113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4005 

AN ACT 

To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal 

years 2015 and 2016, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

3 ‘‘Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014’’. 

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

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION 

Sec. 101. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 102. Authorized levels of military strength and training. 

TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

Sec. 201. Commissioned officers. 

Sec. 202. Prevention and response workforces. 

Sec. 203. Centers of expertise. 

Sec. 204. Agreements. 

Sec. 205. Coast Guard housing. 

Sec. 206. Determinations. 

Sec. 207. Annual Board of Visitors. 

Sec. 208. Repeal of limitation on medals of honor. 

Sec. 209. Mission need statement. 

Sec. 210. Transmission of annual Coast Guard authorization request. 

Sec. 211. Inventory of real property. 

Sec. 212. Active duty for emergency augmentation of regular forces. 

Sec. 213. Acquisition workforce expedited hiring authority. 

Sec. 214. Icebreakers. 

Sec. 215. Multiyear procurement authority for Offshore Patrol Cutters. 

Sec. 216. Maintaining Medium Endurance Cutter mission capability. 

Sec. 217. Coast Guard administrative savings. 

Sec. 218. Technical corrections to title 14. 

Sec. 219. Flag officers. 

Sec. 220. Aviation capability in the Great Lakes region. 

Sec. 221. E-LORAN. 

TITLE III—SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION 

Sec. 301. Treatment of fishing permits. 

Sec. 302. International ice patrol reform. 

Sec. 303. Repeal. 

Sec. 304. Donation of historical property. 

Sec. 305. Small shipyards. 

Sec. 306. Drug testing reporting. 

Sec. 307. Recourse for noncitizens. 

Sec. 308. Penalty wages. 

Sec. 309. Crediting time in the sea services. 

Sec. 310. Treatment of abandoned seafarers. 

Sec. 311. Clarification of high-risk waters. 

Sec. 312. Uninspected passenger vessels in the Virgin Islands. 

Sec. 313. Offshore supply vessel third-party inspection. 
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Sec. 314. Survival craft. 

Sec. 315. Technical correction to title 46. 

Sec. 316. Enforcement. 

Sec. 317. Severe marine debris events. 

Sec. 318. Minimum tonnage. 

Sec. 319. Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee. 

Sec. 320. Report on effect of LNG export carriage requirements on job creation 

in the United States maritime industry. 

TITLE IV—FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION 

Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 402. Terms of Commissioners. 

TITLE V—COMMERCIAL VESSEL DISCHARGE REFORM 

Sec. 501. Short title. 

Sec. 502. Discharges incidental to the normal operation of certain vessels. 

TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 

Sec. 601. Distant water tuna fleet. 

Sec. 602. Vessel determination. 

Sec. 603. Lease authority. 

Sec. 604. National maritime strategy. 

Sec. 605. IMO Polar Code negotiations. 

Sec. 606. Valley View Ferry. 

Sec. 607. Competition by United States flag vessels. 

Sec. 608. Survey. 

Sec. 609. Fishing safety grant programs. 

1 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION 

2 SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

3 Funds are authorized to be appropriated for each of 

4 fiscal years 2015 and 2016 for necessary expenses of the 

5 Coast Guard as follows: 

6 (1) For the operation and maintenance of the 

7 Coast Guard— 

8 (A) $6,981,036,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

9 and 

10 (B) $6,981,036,000 for fiscal year 2016. 

11 (2) For the acquisition, construction, rebuild12 ing, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore 
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1 and offshore facilities, vessels, and aircraft, includ2 ing equipment related thereto— 

3 (A) $1,546,448,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

4 and 

5 (B) $1,546,448,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

6 to remain available until expended. 

7 (3) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, in8 cluding personnel and training costs, equipment, and 

9 services— 

10 (A) $140,016,000 for fiscal year 2015; and 

11 (B) $140,016,000 for fiscal year 2016. 

12 (4) For environmental compliance and restora13 tion of Coast Guard vessels, aircraft, and facilities 

14 (other than parts and equipment associated with op15 eration and maintenance)— 

16 (A) $16,701,000 for fiscal year 2015; and 

17 (B) $16,701,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

18 to remain available until expended. 

19 (5) To the Commandant of the Coast Guard for 

20 research, development, test, and evaluation of tech21 nologies, materials, and human factors directly re22 lated to improving the performance of the Coast 

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

24 aids to navigation, marine safety, marine environ25 mental protection, enforcement of laws and treaties, 
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1 ice operations, oceanographic research, and defense 

2 readiness— 

3 (A) $19,890,000 for fiscal year 2015; and 

4 (B) $19,890,000 for fiscal year 2016. 

5 SEC. 102. AUTHORIZED LEVELS OF MILITARY STRENGTH 

6 AND TRAINING. 

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

8 authorized an end-of-year strength for active duty per9 sonnel of 43,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 and 2016. 

10 (b) MILITARY TRAINING STUDENT LOADS.—The 

11 Coast Guard is authorized average military training stu12 dent loads for each of fiscal years 2015 and 2016 as fol13 lows: 

14 (1) For recruit and special training, 2,500 stu15 dent years. 

16 (2) For flight training, 165 student years. 

17 (3) For professional training in military and ci18 vilian institutions, 350 student years. 

19 (4) For officer acquisition, 1,200 student years. 

20 TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

21 SEC. 201. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. 

22 Section 42(a) of title 14, United States Code, is 

23 amended by striking ‘‘7,200’’ and inserting ‘‘6,700’’. 
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1 SEC. 202. PREVENTION AND RESPONSE WORKFORCES. 

2 Section 57 of title 14, United States Code, is amend3 ed— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

6 the end; 

7 (B) in paragraph (3) by striking the period 

8 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

10 ‘‘(4) waterways operations manager shall have 

11 knowledge, skill, and practical experience with re12 spect to marine transportation system management; 

13 or 

14 ‘‘(5) port and facility safety and security spe15 cialist shall have knowledge, skill, and practical ex16 perience with respect to the safety, security, and en17 vironmental protection responsibilities associated 

18 with maritime ports and facilities.’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (c) by striking ‘‘or marine 

20 safety engineer’’ and inserting ‘‘marine safety engi21 neer, waterways operations manager, or port and fa22 cility safety and security specialist’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (f)(2) by striking ‘‘investigator 

24 or marine safety engineer.’’ and inserting ‘‘investi25 gator, marine safety engineer, waterways operations 
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1 manager, or port and facility safety and security 

2 specialist.’’. 

3 SEC. 203. CENTERS OF EXPERTISE. 

4 Section 58(b) of title 14, United States Code, is 

5 amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(b) MISSIONS.—Any center established under sub7 section (a) may— 

8 ‘‘(1) promote, facilitate, and conduct— 

9 ‘‘(A) education; 

10 ‘‘(B) training; and 

11 ‘‘(C) activities authorized under section 

12 93(a)(4); and 

13 ‘‘(2) be a repository of information on oper14 ations, practices, and resources related to the mis15 sion for which the center was established.’’. 

16 SEC. 204. AGREEMENTS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 93(a)(4) of title 14, 

18 United States Code, is amended— 

19 (1) by striking ‘‘, investigate’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘and investigate’’; and 

21 (2) by striking ‘‘, and cooperate and coordinate 

22 such activities with other Government agencies and 

23 with private agencies’’. 
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1 (b) AUTHORITY.—Chapter 5 of title 14, United 

2 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol3 lowing: 

4 ‘‘§ 102. Agreements 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out section 93(a)(4), 

6 the Commandant may— 

7 ‘‘(1) enter into cooperative agreements, con8 tracts, and other agreements with Federal entities 

9 and other public or private entities, including aca10 demic entities; and 

11 ‘‘(2) impose on and collect from an entity sub12 ject to an agreement or contract under paragraph 

13 (1) a fee to assist with expenses incurred in carrying 

14 out such section. 

15 ‘‘(b) DEPOSIT AND USE OF FEES.—Fees collected 

16 under this section shall be deposited in the general fund 

17 of the Treasury as offsetting receipts. The fees may be 

18 used, to the extent provided in advance in an appropria19 tion law, only to carry out activities under section 

20 93(a)(4).’’. 

21 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap22 ter 5 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by add23 ing at the end the following: 

‘‘102. Agreements.’’. 
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1 SEC. 205. COAST GUARD HOUSING. 

2 (a) COMMANDANT; GENERAL POWERS.—Section 

3 93(a)(13) of title 14, United States Code, is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘the Treasury’’ and inserting ‘‘the fund estab5 lished under section 687’’. 

6 (b) LIGHTHOUSE PROPERTY.—Section 672a(b) of 

7 title 14, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘the 

8 Treasury’’ and inserting ‘‘the fund established under sec9 tion 687’’. 

10 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 687(b) of 

11 title 14, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

12 end the following: 

13 ‘‘(4) Monies received under section 93(a)(13). 

14 ‘‘(5) Amounts received under section 672a(b).’’. 

15 SEC. 206. DETERMINATIONS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 5 of title 14, United 

17 States Code, as amended by this Act, is further amended 

18 by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘§ 103. Determinations 

20 ‘‘The Secretary may only make a determination that 

21 a waterway, or any portion thereof, is navigable for pur22 poses of the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard through a 

23 rulemaking that is conducted in a manner consistent with 

24 subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5.’’. 

25 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap26 ter 5 of title 14, United States Code, as amended by this 
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1 Act, is further amended by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

‘‘103. Determinations.’’. 

3 SEC. 207. ANNUAL BOARD OF VISITORS. 

4 Section 194 of title 14, United States Code, is 

5 amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘§ 194. Annual Board of Visitors 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A Board of Visitors to the Coast 

8 Guard Academy is established to review and make rec9 ommendations on the operation of the Academy. 

10 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The membership of the 

12 Board shall consist of the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) The chairman of the Committee on 

14 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

15 Senate, or the chairman’s designee. 

16 ‘‘(B) The chairman of the Committee on 

17 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

18 of Representatives, or the chairman’s designee. 

