IIB 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5769 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 4, 2014 

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

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal 

year 2015, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Howard Coble Coast 

3 Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014’’. 

4 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

5 The table of contents for this Act is the following: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. 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. Commandant; appointment. 

Sec. 203. Prevention and response workforces. 

Sec. 204. Centers of expertise. 

Sec. 205. Penalties. 

Sec. 206. Agreements. 

Sec. 207. Tuition assistance program coverage of textbooks and other educational materials. 

Sec. 208. Coast Guard housing. 

Sec. 209. Lease authority. 

Sec. 210. Notification of certain determinations. 

Sec. 211. Annual Board of Visitors. 

Sec. 212. Flag officers. 

Sec. 213. Repeal of limitation on medals of honor. 

Sec. 214. Coast Guard family support and child care. 

Sec. 215. Mission need statement. 

Sec. 216. Transmission of annual Coast Guard authorization request. 

Sec. 217. Inventory of real property. 

Sec. 218. Retired service members and dependents serving on advisory committees. 

Sec. 219. Active duty for emergency augmentation of regular forces. 

Sec. 220. Acquisition workforce expedited hiring authority. 

Sec. 221. Coast Guard administrative savings. 

Sec. 222. Technical corrections to title 14. 

Sec. 223. Multiyear procurement authority for Offshore Patrol Cutters. 

Sec. 224. Maintaining Medium Endurance Cutter mission capability. 

Sec. 225. Aviation capability in the Great Lakes region. 

Sec. 226. Gaps in writings on Coast Guard history. 

Sec. 227. Officer evaluation reports. 

Sec. 228. Improved safety information for vessels. 

Sec. 229. E–LORAN. 

Sec. 230. Analysis of resource deficiencies with respect to maritime border security. 

Sec. 231. Modernization of National Distress and Response System. 


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Sec. 232. Report reconciling maintenance and operational priorities on the Missouri River. 

Sec. 233. Maritime Search and Rescue Assistance Policy assessment. 

TITLE III—SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION 

Sec. 301. Repeal. 

Sec. 302. Donation of historical property. 

Sec. 303. Small shipyards. 

Sec. 304. Drug testing reporting. 

Sec. 305. Opportunities for sea service veterans. 

Sec. 306. Clarification of high-risk waters. 

Sec. 307. Technical corrections. 

Sec. 308. Report. 

Sec. 309. Fishing safety grant programs. 

Sec. 310. Establishment of Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee. 

Sec. 311. Travel and subsistence costs for prevention services. 

Sec. 312. Prompt intergovernmental notice of marine casualties. 

Sec. 313. Area Contingency Plans. 

Sec. 314. International ice patrol reform. 

Sec. 315. Offshore supply vessel third-party inspection. 

Sec. 316. Watches. 

Sec. 317. Coast Guard response plan requirements. 

Sec. 318. Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council. 

Sec. 319. Uninspected passenger vessels in the United States Virgin Islands. 

Sec. 320. Treatment of abandoned seafarers. 

Sec. 321. Enforcement. 

Sec. 322. Coast Guard regulations. 

Sec. 323. Website. 

TITLE IV—FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION 

Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 402. Award of reparations. 

Sec. 403. Terms of Commissioners. 

TITLE V—ARCTIC MARITIME TRANSPORTATION 

Sec. 501. Arctic maritime transportation. 

Sec. 502. Arctic maritime domain awareness. 

Sec. 503. IMO Polar Code negotiations. 

Sec. 504. Forward operating facilities. 

Sec. 505. Icebreakers. 

Sec. 506. Icebreaking in polar regions. 

TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 

Sec. 601. Distant water tuna fleet. 

Sec. 602. Extension of moratorium. 

Sec. 603. National maritime strategy. 

Sec. 604. Waivers. 

Sec. 605. Competition by United States flag vessels. 

Sec. 606. Vessel requirements for notices of arrival and departure and automatic identification system. 

Sec. 607. Conveyance of Coast Guard property in Rochester, New York. 

Sec. 608. Conveyance of certain property in Gig Harbor, Washington. 

Sec. 609. Vessel determination. 


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Sec. 610. Safe vessel operation in Thunder Bay. 

Sec. 611. Parking facilities. 

