than January 30 of the year following each year 

3 in which occurs an oil discharge from a vessel or nonvessel 

4 source that results or is likely to result in removal costs 

5 and damages (as those terms are defined in section 1001 

6 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701)) that 

7 exceed liability limits established under section 1004 of the 

8 Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2704).’’. 

9 (c) INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE ACT OF 1972.—The 

10 International Bridge Act of 1972 is amended by striking 

11 section 11 (33 U.S.C. 535h). 

12 SEC. 503. VESSEL DOCUMENTATION. 

13 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact14 ment this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 

15 States shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 

16 and infrastructure of the House and the Committee on 

17 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a 

18 description of actions that could be taken to— 

19 (1) improve the efficiency of performance of the 

20 functions currently carried out by the National Ves21 sel Documentation Center, including by— 

22 (A) transferring such functions to Coast 

23 Guard headquarters; and 


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1 (B) reassigning Coast Guard personnel to 

2 better meet the Coast Guard’s vessel docu3 mentation mission; and 

4 (2) strengthen the review of compliance with 

5 United States ownership requirements for vessels 

6 documented under the laws of the United States. 

7 SEC. 504. CONVEYANCE OF COAST GUARD PROPERTY IN 

8 TOK, ALASKA. 

9 (a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Commandant 

10 of the Coast Guard may convey all right, title, and interest 

11 of the United States in and to the covered property, upon 

12 payment to the United States of the fair market value of 

13 the covered property. 

14 (b) RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL.—The Tanana Chiefs’ 

15 Conference shall have the right of first refusal with respect 

16 to purchase of the covered property under this section. 

17 (c) SURVEY.—The exact acreage and legal descrip18 tion of the covered property shall be determined by a sur19 vey satisfactory to the Commandant. 

20 (d) FAIR MARKET VALUE.—The fair market value 

21 of the covered property shall be— 

22 (1) determined by appraisal; and 

23 (2) subject to the approval of the Commandant. 

24 (e) COSTS OF CONVEYANCE.—The responsibility for 

25 all reasonable and necessary costs, including real estate 


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1 transaction and environmental documentation costs, asso2 ciated with a conveyance under this section shall be deter3 mined by the Commandant and the purchaser. 

4 (f) ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The 

5 Commandant may require such additional terms and con6 ditions in connection with a conveyance under this section 

7 as the Commandant considers appropriate and reasonable 

8 to protect the interests of the United States. 

9 (g) DEPOSIT OF PROCEEDS.—Any proceeds received 

10 by the United States from a conveyance under this section 

11 shall be deposited in the Coast Guard Housing Fund es12 tablished under section 687 of title 14, United States 

13 Code. 

14 (h) COVERED PROPERTY DEFINED.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 

16 ‘‘covered property’’ means the approximately 3.25 

17 acres of real property (including all improvements 

18 located on the property) that are— 

19 (A) located in Tok, Alaska; 

20 (B) under the administrative control of the 

21 Coast Guard; and 

22 (C) described in paragraph (2). 

23 (2) DESCRIPTION.—The property described in 

24 this paragraph is the following: 


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1 (A) Lots 11, 12 and 13, block ‘‘G’’, Sec2 ond Addition to Hartsell Subdivision, Section 

3 20, Township 18 North, Range 13 East, Cop4 per River Meridian, Alaska as appears by Plat 

5 No. 72-39 filed in the Office of the Recorder 

6 for the Fairbanks Recording District of Alaska, 

7 bearing seal dated 25 September 1972, all con8 taining approximately 1.25 acres and commonly 

9 known as 2-PLEX – Jackie Circle, Units A and 

10 B. 

11 (B) Beginning at a point being the SE corner of the SE 1⁄4 of the SE 1 12 ⁄4 Section 24, 

13 Township 18 North, Range 12 East, Copper 

14 River Meridian, Alaska; thence running westerly along the south line of said SE 1 15 ⁄4 of the 

NE 1 16 ⁄4 260 feet; thence northerly parallel to the 

east line of said SE 1⁄4 of the NE 1 17 ⁄4 335 feet; 

18 thence easterly parallel to the south line 260 

19 feet; then south 335 feet along the east bound20 ary of Section 24 to the point of beginning; all 

21 containing approximately 2.0 acres and com22 monly known as 4-PLEX – West ‘‘C’’ and Wil23 low, Units A, B, C and D. 