19 ‘‘(C) 3 Members of the Senate designated 

20 by the Vice President. 

21 ‘‘(D) 4 Members of the House of Rep22 resentatives designated by the Speaker of the 

23 House of Representatives. 

24 ‘‘(E) 6 individuals designated by the Presi25 dent. 
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1 ‘‘(2) LENGTH OF SERVICE.— 

2 ‘‘(A) MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.—A Member 

3 of Congress designated under subparagraph (C) 

4 or (D) of paragraph (1) as a member of the 

5 Board shall be designated as a member in the 

6 First Session of a Congress and serve for the 

7 duration of that Congress. 

8 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUALS DESIGNATED BY THE

9 PRESIDENT.—Each individual designated by the 

10 President under subparagraph (E) of para11 graph (1) shall serve as a member of the Board 

12 for 3 years, except that any such member whose 

13 term of office has expired shall continue to 

14 serve until a successor is appointed. 

15 ‘‘(3) DEATH OR RESIGNATION OF A MEMBER.— 

16 If a member of the Board dies or resigns, a suc17 cessor shall be designated for any unexpired portion 

18 of the term of the member by the official who des19 ignated the member. 

20 ‘‘(c) ACADEMY VISITS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) ANNUAL VISIT.—The Board shall visit the 

22 Academy annually to review the operation of the 

23 Academy. 

24 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL VISITS.—With the approval 

25 of the Secretary, the Board or individual members 
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1 of the Board may make other visits to the Academy 

2 in connection with the duties of the Board or to con3 sult with the Superintendent of the Academy. 

4 ‘‘(d) SCOPE OF REVIEW.—The Board shall review, 

5 with respect to the Academy— 

6 ‘‘(1) the state of morale and discipline; 

7 ‘‘(2) the curriculum; 

8 ‘‘(3) instruction; 

9 ‘‘(4) physical equipment; 

10 ‘‘(5) fiscal affairs; and 

11 ‘‘(6) other matters relating to the Academy that 

12 the Board determines appropriate. 

13 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

14 of an annual visit of the Board under subsection (c)(1), 

15 the Board shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee 

16 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

17 and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

18 of the House of Representatives a report on the actions 

19 of the Board during such visit and the recommendations 

20 of the Board pertaining to the Academy. 

21 ‘‘(f) ADVISORS.—If approved by the Secretary, the 

22 Board may consult with advisors in carrying out this sec23 tion. 

24 ‘‘(g) REIMBURSEMENT.—Each member of the Board 

25 and each adviser consulted by the Board under subsection 
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1 (f) shall be reimbursed, to the extent permitted by law, 

2 by the Coast Guard for actual expenses incurred while en3 gaged in duties as a member or adviser.’’. 

4 SEC. 208. REPEAL OF LIMITATION ON MEDALS OF HONOR. 

5 Section 494 of title 14, United States Code, is 

6 amended by striking ‘‘medal of honor,’’ each place that 

7 it appears. 

8 SEC. 209. MISSION NEED STATEMENT. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 569 of title 14, United 

10 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘§ 569. Mission need statement 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—On the date on which the Presi13 dent submits to Congress a budget for fiscal year 2016 

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

15 President submits to Congress a budget for fiscal year 

16 2019 under such section, and every 4 years thereafter, the 

17 Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Transpor18 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

19 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor20 tation of the Senate an integrated major acquisition mis21 sion need statement. 

22 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 

23 definitions apply: 

24 ‘‘(1) INTEGRATED MAJOR ACQUISITION MISSION

25 NEED STATEMENT.—The term ‘integrated major ac-
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1 quisition mission need statement’ means a document 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(A) identifies current and projected gaps 

4 in Coast Guard mission capabilities using mis5 sion hour targets; 

6 ‘‘(B) explains how each major acquisition 

7 program addresses gaps identified under sub8 paragraph (A) if funded at the levels provided 

9 for such program in the most recently sub10 mitted capital investment plan; and 

11 ‘‘(C) describes the missions the Coast 

12 Guard will not be able to achieve, by fiscal year, 

13 for each gap identified under subparagraph (A). 

14 ‘‘(2) MAJOR ACQUISITION PROGRAM.—The term 

15 ‘major acquisition program’ has the meaning given 

16 that term in section 569a(e). 

17 ‘‘(3) CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN.—The term 

18 ‘capital investment plan’ means the plan required 

19 under section 663(a)(1).’’. 

20 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap21 ter 15 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by 

22 striking the item relating to section 569 and inserting the 

23 following: 

‘‘569. Mission need statement.’’. 
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1 SEC. 210. TRANSMISSION OF ANNUAL COAST GUARD AU2 THORIZATION REQUEST. 

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

4 amended by this Act, is further amended by inserting after 

5 section 662 the following: 

6 ‘‘§ 662a. Transmission of annual Coast Guard author7 ization request 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

9 date on which the President submits to Congress a budget 

10 for a fiscal year pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, the 

11 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transpor12 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

13 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor14 tation of the Senate a Coast Guard authorization request 

15 with respect to such fiscal year. 

16 ‘‘(b) COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION REQUEST DE17 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘Coast Guard authoriza18 tion request’ means a proposal for legislation that, with 

19 respect to the Coast Guard for the relevant fiscal year— 

20 ‘‘(1) recommends end strengths for personnel 

21 for that fiscal year, as described in section 661; 

22 ‘‘(2) recommends authorizations of appropria23 tions for that fiscal year, including with respect to 

24 matters described in section 662; and 
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1 ‘‘(3) addresses any other matter that the Sec2 retary determines is appropriate for inclusion in a 

3 Coast Guard authorization bill.’’. 

4 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap5 ter 17 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by in6 serting after the item relating to section 662 the following: 

‘‘662a. Transmission of annual Coast Guard authorization request.’’. 

7 SEC. 211. INVENTORY OF REAL PROPERTY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 17 of title 14, United 

9 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘§ 679. Inventory of real property 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 30, 

13 2014, the Commandant shall establish an inventory of all 

14 real property, including submerged lands, under the con15 trol of the Coast Guard, which shall include— 

16 ‘‘(1) the size, the location, and any other appro17 priate description of each unit of such property; 

18 ‘‘(2) an assessment of the physical condition of 

19 each unit of such property, excluding lands; 

20 ‘‘(3) an estimate of the fair market value of 

21 each unit of such property; 

22 ‘‘(4) a determination of whether each unit of 

23 such property should be— 

24 ‘‘(A) retained to fulfill a current or pro25 jected Coast Guard mission requirement; or 
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1 ‘‘(B) subject to divestiture; and 

2 ‘‘(5) other information the Commandant con3 siders appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(b) INVENTORY MAINTENANCE.—The Commandant 

5 shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) maintain the inventory required under sub7 section (a) on an ongoing basis; and 

8 ‘‘(2) update information on each unit of real 

9 property included in such inventory not later than 

10 30 days after any change relating to such property. 

11 ‘‘(c) RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

12 than March 30, 2015, and every 5 years thereafter, the 

13 Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Transpor14 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

15 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor16 tation of the Senate a report that includes— 

17 ‘‘(1) a list of all real property under the control 

18 of the Coast Guard and the location of such prop19 erty by property type; 

20 ‘‘(2) recommendations for divestiture with re21 spect to any units of such property, including an es22 timate of— 

23 ‘‘(A) the fair market value of any property 

24 recommended for divestiture; and 
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1 ‘‘(B) the costs or savings associated with 

2 divestiture; and 

3 ‘‘(3) recommendations for consolidating any 

4 units of such property, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) an estimate of the costs or savings 

6 associated with each recommended consolida7 tion; and 

8 ‘‘(B) a discussion of the impact that such 

9 consolidation would have on Coast Guard mis10 sion effectiveness.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap12 ter 17 of title 14, United States Code, as amended by this 

13 Act, is further amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

‘‘679. Inventory of real property.’’. 

15 SEC. 212. ACTIVE DUTY FOR EMERGENCY AUGMENTATION 

16 OF REGULAR FORCES. 

17 Section 712(a) of title 14, United States Code, is 

18 amended by striking ‘‘not more than 60 days in any 4- 

19 month period and’’. 

20 SEC. 213. ACQUISITION WORKFORCE EXPEDITED HIRING 

21 AUTHORITY. 

22 Section 404(b) of the Coast Guard Authorization Act 

23 of 2010 (Public Law 111–281; 124 Stat. 2951) is amend24 ed by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2017’’. 
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1 SEC. 214. ICEBREAKERS. 

2 (a) COAST GUARD POLAR ICEBREAKERS.—Section 

3 222 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act 

4 of 2012 (Public Law 112–213; 126 Stat. 1560) is amend5 ed— 

6 (1) in subsection (d)(2)— 

7 (A) in the paragraph heading by striking 

8 ‘‘; BRIDGING STRATEGY’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘Commandant of the Coast 

10 Guard’’ and all that follows through the period 

11 at the end and inserting ‘‘Commandant of the 

12 Coast Guard may decommission the Polar 

13 Sea.’’; 

14 (2) by adding at the end of subsection (d) the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(3) RESULT OF NO DETERMINATION.—If in 

17 the analysis submitted under this section the Sec18 retary does not make a determination under sub19 section (a)(5) regarding whether it is cost-effective 

20 to reactivate the Polar Sea, then— 

21 ‘‘(A) the Commandant of the Coast Guard 

22 may decommission the Polar Sea; or 

23 ‘‘(B) the Secretary may make such deter24 mination, not later than 90 days after the date 

25 of enactment of this paragraph, and take ac26 tions in accordance with this subsection as 
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1 though such determination was made in the 

2 analysis previously submitted.’’; 

3 (3) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), and 

4 (g) as subsections (f), (g), and (h), respectively; and 

5 (4) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(e) STRATEGIES.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after the date on which the analysis required under 

10 subsection (a) is submitted, the Commandant of the 

11 Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on 

12 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

13 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

14 Science, and Transportation of the Senate— 

15 ‘‘(A) a strategy to meet the Coast Guard’s 

16 Arctic ice operations needs through September 

17 30, 2050; and 

18 ‘‘(B) unless the Secretary makes a deter19 mination under this section that it is cost-effec20 tive to reactivate the Polar Sea, a bridging 

21 strategy for maintaining the Coast Guard’s 

22 polar icebreaking services until at least Sep23 tember 30, 2024. 