1 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION 

2 SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

3 Funds are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 

4 year 2015 for necessary expenses of the Coast Guard as 

5 follows: 

6 (1) For the operation and maintenance of the 

7 Coast Guard, $6,981,036,000. 

8 (2) For the acquisition, construction, rebuild9 ing, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore 

10 and offshore facilities, vessels, and aircraft, includ11 ing equipment related thereto, $1,546,448,000, to 

12 remain available until expended. 

13 (3) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, in14 cluding personnel and training costs, equipment, and 

15 services, $140,016,000. 

16 (4) For environmental compliance and restora17 tion of Coast Guard vessels, aircraft, and facilities 

18 (other than parts and equipment associated with op19 eration and maintenance), $16,701,000, to remain 

20 available until expended. 

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

22 research, development, test, and evaluation of tech23 nologies, materials, and human factors directly re24 lated to improving the performance of the Coast 


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

2 aids to navigation, marine safety, marine environ3 mental protection, enforcement of laws and treaties, 

4 ice operations, oceanographic research, and defense 

5 readiness, $19,890,000. 

6 (6) For alteration or removal of bridges over 

7 navigable waters of the United States constituting 

8 obstructions to navigation, and for personnel and 

9 administrative costs associated with the Alteration of 

10 Bridges Program, $16,000,000. 

11 SEC. 102. AUTHORIZED LEVELS OF MILITARY STRENGTH 

12 AND TRAINING. 

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

14 authorized an end-of-year strength for active duty per15 sonnel of 43,000 for fiscal year 2015. 

16 (b) MILITARY TRAINING STUDENT LOADS.—The 

17 Coast Guard is authorized average military training stu18 dent loads for fiscal year 2015 as follows: 

19 (1) For recruit and special training, 2,500 stu20 dent years. 

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

22 (3) For professional training in military and ci23 vilian institutions, 350 student years. 

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


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1 TITLE II—COAST GUARD 

2 SEC. 201. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. 

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

4 amended by striking ‘‘7,200’’ and inserting ‘‘6,900’’. 

5 SEC. 202. COMMANDANT; APPOINTMENT. 

6 Section 44 of title 14, United States Code, is amend7 ed by inserting after the first sentence the following: ‘‘The 

8 term of an appointment, and any reappointment, shall 

9 begin on June 1 of the appropriate year and end on May 

10 31 of the appropriate year, except that, in the event of 

11 death, retirement, resignation, or reassignment, or when 

12 the needs of the Service demand, the Secretary may alter 

13 the date on which a term begins or ends if the alteration 

14 does not result in the term exceeding a period of 4 years.’’. 

15 SEC. 203. PREVENTION AND RESPONSE WORKFORCES. 

16 Section 57 of title 14, United States Code, is amend17 ed— 

18 (1) in subsection (b)— 

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

20 the end; 

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

22 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

24 ‘‘(4) waterways operations manager shall have 

25 knowledge, skill, and practical experience with reVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Dec 05, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 \\ALPHA3\E\BILLS\H5769.RFS H5769

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1 spect to marine transportation system management; 

2 or 

3 ‘‘(5) port and facility safety and security spe4 cialist shall have knowledge, skill, and practical ex5 perience with respect to the safety, security, and en6 vironmental protection responsibilities associated 

7 with maritime ports and facilities.’’; 

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

9 safety engineer’’ and inserting ‘‘marine safety engi10 neer, waterways operations manager, or port and fa11 cility safety and security specialist’’; and 

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

13 or marine safety engineer.’’ and inserting ‘‘investi14 gator, marine safety engineer, waterways operations 

15 manager, or port and facility safety and security 

16 specialist.’’. 

17 SEC. 204. CENTERS OF EXPERTISE. 

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

19 amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(b) MISSIONS.—Any center established under sub21 section (a) shall— 

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

23 ‘‘(A) education; 

24 ‘‘(B) training; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) activities authorized under section 

2 93(a)(4); 

3 ‘‘(2) be a repository of information on oper4 ations, practices, and resources related to the mis5 sion for which the center was established; and 

6 ‘‘(3) perform and support the mission for which 

7 the center was established.’’. 