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1 SEC. 505. SAFE VESSEL OPERATION IN THE GREAT LAKES. 

2 The Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Trans3 portation Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–281) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) in section 610, by— 

6 (A) striking the section enumerator and 

7 heading and inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 610. SAFE VESSEL OPERATION IN THE GREAT 

9 LAKES.’’; 

10 (B) striking ‘‘existing boundaries and any 

11 future expanded boundaries of the Thunder 

12 Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Under13 water Preserve’’ and inserting ‘‘boundaries of 

14 any national marine sanctuary that preserves 

15 shipwrecks or maritime heritage in the Great 

16 Lakes’’; and 

17 (C) by inserting before the period at the 

18 end the following: ‘‘, unless the designation doc19 uments for such sanctuary do not allow taking 

20 up or discharging ballast water in such sanc21 tuary’’; and 

22 (2) in the table of contents in section 2, by 

23 striking the item relating to such section and insert24 ing the following: 

‘‘Sec. 610. Safe vessel operation in the Great Lakes.’’. 


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1 SEC. 506. USE OF VESSEL SALE PROCEEDS. 

2 (a) AUDIT.—The Comptroller General of the United 

3 States shall conduct an audit of funds credited in each 

4 fiscal year after fiscal year 2004 to the Vessel Operations 

5 Revolving Fund that are attributable to the sale of obso6 lete vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet that 

7 were scrapped or sold under sections 57102, 57103, and 

8 57104 of title 46, United States Code, including— 

9 (1) a complete accounting of all vessel sale pro10 ceeds attributable to the sale of obsolete vessels in 

11 the National Defense Reserve Fleet that were 

12 scrapped or sold under sections 57102, 57103, and 

13 57104 of title 46, United States Code, in each fiscal 

14 year after fiscal year 2004; 

15 (2) the annual apportionment of proceeds ac16 counted for under paragraph (1) among the uses au17 thorized under section 308704 of title 54, United 

18 States Code, in each fiscal year after fiscal year 

19 2004, including— 

20 (A) for National Maritime Heritage 

21 Grants, including a list of all annual National 

22 Maritime Heritage Grant grant and subgrant 

23 awards that identifies the respective grant and 

24 subgrant recipients and grant and subgrant 

25 amounts; 


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1 (B) for the preservation and presentation 

2 to the public of maritime heritage property of 

3 the Maritime Administration; 

4 (C) to the United States Merchant Marine 

5 Academy and State maritime academies, includ6 ing a list of annual awards; and 

7 (D) for the acquisition, repair, recondi8 tioning, or improvement of vessels in the Na9 tional Defense Reserve Fleet; and 

10 (3) an accounting of proceeds, if any, attrib11 utable to the sale of obsolete vessels in the National 

12 Defense Reserve Fleet that were scrapped or sold 

13 under sections 57102, 57103, and 57104 of title 46, 

14 United States Code, in each fiscal year after fiscal 

15 year 2004, that were expended for uses not author16 ized under section 308704 of title 54, United States 

17 Code. 

18 (b) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 

19 days after the date of enactment this Act, the Comptroller 

20 General shall submit the audit conducted in subsection (a) 

21 to the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 

22 Natural Resources, and the Committee on Transportation 

23 and Infrastructure of the House and the Committee on 

24 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 


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1 SEC. 507. FISHING VESSEL AND FISH TENDER VESSEL CER2 TIFICATION. 

3 Section 4503 of title 46, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

6 following: ‘‘Subsection (a) does not apply to a fish7 ing vessel or fish tender vessel described in sub8 section (d)(6), if the vessel complies with an alter9 native safety compliance program established under 

10 that subsection for such a vessel.’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(6) The Secretary shall establish an alternative safe14 ty compliance program for fishing vessels or fish tender 

15 vessels (or both) that are at least 50 feet overall in length, 

16 and not more than 79 feet overall in length, and built after 

17 July 1, 2013.’’. 

18 SEC. 508. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES COST COM19 PARISON. 

20 (a) COST COMPARISON.—The Secretary of the de21 partment in which the Coast Guard is operating shall seek 

22 to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy 

23 of Sciences under which the Academy, by no later than 

24 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, shall 

25 submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infra26 structure of the House of Representatives and the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 May 20, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1987.RFS H1987

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1 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

2 Senate a comparison of the costs incurred by the Federal 

3 Government for each of the following alternatives: 

4 (1) Transferring the Polar Sea to a non-govern5 mental entity at no cost, and leasing back the vessel 

6 beginning on the date on which the Coast Guard 

7 certifies that the vessel is capable of the breaking 

8 out and missions described in subsection (c)(1). 