24 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—The strategies required 

25 under paragraph (1) shall include a business case 
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1 analysis comparing the leasing and purchasing of 

2 icebreakers to maintain the needs and services de3 scribed in that paragraph.’’. 

4 (b) LIMITATION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the depart6 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating may not 

7 expend amounts appropriated for the Coast Guard 

8 for any of fiscal years 2015 through 2024, for— 

9 (A) design activities related to a capability 

10 of a Polar-Class Icebreaker that is based on an 

11 operational requirement of another Federal de12 partment or agency, except for amounts appro13 priated for design activities for a fiscal year be14 fore fiscal year 2016; or 

15 (B) long-lead-time materials, production, 

16 or post-delivery activities related to such a ca17 pability. 

18 (2) OTHER AMOUNTS.—Amounts made avail19 able to the Secretary under an agreement with an20 other Federal department or agency and expended 

21 on a capability of a Polar-Class Icebreaker that is 

22 based on an operational requirement of that or an23 other Federal department or agency shall not be 

24 treated as amounts expended by the Secretary for 
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1 purposes of the limitation established under para2 graph (1). 

3 SEC. 215. MULTIYEAR PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY FOR 

4 OFFSHORE PATROL CUTTERS. 

5 In fiscal year 2015 and each fiscal year thereafter, 

6 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

7 is operating may enter into, in accordance with section 

8 2306b of title 10, United States Code, multiyear contracts 

9 for the procurement of Offshore Patrol Cutters and associ10 ated equipment. 

11 SEC. 216. MAINTAINING MEDIUM ENDURANCE CUTTER MIS12 SION CAPABILITY. 

13 Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 

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

15 Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the Committee 

16 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

17 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

18 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that 

19 includes— 

20 (1) a schedule and plan for decommissioning, 

21 not later than September 30, 2029, each of the 210- 

22 foot, Reliance-Class Cutters operated by the Coast 

23 Guard on the date of enactment of this Act; 

24 (2) a schedule and plan for enhancing the 

25 maintenance or extending the service life of each of 
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1 the 270-foot, Famous-Class Cutters operated by the 

2 Coast Guard on the date of enactment of this Act— 

3 (A) to maintain the capability of the Coast 

4 Guard to carry out sea-going missions with re5 spect to such Cutters at the level of capability 

6 existing on September 30, 2013; and 

7 (B) for the period beginning on the date of 

8 enactment of this Act and ending on the date 

9 on which the final Offshore Patrol Cutter is 

10 scheduled and planned to be commissioned 

11 under paragraph (4); 

12 (3) an identification of the number of Offshore 

13 Patrol Cutters capable of sea state 5 operations 

14 that, if 8 National Security Cutters are commis15 sioned, are necessary to return the sea state 5 oper16 ating capability of the Coast Guard to the level of 

17 capability that existed prior to the decommissioning 

18 of the first High Endurance Cutter in fiscal year 

19 2011; 

20 (4) a schedule and plan for commissioning the 

21 number of Offshore Patrol Cutters identified under 

22 paragraph (3); and 

23 (5) a schedule and plan for commissioning, not 

24 later than September 30, 2034, a number of Off-
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1 shore Patrol Cutters not capable of sea state 5 oper2 ations that is equal to— 

3 (A) 25; less 

4 (B) the number of Offshore Patrol Cutters 

5 identified under paragraph (3). 

6 SEC. 217. COAST GUARD ADMINISTRATIVE SAVINGS. 

7 (a) ELIMINATION OF OUTDATED AND DUPLICATIVE

8 REPORTS.— 

9 (1) MARINE INDUSTRY TRAINING.—Section 59 

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

11 (A) by striking ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The 

12 Commandant’’ and inserting ‘‘The Com13 mandant’’; and 

14 (B) by striking subsection (b). 

15 (2) OPERATIONS AND EXPENDITURES.—Section 

16 651 of title 14, United States Code, and the item re17 lating to such section in the analysis for chapter 17 

18 of such title, are repealed. 

19 (3) DRUG INTERDICTION.—Section 103 of the 

20 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996 (14 U.S.C. 

21 89 note), and the item relating to that section in the 

22 table of contents in section 2 of that Act, are re23 pealed. 

24 (4) NATIONAL DEFENSE.—Section 426 of the 

25 Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (14 
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1 U.S.C. 2 note), and the item relating to that section 

2 in the table of contents in section 1(b) of that Act, 

3 are repealed. 

4 (5) LIVING MARINE RESOURCES.—Section 4(b) 

5 of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 

6 (16 U.S.C. 1828 note) is amended by adding at the 

7 end the following: ‘‘No report shall be required 

8 under this subsection, including that no report shall 

9 be required under section 224 of the Coast Guard 

10 and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004 or section 

11 804 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transpor12 tation Act of 2006, for fiscal years beginning after 

13 fiscal year 2013.’’. 

14 (b) CONSOLIDATION AND REFORM OF REPORTING

15 REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 (1) MARINE SAFETY.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 2116(d)(2)(B) 

18 of title 46, United States Code, is amended to 

19 read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(B) on the program’s mission perform21 ance in achieving numerical measurable goals 

22 established under subsection (b), including— 

23 ‘‘(i) the number of civilian and mili24 tary Coast Guard personnel assigned to 

25 marine safety positions; and 
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1 ‘‘(ii) an identification of marine safety 

2 positions that are understaffed to meet the 

3 workload required to accomplish each ac4 tivity included in the strategy and plans 

5 under subsection (a); and’’. 

6 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

7 57 of title 14, United States Code, as amended 

8 by this Act, is further amended— 

9 (i) by striking subsection (e); and 

10 (ii) by redesignating subsections (f), 

11 (g), and (h) as subsections (e), (f), and (g) 

12 respectively. 

13 (2) MINOR CONSTRUCTION.—Section 656(d)(2) 

14 of title 14, United States Code, is amended to read 

15 as follows: 

16 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than the date on 

17 which the President submits to Congress a budget 

18 under section 1105 of title 31 each year, the Sec19 retary shall submit to the Committee on Transpor20 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent21 atives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

22 and Transportation of the Senate a report describ23 ing each project carried out under paragraph (1), in 

24 the most recently concluded fiscal year, for which 

25 the amount expended under such paragraph for such 
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1 project was more than $1,000,000. If no such 

2 project was carried out during a fiscal year, no re3 port under this paragraph shall be required with re4 spect to that fiscal year.’’. 

5 (3) RESCUE 21.—Section 346 of the Maritime 

6 Transportation Security Act of 2002 (14 U.S.C. 88 

7 note) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 346. MODERNIZATION OF NATIONAL DISTRESS AND 

9 RESPONSE SYSTEM. 

10 ‘‘(a) REPORT.—Not later than March 30, 2014, the 

11 Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is 

12 operating shall submit to the Committee on Transpor13 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

14 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor15 tation of the Senate a report on the implementation of 

16 the Rescue 21 project in Alaska and in Coast Guard sec17 tors Upper Mississippi River, Lower Mississippi River, 

18 and Ohio River Valley. 

19 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub20 section (a) shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) describe what improvements are being 

22 made to the distress response system in the areas 

23 specified in subsection (a), including information on 

24 which areas will receive digital selective calling and 

25 direction finding capability; 
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1 ‘‘(2) describe the impediments to installing dig2 ital selective calling and direction finding capability 

3 in areas where such technology will not be installed; 

4 ‘‘(3) identify locations in the areas specified in 

5 subsection (a) where communication gaps will con6 tinue to present a risk to mariners after completion 

7 of the Rescue 21 project; 

8 ‘‘(4) include a list of all reported marine acci9 dents, casualties, and fatalities occurring in the loca10 tions identified under paragraph (3) since 1990; and 

11 ‘‘(5) provide an estimate of the costs associated 

12 with installing the technology necessary to close 

13 communication gaps in the locations identified under 

14 paragraph (3).’’. 

15 SEC. 218. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO TITLE 14. 

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

17 is further amended— 

18 (1) in section 93(b)(1) by striking ‘‘Notwith19 standing subsection (a)(14)’’ and inserting ‘‘Not20 withstanding subsection (a)(13)’’; 

21 (2) in section 197(b) by striking ‘‘of Homeland 

22 Security’’; and 

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

24 shall maintain such cutter in such class’’ before the 

25 period at the end. 
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1 SEC. 219. FLAG OFFICERS. 

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

3 amended by inserting after section 295 the following: 

4 ‘‘§ 296. Flag officers 

5 ‘‘During any period in which the Coast Guard is not 

6 operating as a service in the Navy, section 1216(d) of title 

7 10 does not apply with respect to flag officers of the Coast 

8 Guard.’’. 

9 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap10 ter 11 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by in11 serting after the item relating to section 295 the following: 

‘‘296. Flag officers.’’. 