8 SEC. 205. PENALTIES. 

9 (a) AIDS TO NAVIGATION AND FALSE DISTRESS

10 MESSAGES.—Chapter 5 of title 14, United States Code, 

11 is amended— 

12 (1) in section 83 by striking ‘‘$100’’ and insert13 ing ‘‘$1,500’’; 

14 (2) in section 84 by striking ‘‘$500’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘$1,500’’; 

16 (3) in section 85 by striking ‘‘$100’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘$1,500’’; and 

18 (4) in section 88(c)(2) by striking ‘‘$5,000’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘$10,000’’. 

20 (b) UNAUTHORIZED USE OF WORDS ‘‘COAST

21 GUARD’’.—Section 639 of title 14, United States Code, 

22 is amended by striking ‘‘$1,000’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘$10,000’’. 


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1 SEC. 206. AGREEMENTS. 

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

3 United States Code, is amended— 

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

5 ‘‘and investigate’’; and 

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

7 such activities with other Government agencies and 

8 with private agencies’’. 

9 (b) AUTHORITY.—Chapter 5 of title 14, United 

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

11 by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘§ 102. Agreements 

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

14 the Commandant may— 

15 ‘‘(1) enter into cooperative agreements, con16 tracts, and other agreements with— 

17 ‘‘(A) Federal entities; 

18 ‘‘(B) other public or private entities in the 

19 United States, including academic entities; and 

20 ‘‘(C) foreign governments with the concur21 rence of the Secretary of State; and 

22 ‘‘(2) impose on and collect from an entity sub23 ject to an agreement or contract under paragraph 

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

25 out such section. 


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

2 under this section shall be deposited in the general fund 

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

4 used, to the extent provided in advance in an appropria5 tion law, only to carry out activities under section 

6 93(a)(4).’’. 

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

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

‘‘102. Agreements.’’. 

9 SEC. 207. TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM COVERAGE OF 

10 TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL MA11 TERIALS. 

12 Section 93(a)(7) of title 14, United States Code, is 

13 amended by inserting ‘‘and the textbooks, manuals, and 

14 other materials required as part of such training or course 

15 of instruction’’ after ‘‘correspondence courses’’. 

16 SEC. 208. COAST GUARD HOUSING. 

17 (a) COMMANDANT; GENERAL POWERS.—Section 

18 93(a)(13) of title 14, United States Code, is amended by 

19 striking ‘‘the Treasury’’ and inserting ‘‘the fund estab20 lished under section 687’’. 

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

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

23 Treasury’’ and inserting ‘‘the fund established under sec24 tion 687’’. 


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

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

3 end the following: 

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

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

6 SEC. 209. LEASE AUTHORITY. 

7 Section 93 of title 14, United States Code, is amend8 ed by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(f) LEASING OF TIDELANDS AND SUBMERGED

10 LANDS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Commandant may lease 

12 under subsection (a)(13) submerged lands and tide13 lands under the control of the Coast Guard without 

14 regard to the limitation under that subsection with 

15 respect to lease duration. 

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

17 lease submerged lands and tidelands under para18 graph (1) only if— 

19 ‘‘(A) lease payments are— 

20 ‘‘(i) received exclusively in the form of 

21 cash; 

22 ‘‘(ii) equal to the fair market value of 

23 the use of the leased submerged lands or 

24 tidelands for the period during which such 


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1 lands are leased, as determined by the 

2 Commandant; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) deposited in the fund established 

4 under section 687; and 

5 ‘‘(B) the lease does not provide authority 

6 to or commit the Coast Guard to use or support 

7 any improvements to such submerged lands or 

8 tidelands, or obtain goods or services from the 

9 lessee.’’. 

10 SEC. 210. NOTIFICATION OF CERTAIN DETERMINATIONS. 

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

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

13 by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘§ 103. Notification of certain determinations 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—At least 90 days prior to making 

16 a final determination that a waterway, or a portion there17 of, is navigable for purposes of the jurisdiction of the 

18 Coast Guard, the Commandant shall provide notification 

19 regarding the proposed determination to— 

20 ‘‘(1) the Governor of each State in which such 

21 waterway, or portion thereof, is located; 

22 ‘‘(2) the public; and 

23 ‘‘(3) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

24 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 


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1 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

2 Representatives. 

3 ‘‘(b) CONTENT REQUIREMENT.—Each notification 

4 provided under subsection (a) to an entity specified in 

5 paragraph (3) of that subsection shall include— 

6 ‘‘(1) an analysis of whether vessels operating on 

7 the waterway, or portion thereof, subject to the pro8 posed determination are subject to inspection or 

9 similar regulation by State or local officials; 

10 ‘‘(2) an analysis of whether operators of com11 mercial vessels on such waterway, or portion thereof, 

12 are subject to licensing or similar regulation by 

13 State or local officials; and 

14 ‘‘(3) an estimate of the annual costs that the 

15 Coast Guard may incur in conducting operations on 

16 such waterway, or portion thereof.’’. 