9 (2) The reactivation and operation by the Coast 

10 Guard of the Polar Sea to an operational level at 

11 which the vessel is capable of such breaking out and 

12 missions. 

13 (3) Acquiring and operating a new icebreaker 

14 through the Coast Guard’s acquisition process that 

15 is capable of such breaking out and missions. 

16 (4) Construction by a non-Federal entity of an 

17 icebreaker capable of such breaking out and mis18 sions, that will be leased by the Federal Government 

19 and operated using a Coast Guard crew. 

20 (5) Construction by a non-Federal entity of an 

21 icebreaker capable of such breaking out and mis22 sions, that will be leased by the Federal Government 

23 and operated by a crew of non-Federal employees. 


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1 (6) The acquisition of services from a non-Fed2 eral entity to perform such breaking out and mis3 sions. 

4 (b) INCLUDED COSTS.—For purposes of subsection 

5 (a), the cost of each alternative includes costs incurred by 

6 the Federal Government for— 

7 (1) the lease or operation and maintenance of 

8 the vessel concerned; 

9 (2) disposal of such vessel at the end of the 

10 useful life of the vessel; 

11 (3) retirement and other benefits for Federal 

12 employees who operate such vessel; and 

13 (4) interest payments assumed to be incurred 

14 for Federal capital expenditures. 

15 (c) ASSUMPTIONS.—For purposes of comparing the 

16 costs of such alternatives, the Academy shall assume 

17 that— 

18 (1) each vessel under consideration is— 

19 (A) capable of breaking out of McMurdo 

20 Station, and conducting Coast Guard missions 

21 in the United States territory in the Arctic (as 

22 that term is defined in section 112 of the Arctic 

23 Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 

24 4111)); and 

25 (B) operated for a period of 20 years; 


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1 (2) the acquisition of services and the operation 

2 of each vessel begin on the same date; and 

3 (3) the periods for conducting Coast Guard 

4 missions in the Arctic are of equal lengths. 

5 SEC. 509. PENALTY WAGES. 

6 (a) FOREIGN AND INTERCOASTAL VOYAGES.—Sec7 tion 10313(g) of title 46, United States Code, is amend8 ed— 

9 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘all claims in a class action 

11 suit by seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘each claim by 

12 a seaman’’; and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘the seamen’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘the seaman’’; and 

15 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘class action’’; and 

17 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘, by 

18 a seaman who is a claimant in the suit,’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘by the seaman’’. 

20 (b) COASTWISE VOYAGES.—Section 10504(c) of such 

21 title is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘all claims in a class action 

24 suit by seamen’’ and inserting ‘‘each claim by 

25 a seaman’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘the seamen’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘the seaman’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘class action’’; and 

5 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘, by 

6 a seaman who is a claimant in the suit,’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘by the seaman’’. 

8 SEC. 510. RECOURSE FOR NONCITIZENS. 

9 Section 30104 of title 46, United States Code, is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before 

12 the first sentence; and 

13 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub14 section: 

15 ‘‘(b) RESTRICTION ON RECOVERY FOR NON16 RESIDENT ALIENS EMPLOYED ON FOREIGN PASSENGER

17 VESSELS.—A claim for damages or expenses relating to 

18 personal injury, illness, or death of a seaman who is a 

19 citizen of a foreign nation, arising during or from the en20 gagement of the seaman by or for a passenger vessel duly 

21 registered under the laws of a foreign nation, may not be 

22 brought under the laws of the United States if— 

23 ‘‘(1) such seaman was not a permanent resident 

24 alien of the United States at the time the claim 

25 arose; 


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1 ‘‘(2) the injury, illness, or death arose outside 

2 the territorial waters of the United States; and 

3 ‘‘(3) the seaman or the seaman’s personal rep4 resentative has or had a right to seek compensation 

5 for the injury, illness, or death in, or under the laws 

6 of— 

7 ‘‘(A) the nation in which the vessel was 

8 registered at the time the claim arose; or 

9 ‘‘(B) the nation in which the seaman main10 tained citizenship or residency at the time the 

11 claim arose.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 18, 2015. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 

By ROBERT F. REEVES, 

Deputy Clerk. 


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