12 SEC. 220. AVIATION CAPABILITY IN THE GREAT LAKES RE13 GION. 

14 The Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

15 Guard is operating may— 

16 (1) request and accept through a direct mili17 tary-to-military transfer under section 2571 of title 

18 10, United States Code, such H–60 helicopters as 

19 may be necessary to establish a year-round oper20 ational capability in the Coast Guard’s Ninth Dis21 trict; and 

22 (2) use funds provided under section 101 of 

23 this Act to convert such helicopters to Coast Guard 

24 MH–60T configuration. 
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1 SEC. 221. E-LORAN. 

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

3 in which the Coast Guard is operating may not carry out 

4 activities related to the dismantling or disposal of infra5 structure that supported the former LORAN system until 

6 the later of— 

7 (1) the date that is 1 year after the date of en8 actment of this Act; or 

9 (2) the date on which the Secretary provides to 

10 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

11 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

12 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

13 Senate notice of a determination by the Secretary 

14 that such infrastructure is not required to provide a 

15 positioning, navigation, and timing system to provide 

16 redundant capability in the event GPS signals are 

17 disrupted. 

18 (b) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) does not apply to 

19 activities necessary for the safety of human life. 

20 (c) AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter into co21 operative agreements, contracts, and other agreements 

22 with Federal entities and other public or private entities, 

23 including academic entities, to develop a positioning, tim24 ing, and navigation system, including an enhanced 

25 LORAN system, to provide redundant capability in the 

26 event GPS signals are disrupted. 
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1 TITLE III—SHIPPING AND 

2 NAVIGATION 

3 SEC. 301. TREATMENT OF FISHING PERMITS. 

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

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

6 end the following: 

7 ‘‘§ 31310. Treatment of fishing permits 

8 ‘‘(a) LIMITATION ON MARITIME LIENS.—This chap9 ter— 

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

11 fishing permit; and 

12 ‘‘(2) does not authorize any civil action to en13 force a maritime lien on a fishing permit. 

14 ‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF FISHING PERMITS UNDER

15 STATE AND FEDERAL LAW.—A fishing permit— 

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

17 law under which it is issued; and 

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

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

20 purpose under Federal law. 

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

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

23 imposing any limitation upon the authority of the Sec24 retary of Commerce— 
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1 ‘‘(1) to modify, suspend, revoke, or impose a 

2 sanction on any fishing permit issued by the Sec3 retary of Commerce; or 

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

5 modification, suspension, revocation, or sanction. 

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

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

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

9 or Federal law.’’. 

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

11 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

12 after the item relating to section 31309 the following: 

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

13 SEC. 302. INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL REFORM. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 80301 of title 46, United 

15 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(c) PAYMENTS.—Payments received pursuant to 

18 subsection (b)(1) shall be credited to the appropriation for 

19 operating expenses of the Coast Guard. 

20 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A Coast Guard vessel or 

22 aircraft may not be used to carry out an agreement 

23 under subsection (a) in fiscal year 2015 and any fis24 cal year thereafter unless payments are received by 

25 the United States Government pursuant to sub-
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1 section (b)(1) in the preceding fiscal year in a total 

2 amount that is not less than difference between— 

3 ‘‘(A) the cost incurred by the Coast Guard 

4 in maintaining the services; minus 

5 ‘‘(B) the amount of the proportionate 

6 share of the expense generated by vessels docu7 mented under the laws of the United States. 

8 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding paragraph 

9 (1), Coast Guard aircraft may be used to carry out 

10 an agreement under subsection (a) if the President 

11 determines it necessary in the interest of national 

12 security. 

13 ‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION.—The President shall no14 tify the Committee on Transportation and Infra15 structure of the House of Representatives and the 

16 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor17 tation of the Senate of a determination made under 

18 paragraph (2) within 15 days after such determina19 tion.’’. 

20 (b) REPEAL.—Section 80302 of title 46, United 

21 States Code, and the item relating to such section in the 

22 analysis for chapter 803 of such title, are repealed on Oc23 tober 1, 2014. 
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1 SEC. 303. REPEAL. 

2 Chapter 555 of title 46, United States Code, is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) by repealing section 55501; 

5 (2) by redesignating section 55502 as section 

6 55501; and 

7 (3) in the analysis by striking the items relating 

8 to sections 55501 and 55502 and inserting the fol9 lowing: 

‘‘55501. United States Committee on the Marine Transportation System.’’. 

10 SEC. 304. DONATION OF HISTORICAL PROPERTY. 

11 Section 51103 of title 46, United States Code, is 

12 amended by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(e) DONATION FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may convey 

15 the right, title, and interest of the United States 

16 Government in any property administered by the 

17 Maritime Administration, except real estate or ves18 sels, if— 

19 ‘‘(A) the Secretary determines that such 

20 property is not needed by the Maritime Admin21 istration; and 

22 ‘‘(B) the recipient— 

23 ‘‘(i) is a nonprofit organization, a 

24 State, or a political subdivision of a State; 
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1 ‘‘(ii) agrees to hold the Government 

2 harmless for any claims arising from expo3 sure to hazardous materials, including as4 bestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, or lead 

5 paint, after conveyance of the property; 

6 ‘‘(iii) provides a description and expla7 nation of the intended use of the property 

8 to the Secretary for approval; 

9 ‘‘(iv) has provided to the Secretary 

10 proof, as determined by the Secretary, of 

11 resources sufficient to accomplish the in12 tended use provided under clause (iii) and 

13 to maintain the property; 

14 ‘‘(v) agrees that when the recipient no 

15 longer requires the property, the recipient 

16 shall— 

17 ‘‘(I) return the property to the 

18 Secretary, at the recipient’s expense 

19 and in the same condition as received 

20 except for ordinary wear and tear; or 

21 ‘‘(II) subject to the approval of 

22 the Secretary, retain, sell, or other23 wise dispose of the property in a man24 ner consistent with applicable law; 

25 and 
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1 ‘‘(vi) agree to any additional terms 

2 the Secretary considers appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(2) REVERSION.—The Secretary shall include 

4 in any conveyance under this subsection terms under 

5 which all right, title, and interest conveyed by the 

6 Secretary shall revert to the Government if the Sec7 retary determines the property has been used other 

8 than as approved by the Secretary under paragraph 

9 (1)(B)(iii).’’. 

10 SEC. 305. SMALL SHIPYARDS. 

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

12 amended by striking ‘‘2009 through 2013’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘2015 and 2016’’. 

14 SEC. 306. DRUG TESTING REPORTING. 

15 Section 7706 of title 46, United States Code, is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘an applicant 

18 for employment by a Federal agency,’’ after ‘‘Fed19 eral agency,’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (c), by— 

21 (A) inserting ‘‘or an applicant for employ22 ment by a Federal agency’’ after ‘‘an em23 ployee’’; and 

24 (B) striking ‘‘the employee.’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘the employee or the applicant.’’. 
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1 SEC. 307. RECOURSE FOR NONCITIZENS. 

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

3 amended— 

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

5 the first sentence; and 

6 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub7 section: 

8 ‘‘(b) RESTRICTION ON RECOVERY FOR NON9 RESIDENT ALIENS EMPLOYED ON FOREIGN PASSENGER

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

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

12 citizen of a foreign nation, arising during or from the en13 gagement of the seaman by or for a passenger vessel duly 

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

15 brought under the laws of the United States if— 

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

17 alien of the United States at the time the claim 

18 arose; 

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

20 the territorial waters of the United States; and 

21 ‘‘(3) the seaman or the seaman’s personal rep22 resentative has or had a right to seek compensation 

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

24 of— 

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

26 registered at the time the claim arose; or 
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1 ‘‘(B) the nation in which the seaman main2 tained citizenship or residency at the time the 

3 claim arose.’’. 

4 SEC. 308. PENALTY WAGES. 

5 (a) FOREIGN AND INTERCOASTAL VOYAGES.—Sec6 tion 10313(g) of title 46, United States Code, is amend7 ed— 

8 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

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

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

11 a seaman’’; and 

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

13 ‘‘the seaman’’; and 

14 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

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

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

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

18 inserting ‘‘by the seaman’’. 

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

20 title is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

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

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

24 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. 309. CREDITING TIME IN THE SEA SERVICES. 

9 (a) ENDORSEMENTS FOR VETERANS.—Section 7101 

10 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding at 

11 the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(j) The Secretary may issue a license under this sec13 tion in a class under subsection (c) to an applicant that— 

14 ‘‘(1) has at least 3 months of qualifying service 

15 on vessels of the uniformed services (as that term is 

16 defined in section 101(a) of title 10) of appropriate 

17 tonnage or horsepower within the 7-year period im18 mediately preceding the date of application; and 

19 ‘‘(2) satisfies all other requirements for such a 

20 license.’’. 

21 (b) SEA SERVICE LETTERS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Title 14, United States 

23 Code, as amended by this Act, is further amended 

24 by inserting after section 427 the following: 
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1 ‘‘§ 428. Sea service letters 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide a 

3 sea service letter to a member or former member of the 

4 Coast Guard who— 

5 ‘‘(1) accumulated sea service on a vessel of the 

6 armed forces (as such term is defined in section 

7 101(a) of title 10); and 

8 ‘‘(2) requests such letter. 

9 ‘‘(b) DEADLINE.—Not later than 30 days after re10 ceiving a request for a sea service letter from a member 

11 or former member of the Coast Guard under subsection 

12 (a), the Secretary shall provide such letter to such member 

13 or former member if such member or former member sat14 isfies the requirement under subsection (a)(1).’’. 

15 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

16 chapter 11 of title 14, United States Code, as 

17 amended by this Act, is further amended by insert18 ing after the item relating to section 427 the fol19 lowing: 

‘‘428. Sea service letters.’’. 