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

18 chapter, as amended by this Act, is further amended by 

19 adding at the end the following: 

‘‘103. Notification of certain determinations.’’. 

20 SEC. 211. ANNUAL BOARD OF VISITORS. 

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

22 amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘§ 194. Annual Board of Visitors 

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

3 Guard Academy is established to review and make rec4 ommendations on the operation of the Academy. 

5 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

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

7 Board shall consist of the following: 

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

9 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

10 Senate, or the chairman’s designee. 

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

12 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

13 of Representatives, or the chairman’s designee. 

14 ‘‘(C) Three Members of the Senate des15 ignated by the Vice President. 

16 ‘‘(D) Four Members of the House of Rep17 resentatives designated by the Speaker of the 

18 House of Representatives. 

19 ‘‘(E) Six individuals designated by the 

20 President. 

21 ‘‘(2) LENGTH OF SERVICE.— 

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

23 of Congress designated under subparagraph (C) 

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

25 Board shall be designated as a member in the 


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1 First Session of a Congress and serve for the 

2 duration of that Congress. 

3 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUALS DESIGNATED BY THE

4 PRESIDENT.—Each individual designated by the 

5 President under subparagraph (E) of para6 graph (1) shall serve as a member of the Board 

7 for 3 years, except that any such member whose 

8 term of office has expired shall continue to 

9 serve until a successor is appointed. 

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

11 If a member of the Board dies or resigns, a suc12 cessor shall be designated for any unexpired portion 

13 of the term of the member by the official who des14 ignated the member. 

15 ‘‘(c) ACADEMY VISITS.— 

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

17 Academy annually to review the operation of the 

18 Academy. 

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

20 of the Secretary, the Board or individual members 

21 of the Board may make other visits to the Academy 

22 in connection with the duties of the Board or to con23 sult with the Superintendent of the Academy. 

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

25 with respect to the Academy— 


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

2 ‘‘(2) the curriculum; 

3 ‘‘(3) instruction; 

4 ‘‘(4) physical equipment; 

5 ‘‘(5) fiscal affairs; and 

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

7 the Board determines appropriate. 

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

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

10 the Board shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee 

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

12 and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

13 of the House of Representatives a report on the actions 

14 of the Board during such visit and the recommendations 

15 of the Board pertaining to the Academy. 

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

17 Board may consult with advisors in carrying out this sec18 tion. 

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

20 and each adviser consulted by the Board under subsection 

21 (f) shall be reimbursed, to the extent permitted by law, 

22 by the Coast Guard for actual expenses incurred while en23 gaged in duties as a member or adviser.’’. 


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1 SEC. 212. 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. 213. REPEAL OF LIMITATION ON MEDALS OF HONOR. 

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

14 amended by striking ‘‘medal of honor,’’ each place it ap15 pears. 

16 SEC. 214. COAST GUARD FAMILY SUPPORT AND CHILD 

17 CARE. 

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

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

20 chapter 13 the following: 

21 ‘‘CHAPTER 14—COAST GUARD FAMILY 

22 SUPPORT AND CHILD CARE 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL PROVISIONS

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘531. Work-life policies and programs. 

‘‘532. Surveys of Coast Guard families. 


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‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—COAST GUARD FAMILY SUPPORT

‘‘542. Education and training opportunities for Coast Guard spouses. 

‘‘543. Youth sponsorship initiatives. 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—COAST GUARD CHILD CARE

‘‘551. Definitions. 

‘‘553. Child development center standards and inspections. 

‘‘554. Child development center employees. 

‘‘555. Parent partnerships with child development centers. 

1 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

2 ‘‘§ 531. Work-life policies and programs 

3 ‘‘The Commandant is authorized— 

4 ‘‘(1) to establish an office for the purpose of de5 veloping, promulgating, and coordinating policies, 

6 programs, and activities related to the families of 

7 Coast Guard members; 

8 ‘‘(2) to implement and oversee policies, pro9 grams, and activities described in paragraph (1) as 

10 the Commandant considers necessary; and 

11 ‘‘(3) to perform such other duties as the Com12 mandant considers necessary. 

13 ‘‘§ 532. Surveys of Coast Guard families 

14 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Commandant, in order to de15 termine the effectiveness of Federal policies, programs, 

16 and activities related to the families of Coast Guard mem17 bers, may survey— 

18 ‘‘(1) any Coast Guard member; 

19 ‘‘(2) any retired Coast Guard member; 


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1 ‘‘(3) the immediate family of any Coast Guard 

2 member or retired Coast Guard member; and 

3 ‘‘(4) any survivor of a deceased Coast Guard 

4 member. 

5 ‘‘(b) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.—Participation in 

6 any survey conducted under subsection (a) shall be vol7 untary. 

8 ‘‘(c) FEDERAL RECORDKEEPING.—Each person sur9 veyed under subsection (a) shall be considered an em10 ployee of the United States for purposes of section 

11 3502(3)(A)(i) of title 44. 

12 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—COAST GUARD FAMILY 

13 SUPPORT 

14 ‘‘§ 542. Education and training opportunities for 

15 Coast Guard spouses 

16 ‘‘(a) TUITION ASSISTANCE.—The Commandant may 

17 provide, subject to the availability of appropriations, tui18 tion assistance to an eligible spouse to facilitate the acqui19 sition of— 

20 ‘‘(1) education and training required for a de21 gree or credential at an accredited college, univer22 sity, or technical school in the United States that ex23 pands employment and portable career opportunities 

24 for the spouse; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) education prerequisites and a professional 

2 license or credential required, by a government or 

3 government-sanctioned licensing body, for an occu4 pation that expands employment and portable career 

5 opportunities for the spouse. 

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

7 definitions apply: 

8 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE SPOUSE.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘eligible 

10 spouse’ means the spouse of a member of the 

11 Coast Guard who is serving on active duty and 

12 includes a spouse who receives transitional com13 pensation under section 1059 of title 10. 

14 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘eligible 

15 spouse’ does not include a person who— 

16 ‘‘(i) is married to, but legally sepa17 rated from, a member of the Coast Guard 

18 under a court order or statute of any State 

19 or territorial possession of the United 

20 States; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) is eligible for tuition assistance 

22 as a member of the Armed Forces. 

23 ‘‘(2) PORTABLE CAREER.—The term ‘portable 

24 career’ includes an occupation that requires edu25 cation, training, or both that results in a credential 


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1 that is recognized by an industry, profession, or spe2 cific type of business. 

3 ‘‘§ 543. Youth sponsorship initiatives 

4 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant is authorized 

5 to establish, within any Coast Guard unit, an initiative 

6 to help integrate into new surroundings the dependent 

7 children of members of the Coast Guard who received per8 manent change of station orders. 

9 ‘‘(b) DESCRIPTION OF INITIATIVE.—An initiative es10 tablished under subsection (a) shall— 

11 ‘‘(1) provide for the involvement of a dependent 

12 child of a member of the Coast Guard in the de13 pendent child’s new Coast Guard community; and 

14 ‘‘(2) primarily focus on preteen and teenaged 

15 children. 

16 ‘‘(c) AUTHORITY.—In carrying out an initiative 

17 under subsection (a), the Commandant may— 

18 ‘‘(1) provide to a dependent child of a member 

19 of the Coast Guard information on youth programs 

20 and activities available in the dependent child’s new 

21 Coast Guard community; and 

22 ‘‘(2) enter into agreements with nonprofit enti23 ties to provide youth programs and activities to such 

24 child. 


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1 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—COAST GUARD CHILD CARE 

2 ‘‘§ 551. Definitions 

3 ‘‘In this subchapter, the following definitions apply: 

4 ‘‘(1) CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT.—The term 

5 ‘child abuse and neglect’ has the meaning given that 

6 term in section 3 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 

7 Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 note). 