20 (c) CREDITING OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES

21 SERVICE, TRAINING, AND QUALIFICATIONS.— 

22 (1) MAXIMIZING CREDITABILITY.—The Sec23 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

24 is operating, in implementing United States mer25 chant mariner license, certification, and document 
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1 laws and the International Convention on Standards 

2 of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Sea3 farers, 1978, shall maximize the extent to which 

4 United States Armed Forces service, training, and 

5 qualifications are creditable toward meeting the re6 quirements of such laws and such Convention. 

7 (2) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 90 days 

8 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec9 retary shall notify the Committee on Transportation 

10 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

11 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

12 Transportation of the Senate on the steps taken to 

13 implement this subsection. 

14 SEC. 310. TREATMENT OF ABANDONED SEAFARERS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Act to Prevent Pollution 

16 from Ships (33 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.) is amended— 

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

18 ‘‘SEC. 18. TREATMENT OF ABANDONED SEAFARERS. 

19 ‘‘(a) ABANDONED SEAFARERS FUND.— 

20 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 

21 the Treasury a separate account to be known as the 

22 Abandoned Seafarers Fund. 

23 ‘‘(2) CREDITING OF AMOUNTS TO FUND.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—There shall be cred25 ited to the Fund the following: 
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1 ‘‘(i) Penalties deposited in the Fund 

2 under section 9, except as provided in sub3 paragraph (B). 

4 ‘‘(ii) Amounts reimbursed or recov5 ered under subsection (d). 

6 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—Amounts may be cred7 ited to the Fund under subparagraph (A)(i) 

8 only if the unobligated balance of the Fund is 

9 less than $2,000,000. 

10 ‘‘(3) REPORT REQUIRED.—On the date on 

11 which the President submits each budget for a fiscal 

12 year pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United 

13 States Code, the Secretary shall submit to the Com14 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

15 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

16 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen17 ate a report that describes— 

18 ‘‘(A) the amounts credited to the Fund 

19 under paragraph (2) for the preceding fiscal 

20 year; and 

21 ‘‘(B) amounts in the Fund that were ex22 pended for the preceding fiscal year. 

23 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FROM

24 FUND.—Amounts in the Fund may be appropriated to the 

25 Secretary for use to— 
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1 ‘‘(1) pay necessary support of— 

2 ‘‘(A) a seafarer that— 

3 ‘‘(i) enters, remains, or is paroled into 

4 the United States; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) is involved in an investigation, 

6 reporting, documentation, or adjudication 

7 of any matter that is related to the admin8 istration or enforcement of this Act by the 

9 Coast Guard; and 

10 ‘‘(B) a seafarer that the Secretary deter11 mines was abandoned in the United States and 

12 has not applied for asylum under section 208 or 

13 235 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

14 U.S.C. 1158, 1225); and 

15 ‘‘(2) reimburse a vessel owner or operator that 

16 has provided necessary support of a seafarer who 

17 has been paroled into the United States to facilitate 

18 an investigation, reporting, documentation, or adju19 dication of any matter that is related to the adminis20 tration or enforcement of this Act by the Coast 

21 Guard, for the costs of such necessary support. 

22 ‘‘(c) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this section shall be 

23 construed— 
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1 ‘‘(1) to create a private right of action or any 

2 other right, benefit, or entitlement to necessary sup3 port for any person; or 

4 ‘‘(2) to compel the Secretary to pay or reim5 burse the cost of necessary support. 

6 ‘‘(d) REIMBURSEMENT; RECOVERY.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A vessel owner or operator 

8 shall reimburse the Fund an amount equal to the 

9 total amount paid from the Fund for necessary sup10 port of a seafarer, if— 

11 ‘‘(A) the vessel owner or operator— 

12 ‘‘(i) during the course of an investiga13 tion, reporting, documentation, or adju14 dication of any matter under this Act that 

15 the Coast Guard referred to a United 

16 States attorney or the Attorney General, 

17 fails to provide necessary support of a sea18 farer who was paroled into the United 

19 States to facilitate the investigation, re20 porting, documentation, or adjudication; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(ii) subsequently is— 

23 ‘‘(I) convicted of a criminal of24 fense related to such matter; or 
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1 ‘‘(II) required to reimburse the 

2 Fund pursuant to a court order or ne3 gotiated settlement related to such 

4 matter; or 

5 ‘‘(B) the vessel owner or operator aban6 dons a seafarer in the United States, as deter7 mined by the Secretary based on substantial 

8 evidence. 

9 ‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.—If a vessel owner or op10 erator fails to reimburse the Fund under paragraph 

11 (1), the Secretary may— 

12 ‘‘(A) proceed in rem against the vessel on 

13 which the affected seafarer served in the Fed14 eral district court for the district in which the 

15 vessel is found; and 

16 ‘‘(B) withhold or revoke the clearance re17 quired under section 60105 of title 46, United 

18 States Code, for the vessel. 

19 ‘‘(3) REMEDY.—A vessel may obtain clearance 

20 from the Secretary after it is withheld or revoked 

21 under paragraph (2)(B) if the vessel owner or oper22 ator— 

23 ‘‘(A) reimburses the Fund the amount re24 quired under paragraph (1); or 
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1 ‘‘(B) provides a bond, or other evidence of 

2 financial responsibility sufficient to meet the 

3 amount required to be reimbursed under para4 graph (1). 

5 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) ABANDONS; ABANDONED.—Each of the 

7 terms ‘abandons’ and ‘abandoned’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) a vessel owner’s or operator’s unilat9 eral severance of ties with a seafarer; and 

10 ‘‘(B) a vessel owner’s or operator’s failure 

11 to provide necessary support of a seafarer. 

12 ‘‘(2) FUND.—The term ‘Fund’ means the 

13 Abandoned Seafarers Fund established under this 

14 section. 

15 ‘‘(3) NECESSARY SUPPORT.—The term ‘nec16 essary support’ means normal wages and expenses 

17 the Secretary considers reasonable for lodging, sub18 sistence, clothing, medical care (including hos19 pitalization), repatriation, and any other support the 

20 Secretary considers to be appropriate. 

21 ‘‘(4) SEAFARER.—The term ‘seafarer’ means an 

22 alien crewman who is employed or engaged in any 

23 capacity on board a vessel subject to this Act.’’; and 

24 (2) in section 9, by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 
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1 ‘‘(g) Any penalty collected under subsection (a) or (b) 

2 that is not paid under that subsection to the person giving 

3 information leading to the conviction or assessment of 

4 such penalties shall be deposited in the Abandoned Sea5 farers Fund established under section 18, subject to the 

6 limitation in subsection (a)(2)(B) of such section.’’. 

7 SEC. 311. CLARIFICATION OF HIGH-RISK WATERS. 

8 Section 55305(e) of title 46, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘provide armed personnel 

12 aboard’’ and inserting ‘‘reimburse, subject to 

13 the availability of appropriations, the owners or 

14 operators of’’; and 

15 (B) by inserting ‘‘for the cost of providing 

16 armed personnel aboard such vessels’’ before 

17 ‘‘if’’; and 

18 (2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and in19 serting the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘high-risk 

21 waters’ means waters— 

22 ‘‘(A) so designated by the Commandant of 

23 the Coast Guard in the maritime security direc24 tive issued by the Commandant and in effect on 
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1 the date on which an applicable voyage begins; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) in which the Secretary of Transpor4 tation determines an act of piracy is likely to 

5 occur based on documented acts of piracy that 

6 occurred in such waters during the 12-month 

7 period preceding the date on which an applica8 ble voyage begins.’’. 

9 SEC. 312. UNINSPECTED PASSENGER VESSELS IN THE VIR10 GIN ISLANDS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4105 of title 46, United 

12 States Code, is amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub14 section (c); and 

15 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(b) In applying this title with respect to an 

18 uninspected vessel of less than 24 meters overall in length 

19 that carries passengers to or from a port in the United 

20 States Virgin Islands, the Secretary shall substitute ‘12 

21 passengers’ for ‘6 passengers’ each place it appears in sec22 tion 2101(42) if the Secretary determines that the vessel 

23 complies with— 

24 ‘‘(1) the Code of Practice for the Safety of 

25 Small Commercial Motor Vessels (commonly referred 
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1 to as the ‘Yellow Code’), as published by the U.K. 

2 Maritime and Coastguard Agency and in effect on 

3 January 1, 2014; or 

4 ‘‘(2) the Code of Practice for the Safety of 

5 Small Commercial Sailing Vessels (commonly re6 ferred to as the ‘Blue Code’), as published by such 

7 agency and in effect on such date.’’. 

8 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—Section 4105(c) of 

9 title 46, United States Code, as redesignated by subsection 

10 (a)(1) of this section, is amended by striking ‘‘Within 

11 twenty-four months of the date of enactment of this sub12 section, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’. 

13 SEC. 313. OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSEL THIRD-PARTY IN14 SPECTION. 

15 Section 3316 of title 46, United States Code, is 

16 amended by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g), 

17 and by inserting after subsection (e) the following: 

18 ‘‘(f)(1) Upon request of an owner or operator of an 

19 offshore supply vessel, the Secretary shall delegate the au20 thorities set forth in paragraph (1) of subsection (b) with 

21 respect to such vessel to a classification society to which 

22 a delegation is authorized under that paragraph. A delega23 tion by the Secretary under this subsection shall be used 

24 for any vessel inspection and examination function carried 
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1 out by the Secretary, including the issuance of certificates 

2 of inspection and all other related documents. 

3 ‘‘(2) If the Secretary determines that a certificate of 

4 inspection or related document issued under authority del5 egated under paragraph (1) of this subsection with respect 

6 to a vessel has reduced the operational safety of that ves7 sel, the Secretary may terminate the certificate or docu8 ment, respectively. 