8 ‘‘(2) CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER EM9 PLOYEE.—The term ‘child development center em10 ployee’ means a civilian employee of the Coast 

11 Guard who is employed to work in a Coast Guard 

12 child development center without regard to whether 

13 the employee is paid from appropriated or non14 appropriated funds. 

15 ‘‘(3) COAST GUARD CHILD DEVELOPMENT CEN16 TER.—The term ‘Coast Guard child development 

17 center’ means a facility on Coast Guard property or 

18 on property under the jurisdiction of the commander 

19 of a Coast Guard unit at which child care services 

20 are provided for members of the Coast Guard. 

21 ‘‘(4) COMPETITIVE SERVICE POSITION.—The 

22 term ‘competitive service position’ means a position 

23 in the competitive service (as defined in section 2102 

24 of title 5). 


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1 ‘‘(5) FAMILY HOME DAYCARE.—The term ‘fam2 ily home daycare’ means home-based child care serv3 ices provided for a member of the Coast Guard by 

4 an individual who— 

5 ‘‘(A) is certified by the Commandant as 

6 qualified to provide home-based child care serv7 ices; and 

8 ‘‘(B) provides home-based child care serv9 ices on a regular basis in exchange for mone10 tary compensation. 

11 ‘‘§ 553. Child development center standards and in12 spections 

13 ‘‘(a) STANDARDS.—The Commandant shall require 

14 each Coast Guard child development center to meet stand15 ards that the Commandant considers appropriate to en16 sure the health, safety, and welfare of the children and 

17 employees at the center. 

18 ‘‘(b) INSPECTIONS.—The Commandant shall provide 

19 for regular and unannounced inspections of each Coast 

20 Guard child development center to ensure compliance with 

21 this section. 

22 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL REPORTING.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant shall 

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1 vidual can report, with respect to a Coast Guard 

2 child development center or a family home daycare— 

3 ‘‘(A) any suspected violation of— 

4 ‘‘(i) standards established under sub5 section (a); or 

6 ‘‘(ii) any other applicable law or 

7 standard; 

8 ‘‘(B) suspected child abuse or neglect; or 

9 ‘‘(C) any other deficiency. 

10 ‘‘(2) ANONYMOUS REPORTING.—The Com11 mandant shall ensure that an individual making a 

12 report pursuant to paragraph (1) may do so anony13 mously if so desired by the individual. 

14 ‘‘(3) PROCEDURES.—The Commandant shall 

15 establish procedures for investigating reports made 

16 pursuant to paragraph (1). 

17 ‘‘§ 554. Child development center employees 

18 ‘‘(a) TRAINING.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant shall es20 tablish a training program for Coast Guard child de21 velopment center employees and satisfactory comple22 tion of the training program shall be a condition of 

23 employment for each employee of a Coast Guard 

24 child development center. 


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1 ‘‘(2) TIMING FOR NEW HIRES.—The Com2 mandant shall require each employee of a Coast 

3 Guard child development center to complete the 

4 training program established under paragraph (1) 

5 not later than 6 months after the date on which the 

6 employee is hired. 

7 ‘‘(3) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The training 

8 program established under paragraph (1) shall in9 clude, at a minimum, instruction with respect to— 

10 ‘‘(A) early childhood development; 

11 ‘‘(B) activities and disciplinary techniques 

12 appropriate to children of different ages; 

13 ‘‘(C) child abuse and neglect prevention 

14 and detection; and 

15 ‘‘(D) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and 

16 other emergency medical procedures. 

17 ‘‘(4) USE OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PRO18 GRAMS.—The Commandant may use Department of 

19 Defense training programs, on a reimbursable or 

20 nonreimbursable basis, for purposes of this sub21 section. 

22 ‘‘(b) TRAINING AND CURRICULUM SPECIALISTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) SPECIALIST REQUIRED.—The Com24 mandant shall require that at least 1 employee at 

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1 cialist in training and curriculum development with 

2 appropriate credentials and experience. 

3 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The duties of the specialist de4 scribed in paragraph (1) shall include— 

5 ‘‘(A) special teaching activities; 

6 ‘‘(B) daily oversight and instruction of 

7 other child care employees; 

8 ‘‘(C) daily assistance in the preparation of 

9 lesson plans; 

10 ‘‘(D) assisting with child abuse and neglect 

11 prevention and detection; and 

12 ‘‘(E) advising the director of the center on 

13 the performance of the other child care employ14 ees. 