9 ‘‘(3) Not later than 2 years after the date of the en10 actment of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation 

11 Act of 2014, and for each year of the subsequent 2-year 

12 period, the Secretary shall provide to the Committee on 

13 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep14 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

15 and Transportation of the Senate a report describing— 

16 ‘‘(A) the number of vessels for which a delega17 tion was made under paragraph (1); 

18 ‘‘(B) any savings in personnel and operational 

19 costs incurred by the Coast Guard that resulted 

20 from the delegations; and 

21 ‘‘(C) based on measurable marine casualty and 

22 other data, any impacts of the delegations on the 

23 operational safety of vessels for which the delega24 tions were made, and on the crew on those vessels.’’. 
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1 SEC. 314. 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 enactment of the Coast Guard and Maritime 

19 Transportation Act of 2014. 

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 and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014, allow 

25 a passenger vessel to be equipped with a life saving appli-
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1 ance or arrangement of an innovative or novel design 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(1) ensures no part of an individual is im4 mersed in water; and 

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

6 safety than is provided by such requirements as in 

7 effect before such date of enactment. 

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

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

10 4503(e).’’. 

11 (b) REVIEW; REVISION OF REGULATIONS.— 

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

13 2015, the Secretary of the department in which the 

14 Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the Com15 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

16 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

17 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen18 ate a review of— 

19 (A) the number of casualties for individ20 uals with disabilities, children, and the elderly 

21 as a result of immersion in water, reported to 

22 the Coast Guard over the preceding 30-year pe23 riod, by vessel type and area of operation; 

24 (B) the risks to individuals with disabil25 ities, children, and the elderly as a result of im-
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1 mersion in water, by passenger vessel type and 

2 area of operation; 

3 (C) the effect that carriage of survival 

4 craft that ensure that no part of an individual 

5 is immersed in water has on— 

6 (i) passenger vessel safety, including 

7 stability and safe navigation; 

8 (ii) improving the survivability of indi9 viduals, including individuals with disabil10 ities, children, and the elderly; and 

11 (iii) the costs, the incremental cost 

12 difference to vessel operators, and the cost 

13 effectiveness of requiring the carriage of 

14 such survival craft to address the risks to 

15 individuals with disabilities, children, and 

16 the elderly; 

17 (D) the efficacy of alternative safety sys18 tems, devices, or measures in improving surviv19 ability of individuals with disabilities, children, 

20 and the elderly; and 

21 (E) the number of small businesses and 

22 nonprofit vessel operators that would be af23 fected by requiring the carriage of such survival 

24 craft on passenger vessels to address the risks 
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1 to individuals with disabilities, children, and the 

2 elderly. 

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

4 under paragraph (1), the Secretary may revise regu5 lations concerning the carriage of survival craft pur6 suant to section 3104(c) of title 46, United States 

7 Code. 

8 SEC. 315. TECHNICAL CORRECTION TO TITLE 46. 

9 Section 2116(b)(1)(D) of title 46, United States 

10 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘section 93(c)’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘section 93(c) of title 14’’. 

12 SEC. 316. ENFORCEMENT. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

14 (1) DETERMINATION OF COVERED PRO15 GRAMS.—Section 55305(d) of title 46, United States 

16 Code, is amended— 

17 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

18 follows: 

19 ‘‘(1) The Secretary of Transportation shall an20 nually review programs administered by other de21 partments and agencies and determine whether each 

22 such program is subject to the requirements of this 

23 section.’’; 
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1 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

2 paragraph (5), and by inserting after paragraph 

3 (1) the following: 

4 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall have the sole responsi5 bility to make determinations described in paragraph 

6 (1). 

7 ‘‘(3) A determination made by the Secretary 

8 under paragraph (1) regarding a program shall re9 main in effect until the Secretary determines that 

10 such program is no longer subject to the require11 ments of this section. 

12 ‘‘(4) Each department or agency administering 

13 a program determined by the Secretary under para14 graph (1) to be subject to the requirements of this 

15 section shall administer such program in accordance 

16 with this section and any rules or guidance issued by 

17 the Secretary. The issuance of such rules or guid18 ance is not a prerequisite to the issuance of final de19 terminations under paragraph (1).’’; 

20 (C) in paragraph (5)(A), as so redesig21 nated, by striking ‘‘section;’’ and inserting ‘‘sec22 tion, to determine compliance with the require23 ments of this section;’’; and 

24 (D) by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(6) On the date on which the President sub2 mits to Congress a budget pursuant to section 1105 

3 of title 31, the Secretary shall submit to the Com4 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

5 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

6 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen7 ate a report that— 

8 ‘‘(A) lists the programs determined under 

9 paragraph (1) to be subject to the requirements 

10 of this section; and 

11 ‘‘(B) describes the results of the most re12 cent annual review required by paragraph 

13 (5)(A), including identification of the depart14 ments and agencies that transported cargo in 

15 violation of this section and any action the Sec16 retary took under paragraph (5) with respect to 

17 each violation.’’. 

18 (2) DEADLINE FOR FIRST REVIEW.—The Sec19 retary of Transportation shall complete the first re20 view and make the determinations required under 

21 the amendment made by paragraph (1)(A) by not 

22 later than December 31, 2015. 

23 (b) RULEMAKING.— 
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1 (1) AUTHORITY.—Section 55305(d) of title 46, 

2 United States Code, is further amended by adding 

3 at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(7) The Secretary may prescribe rules, includ5 ing interim rules, necessary to carry out paragraph 

6 (5). An interim rule prescribed under this paragraph 

7 shall remain in effect until superseded by a final 

8 rule.’’. 

9 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

10 3511(c) of the Duncan Hunter National Defense 

11 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (46 U.S.C. 

12 55305 note) is repealed. 

13 SEC. 317. SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENTS. 

14 (a) NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM.—Section 3 of 

15 the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (c)— 

17 (A) in the subsection heading by striking 

18 ‘‘AND CONTRACTS’’ and inserting ‘‘CONTRACTS, 

19 AND OTHER AGREEMENTS’’; 

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

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out the purposes 

23 set forth in section 2, the Administrator, acting 

24 through the Program, may— 
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1 ‘‘(A) enter into cooperative agreements, 

2 contracts, and other agreements with Federal 

3 agencies, States, local governments, regional 

4 agencies, interstate agencies, and other entities, 

5 including agreements to use the personnel, serv6 ices, equipment, or facilities of such entities on 

7 a reimbursable or non-reimbursable basis; and 

8 ‘‘(B) make grants to— 

9 ‘‘(i) State, local, and tribal govern10 ments; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) institutions of higher education, 

12 nonprofit organizations, and commercial 

13 organizations with the expertise or respon14 sibility to identify, determine sources of, 

15 assess, prevent, reduce, and remove marine 

16 debris.’’; and 

17 (C) by striking paragraphs (4), (5), and 

18 (6) and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(4) GRANTS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a 

21 grant under paragraph (1)(B), an entity speci22 fied in that paragraph shall submit to the Ad23 ministrator a marine debris project proposal. 

24 ‘‘(B) REVIEW AND APPROVAL.—The Ad25 ministrator shall— 
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1 ‘‘(i) review each marine debris project 

2 proposal submitted under subparagraph 

3 (A) to determine if the proposal meets 

4 grant criteria established by the Adminis5 trator and supports the purposes set forth 

6 in section 2; 

7 ‘‘(ii) after considering any written 

8 comments and recommendations with re9 spect to the review conducted under clause 

10 (i), approve or disapprove a grant for the 

11 proposal; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) provide notification of that ap13 proval or disapproval to the entity that 

14 submitted the proposal. 

15 ‘‘(C) REPORTING.—Each entity receiving a 

16 grant under paragraph (1)(B) shall provide re17 ports to the Administrator as required by the 

18 Administrator. Each report provided shall in19 clude all information determined necessary by 

20 the Administrator for evaluating the progress 

21 and success of the project for which the grant 

22 was provided and describe the impact of the 

23 grant on the identification, determination of 

24 sources, assessment, prevention, reduction, or 

25 removal of marine debris. 
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1 ‘‘(D) TRAINING.—The Administrator may 

2 require a recipient of a grant under this sub3 section to provide training to persons engaged 

4 in marine debris response efforts funded by 

5 such grant with respect to the potential impacts 

6 of marine debris, including nonindigenous spe7 cies related to the debris, on the economy of the 

8 United States, the marine environment, and 

9 navigation safety.’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(d) SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) GRANT PREFERENCE.—In evaluating pro13 posals for grants under subsection (c), the Adminis14 trator may give preference in approving grants to 

15 proposals that address a severe marine debris event. 

16 ‘‘(2) REQUEST FOR A DECLARATION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of para18 graph (1), the Governor of a State may request 

19 that the Administrator declare a severe marine 

20 debris event in such State or a region that in21 cludes such State. 

22 ‘‘(B) RESPONSE TO REQUESTS.—Not later 

23 than 30 days after the Administrator receives a 

24 request under subparagraph (A), the Adminis25 trator shall either— 
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1 ‘‘(i) declare a severe marine debris 

2 event with respect to the request; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) submit a response to the Gov4 ernor who submitted the request, explain5 ing why the Administrator has not de6 clared a severe marine debris event with 

7 respect to the request.’’. 

8 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 7 of the Marine Debris 

9 Act (33 U.S.C. 1956) is amended— 

10 (1) by moving paragraph (5) to appear before 

11 paragraph (6); 

12 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), and 

13 (7) as paragraphs (6), (7), and (8), respectively; and 

14 (3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(5) NONINDIGENOUS SPECIES.—The term 

17 ‘nonindigenous species’ has the meaning given that 

18 term in section 1003 of the Nonindigenous Aquatic 

19 Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 

20 U.S.C. 4702).’’. 

21 (c) SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENT DETERMINA22 TION.— 

23 (1) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FUNDS.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of 

25 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
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1 istration may provide funds to an eligible entity 

2 impacted by the covered severe marine debris 

3 event to assist such entity with the costs of any 

4 activity carried out to address the effects of 

5 such event. 

6 (B) FUNDING.—The Administrator may 

7 provide funds under subparagraph (A) using 

8 any funds provided by the Government of 

9 Japan for activities to address the effects of the 

10 covered severe marine debris event. 

11 (C) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the 

12 following definitions apply: 

13 (i) COVERED SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS

14 EVENT.—The term ‘‘covered severe marine 

15 debris event’’ means the events, including 

16 marine debris, resulting from the March 

17 2011 Tohoku earthquake and subsequent 

18 tsunami. 

19 (ii) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘el20 igible entity’’ means any State (as defined 

21 in section 7 of the Marine Debris Act (33 

22 U.S.C. 1956)), local, or tribal government. 

23 (2) REPEAL.—The Coast Guard and Maritime 

24 Transportation Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–213) 

25 is amended— 
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1 (A) in the table of contents in section 1(b) 

2 by striking the item relating to section 609; and 

3 (B) by striking section 609. 

4 SEC. 318. MINIMUM TONNAGE. 

5 Section 55305 of title 46, United States Code, is 

6 amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(f) MINIMUM TONNAGE.—With respect to commod8 ities transported under the activities specified in section 

9 55314(b), the percentage specified in subsection (b) of this 

10 section shall be treated as 75 percent.’’. 

11 SEC. 319. MERCHANT MARINE PERSONNEL ADVISORY COM12 MITTEE. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

14 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Chapter 81 of title 46, 

15 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

16 end the following: 

17 ‘‘§ 8108. Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Com18 mittee 

19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab20 lish a Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (in 

21 this section referred to as ‘the Committee’). The Com22 mittee— 

23 ‘‘(1) shall act solely in an advisory capacity to 

24 the Secretary through the Commandant of the Coast 

25 Guard on matters relating to personnel in the 
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1 United States merchant marine, including training, 

2 qualifications, certification, documentation, and fit3 ness standards, and other matters as assigned by 

4 the Commandant; 

5 ‘‘(2) shall review and comment on proposed 

6 Coast Guard regulations and policies relating to per7 sonnel in the United States merchant marine, in8 cluding training, qualifications, certification, docu9 mentation, and fitness standards; 

10 ‘‘(3) may be given special assignments by the 

11 Secretary and may conduct studies, inquiries, work12 shops, and fact finding in consultation with individ13 uals and groups in the private sector and with State 

14 or local governments; 

15 ‘‘(4) shall advise, consult with, and make rec16 ommendations reflecting its independent judgment 

17 to the Secretary; 

18 ‘‘(5) shall meet not less than twice each year; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(6) may make available to the Congress rec21 ommendations that the Committee makes to the Sec22 retary. 

23 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall con25 sist of not more than 19 members who are appointed 
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1 by and serve terms of a duration determined by the 

2 Secretary. Before filling a position on the Com3 mittee, the Secretary shall publish a notice in the 

4 Federal Register soliciting nominations for member5 ship on the Committee. 

6 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED MEMBERS.—The Secretary 

7 shall appoint as members of the Committee— 

8 ‘‘(A) 9 United States citizens with active 

9 licenses or certificates issued under chapter 71 

10 or merchant mariner documents issued under 

11 chapter 73, including— 

12 ‘‘(i) 3 deck officers who represent the 

13 viewpoint of merchant marine deck offi14 cers, of whom— 

15 ‘‘(I) 2 shall be licensed for oceans 

16 any gross tons; 

17 ‘‘(II) 1 shall be licensed for in18 land river route with a limited or un19 limited tonnage; 

20 ‘‘(III) 2 shall have a master’s li21 cense or a master of towing vessels li22 cense; 

23 ‘‘(IV) 1 shall have significant 

24 tanker experience; and 

25 ‘‘(V) to the extent practicable— 
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1 ‘‘(aa) 1 shall represent the 

2 viewpoint of labor; and 

3 ‘‘(bb) another shall rep4 resent a management perspective; 

5 ‘‘(ii) 3 engineering officers who rep6 resent the viewpoint of merchant marine 

7 engineering officers, of whom— 

8 ‘‘(I) 2 shall be licensed as chief 

9 engineer any horsepower; 

10 ‘‘(II) 1 shall be licensed as either 

11 a limited chief engineer or a des12 ignated duty engineer; and 

13 ‘‘(III) to the extent practicable— 

14 ‘‘(aa) 1 shall represent a 

15 labor viewpoint; and 

16 ‘‘(bb) another shall rep17 resent a management perspective; 

18 ‘‘(iii) 2 unlicensed seamen, of whom— 

19 ‘‘(I) 1 shall represent the view20 point of able-bodied seamen; and 

21 ‘‘(II) another shall represent the 

22 viewpoint of qualified members of the 

23 engine department; and 

24 ‘‘(iv) 1 pilot who represents the view25 point of merchant marine pilots; 
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1 ‘‘(B) 6 marine educators, including— 

2 ‘‘(i) 3 marine educators who represent 

3 the viewpoint of maritime academies, in4 cluding— 

5 ‘‘(I) 2 who represent the view6 point of State maritime academies 

7 and are jointly recommended by such 

8 State maritime academies; and 

9 ‘‘(II) 1 who represents either the 

10 viewpoint of the State maritime acad11 emies or the United States Merchant 

12 Marine Academy; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) 3 marine educators who rep14 resent the viewpoint of other maritime 

15 training institutions, 1 of whom shall rep16 resent the viewpoint of the small vessel in17 dustry; 

18 ‘‘(C) 2 individuals who represent the view19 point of shipping companies employed in ship 

20 operation management; and 

21 ‘‘(D) 2 members who are appointed from 

22 the general public. 

23 ‘‘(c) CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN.—The Com24 mittee shall elect one of its members as the Chairman and 

25 one of its members as the Vice Chairman. The Vice Chair-
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1 man shall act as Chairman in the absence or incapacity 

2 of the Chairman, or in the event of a vacancy in the office 

3 of the Chairman. 

4 ‘‘(d) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Committee may estab5 lish and disestablish subcommittees and working groups 

6 for any purpose consistent with this section, subject to 

7 conditions imposed by the Committee. Members of the 

8 Committee and additional persons drawn from the general 

9 public may be assigned to such subcommittees and work10 ing groups. Only Committee members may chair sub11 committee or working groups. 

12 ‘‘(e) TERMINATION.—The Committee shall terminate 

13 on September 30, 2020.’’. 

14 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at 

15 the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 

16 at the end the following: 

‘‘8108. Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee.’’. 

17 (b) COMPETITIVENESS OF THE U.S. MERCHANT MA18 RINE.— 

19 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 1 year 

20 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Mer21 chant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee estab22 lished under the amendment made by subsection (a) 

23 shall— 

24 (A) review— 
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1 (i) the merchant mariner licensing, 

2 certification, and documentation programs 

3 and STCW Convention implementation 

4 programs of the 3 flag-states; and 

5 (ii) State maritime academy problems 

6 regarding implementation of the STCW 

7 Convention; and 

8 (B) report to the Commandant of the 

9 Coast Guard— 

10 (i) a description of each specific provi11 sion for which United States merchant 

12 mariner license, certification, and docu13 ment and STCW Convention implementa14 tion requirements are more stringent than 

15 the requirements of such flag-state pro16 grams, and a recommendation of whether 

17 such United States provision should be re18 tained, modified, or eliminated; 

19 (ii) a description of which United 

20 States merchant mariner license, certifi21 cation, and document evaluation require22 ments must be complied with separately 

23 from similar STCW Convention evaluation 

24 requirements, any statutory requirement 

25 for such separate compliance, and steps 
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1 that can be taken by the Coast Guard or 

2 by the Congress to minimize such redun3 dant requirements; and 

4 (iii) a description of problems State 

5 maritime academies are having in imple6 menting the STCW Convention and rec7 ommendations on how to address such 

8 problems. 

9 (3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Within 6 months 

10 from the date the Commandant receives the report 

11 under paragraph (1)(B), the Commandant shall for12 ward to the Congress a copy of the report with rec13 ommendations for actions to implement the report’s 

14 recommendations. 

15 (4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

16 (A) 3 FLAG STATES.—The term ‘‘3 flag 

17 states’’ means the 3 countries that are parties 

18 to the Annex to the International Maritime Or19 ganization Maritime Safety Committee Circular 

20 MSC.1/Circ.1163/Rev.8 dated January 7, 2013, 

21 and, of all such countries, have the greatest ves22 sel tonnage documented under the laws of each 

23 respective country. 

24 (B) STCW CONVENTION.—The term 

25 ‘‘STCW Convention’’ means the amendments to 
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1 the International Convention on Standards of 

2 Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for 

3 Seafarers, 1978 that entered into force on Jan4 uary 1, 2012. 

5 SEC. 320. REPORT ON EFFECT OF LNG EXPORT CARRIAGE 

6 REQUIREMENTS ON JOB CREATION IN THE 

7 UNITED STATES MARITIME INDUSTRY. 

8 No later than 180 days after the date of the enact9 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 

10 States shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 

11 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 

12 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

13 of the Senate a report on the number of jobs, including 

14 vessel construction and vessel operating jobs, that would 

15 be created in the United States maritime industry each 

16 year in 2015 through 2025 if liquified natural gas ex17 ported from the United States were required to be car18 ried— 

19 (1) before December 31, 2018, on vessels docu20 mented under the laws of the United States; and 

21 (2) after such date, on vessels documented 

22 under the laws of the United States and constructed 

23 in the United States. 
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1 TITLE IV—FEDERAL MARITIME 

2 COMMISSION 

3 SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Federal 

5 Maritime Commission $24,700,000 for each of fiscal years 

6 2015 and 2016. 

7 SEC. 402. TERMS OF COMMISSIONERS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301(b) of title 46, United 

9 States Code, is amended— 

10 (1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol11 lows: 

12 ‘‘(2) TERMS.—The term of each Commissioner 

13 is 5 years. When the term of a Commissioner ends, 

14 the Commissioner may continue to serve until a suc15 cessor is appointed and qualified, but for a period 

16 not to exceed one year. Except as provided in para17 graph (3), no individual may serve more than 2 

18 terms.’’; and 

19 (2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para20 graph (5), and inserting after paragraph (2) the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(3) VACANCIES.—A vacancy shall be filled in 

23 the same manner as the original appointment. An 

24 individual appointed to fill a vacancy is appointed 

25 only for the unexpired term of the individual being 
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1 succeeded. An individual appointed to fill a vacancy 

2 may serve 2 terms in addition to the remainder of 

3 the term for which the predecessor of that individual 

4 was appointed. 

5 ‘‘(4) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.— 

6 ‘‘(A) LIMITATION ON RELATIONSHIPS

7 WITH REGULATED ENTITIES.—A Commissioner 

8 may not have a pecuniary interest in, hold an 

9 official relation to, or own stocks or bonds of 

10 any entity the Commission regulates under 

11 chapter 401 of this title. 

12 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON OTHER ACTIVI13 TIES.—A Commissioner may not engage in an14 other business, vocation, or employment.’’. 

15 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by sub16 section (a)(1) does not apply with respect to a Commis17 sioner of the Federal Maritime Commission appointed and 

18 confirmed by the Senate before the date of enactment of 

19 this Act. 

20 TITLE V—COMMERCIAL VESSEL 

21 DISCHARGE REFORM 

22 SEC. 501. SHORT TITLE. 

23 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Commercial Vessel 

24 Discharge Reform Act of 2014’’. 
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1 SEC. 502. DISCHARGES INCIDENTAL TO THE NORMAL OP2 ERATION OF CERTAIN VESSELS. 

3 Section 2(a) of Public Law 110–299 (33 U.S.C. 1342 

4 note) is amended by striking ‘‘during the period beginning 

5 on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on 

6 December 18, 2014,’’. 

7 TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 

8 SEC. 601. DISTANT WATER TUNA FLEET. 

9 Section 421 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Trans10 portation Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–241; 120 Stat. 

11 547) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (b)— 

13 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

14 follows: 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) only applies 

16 to a foreign citizen who holds a credential to serve 

17 as an officer on a fishing vessel or vessel of similar 

18 tonnage.’’; and 

19 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘An 

20 equivalent credential’’ and inserting ‘‘A creden21 tial’’; and 

22 (2) by striking subsections (c), (e), and (f) and 

23 redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c). 

24 SEC. 602. VESSEL DETERMINATION. 

25 The vessel assigned United States official number 

26 1205366 is deemed a new vessel effective on the date of 
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1 delivery of the vessel after January 1, 2012, from a pri2 vately owned United States shipyard, if no encumbrances 

3 are on record with the Coast Guard at the time of the 

4 issuance of the new certificate of documentation for the 

5 vessel. 

6 SEC. 603. LEASE AUTHORITY. 

7 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Commandant of the Coast 

8 Guard may lease under section 93(a)(13) of title 14, 

9 United States Code, submerged lands and tidelands under 

10 the control of the Coast Guard without regard to the limi11 tation under that section with respect to lease duration. 

12 (b) LIMITATION.—The Commandant may lease sub13 merged lands and tidelands under subsection (a) only if— 

14 (1) lease payments are— 

15 (A) received exclusively in the form of 

16 cash; 

17 (B) equal to the fair market value of the 

18 leased submerged lands or tidelands, as deter19 mined by the Commandant; and 

20 (C) deposited in the fund established under 

21 section 687 of title 14, United States Code; and 

22 (2) the lease does not provide authority to or 

23 commit the Coast Guard to use or support any im24 provements to such submerged lands or tidelands, or 

25 obtain goods or services from the lessee. 
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1 SEC. 604. NATIONAL MARITIME STRATEGY. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor4 tation, in consultation with the Secretary of the depart5 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating, shall submit 

6 to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

7 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

8 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 

9 national maritime strategy. 

10 (b) CONTENTS.—The strategy required under sub11 section (a) shall— 

12 (1) identify— 

13 (A) Federal regulations and policies that 

14 reduce the competitiveness of United States flag 

15 vessels in the international trade; and 

16 (B) the impact of reduced cargo flow due 

17 to reductions in the number of members of the 

18 United States Armed Forces stationed or de19 ployed outside of the United States; and 

20 (2) include recommendations to— 

21 (A) make United States flag vessels more 

22 competitive in shipping routes between United 

23 States and foreign ports; 

24 (B) increase the use of United States flag 

25 vessels to carry cargo imported to and exported 

26 from the United States; 
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1 (C) assure compliance by Federal agencies 

2 with chapter 553 of title 46, United States 

3 Code; 

4 (D) increase the use of third-party inspec5 tion and certification authorities to inspect and 

6 certify vessels; 

7 (E) increase the use of short sea transpor8 tation routes designated under section 55601(c) 

9 of title 46, United States Code, to enhance 

10 intermodal freight movements; and 

11 (F) enhance United States shipbuilding ca12 pability. 

13 SEC. 605. IMO POLAR CODE NEGOTIATIONS. 

14 Not later than 30 days after the date of the enact15 ment of this Act, and thereafter with the submission of 

16 the budget proposal submitted for each of fiscal years 

17 2016, 2017, and 2018 under section 1105 of title 31, 

18 United States Code, the Secretary of the department in 

19 which the Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the 

20 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

21 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com22 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a report 

23 on— 

24 (1) the status of the negotiations at the Inter25 national Maritime Organization regarding the estab-
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1 lishment of a draft international code of safety for 

2 ships operating in polar waters, popularly known as 

3 the Polar Code, and any amendments proposed by 

4 such a code to be made to the International Conven5 tion for the Safety of Life at Sea and the Inter6 national Convention for the Prevention of Pollution 

7 from Ships; 

8 (2) the coming into effect of such a code and 

9 such amendments for nations that are parties to 

10 those conventions; 

11 (3) impacts, for coastal communities located in 

12 the Arctic (as that term is defined in the section 112 

13 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 

14 U.S.C. 4111)) of such a code or such amendments, 

15 on— 

16 (A) the costs of delivering fuel and freight; 

17 and 

18 (B) the safety of maritime transportation; 

19 and 

20 (4) actions the Secretary must take to imple21 ment the requirements of such a code and such 

22 amendments. 

23 SEC. 606. VALLEY VIEW FERRY. 

24 (a) EXEMPTION.—Section 8902 of title 46, United 

25 States Code, shall not apply to the vessel John Craig 
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1 (United States official number D1110613) when such ves2 sel is operating on the portion of the Kentucky River, Ken3 tucky, located at approximately mile point 158, in Pool 

4 Number 9, between Lock and Dam Number 9 and Lock 

5 and Dam Number 10. 

6 (b) APPLICATION.—Subsection (a) shall apply on and 

7 after the date on which the Secretary determines that a 

8 licensing requirement has been established under Ken9 tucky State law that applies to an operator of the vessel 

10 John Craig. 

11 SEC. 607. COMPETITION BY UNITED STATES FLAG VESSELS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant of the Coast 

13 Guard shall enter into an arrangement with the National 

14 Academy of Sciences to conduct an assessment of authori15 ties under subtitle II of title 46, United States Code, that 

16 have been delegated to the Coast Guard that impact the 

17 ability of vessels documented under the laws of the United 

18 States to effectively compete in the carriage of merchan19 dise and passengers in the international trade. 

20 (b) REVIEW OF DIFFERENCES WITH IMO STAND21 ARDS.—The assessment under subsection (a) shall include 

22 a review of differences between United States laws, poli23 cies, regulations, and guidance governing the inspection 

24 of vessels documented under the laws of the United States 
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1 and standards set by the International Maritime Organi2 zation governing the inspection of vessels. 

3 (c) DEADLINE.—Not later than 180 days after the 

4 date on which the Commandant enters into an arrange5 ment with the National Academy of Sciences under sub6 section (a), the Commandant shall submit the assessment 

7 required under such subsection to the Committee on 

8 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep9 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

10 and Transportation of the Senate. 

11 SEC. 608. SURVEY. 

12 Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 

13 of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall 

14 submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infra15 structure of the House of Representatives and the Com16 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

17 Senate a survey of the parcel of real property under the 

18 administrative control of the Coast Guard, consisting of 

19 approximately 1.95 acres (measured at the mean low20 water mark) located at the entrance to Gig Harbor, Wash21 ington, and commonly known as the Gig Harbor Sand Spit 

22 Area. 

23 SEC. 609. FISHING SAFETY GRANT PROGRAMS. 

24 (a) FISHING SAFETY TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.— 

25 Section 4502(i)(4) of title 46, United States Code, is 
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1 amended by striking ‘‘2010 through 2014’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘2015 and 2016’’. 

3 (b) FISHING SAFETY RESEARCH GRANT PRO4 GRAM.—Section 4502(j)(4) of title 46, United States 

5 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘2010 through 2014’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘2015 and 2016’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives April 1, 2014. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4005 

AN ACT 

To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard 

purposes. for fiscal years 2015 and 2016, and for other