15 ‘‘(3) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—Each specialist 

16 described in paragraph (1) shall be an employee in 

17 a competitive service position. 

18 ‘‘§ 555. Parent partnerships with child development 

19 centers 

20 ‘‘(a) PARENT BOARDS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) FORMATION.—The Commandant shall re22 quire that there be formed at each Coast Guard 

23 child development center a board of parents, to be 

24 composed of parents of children attending the cen25 ter. 


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1 ‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.—Each board of parents 

2 formed under paragraph (1) shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) meet periodically with the staff of the 

4 center at which the board is formed and the 

5 commander of the unit served by the center, for 

6 the purpose of discussing problems and con7 cerns; and 

8 ‘‘(B) be responsible, together with the staff 

9 of the center, for coordinating any parent par10 ticipation initiative established under subsection 

11 (b). 

12 ‘‘(3) FACA.—The Federal Advisory Committee 

13 Act (5 U.S.C. App.) does not apply to a board of 

14 parents formed under paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(b) PARENT PARTICIPATION INITIATIVE.—The 

16 Commandant is authorized to establish a parent participa17 tion initiative at each Coast Guard child development cen18 ter to encourage and facilitate parent participation in edu19 cational and related activities at the center.’’. 

20 (b) TRANSFER OF PROVISIONS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

22 (A) REIMBURSEMENT FOR ADOPTION EX23 PENSES.—Section 514 of title 14, United 

24 States Code, is redesignated as section 541 and 


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1 transferred to appear before section 542 of such 

2 title, as added by subsection (a) of this section. 

3 (B) CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.— 

4 Section 515 of title 14, United States Code— 

5 (i) is redesignated as section 552 and 

6 transferred to appear after section 551 of 

7 such title, as added by subsection (a) of 

8 this section; and 

9 (ii) is amended— 

10 (I) in subsection (b)(2)(B) by in11 serting ‘‘and whether a family is par12 ticipating in an initiative established 

13 under section 555(b)’’ after ‘‘family 

14 income’’; 

15 (II) by striking subsections (c) 

16 and (e); and 

17 (III) by redesignating subsection 

18 (d) as subsection (c). 

19 (C) DEPENDENT SCHOOL CHILDREN.— 

20 Section 657 of title 14, United States Code— 

21 (i) is redesignated as section 544 and 

22 transferred to appear after section 543 of 

23 such title, as added by subsection (a) of 

24 this section; and 


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1 (ii) is amended in subsection (a) by 

2 striking ‘‘Except as otherwise’’ and all that 

3 follows through ‘‘the Secretary may’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘The Secretary may’’. 

5 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

6 (A) PART I.—The analysis for part I of 

7 title 14, United States Code, is amended by in8 serting after the item relating to chapter 13 the 

9 following: 

‘‘14. Coast Guard Family Support and Child Care ................................. 531’’. 

10 (B) CHAPTER 13.—The analysis for chap11 ter 13 of title 14, United States Code, is 

12 amended— 

13 (i) by striking the item relating to sec14 tion 514; and 

15 (ii) by striking the item relating to 

16 section 515. 

17 (C) CHAPTER 14.—The analysis for chap18 ter 14 of title 14, United States Code, as added 

19 by subsection (a) of this section, is amended by 

20 inserting— 

21 (i) before the item relating to section 

22 542 the following: 

‘‘541. Reimbursement for adoption expenses.’’; 


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1 (ii) after the item relating to section 

2 551 the following: 

‘‘552. Child development services.’’; and 

3 (iii) after the item relating to section 

4 543 the following: 

‘‘544. Dependent school children.’’. 

5 (D) CHAPTER 17.—The analysis for chap6 ter 17 of title 14, United States Code, is 

7 amended by striking the item relating to section 

8 657. 

9 (c) COMMANDANT; GENERAL POWERS.—Section 

10 93(a)(7) of title 14, United States Code, as amended by 

11 this Act, is further amended by inserting ‘‘, and to eligible 

12 spouses as defined under section 542,’’ after ‘‘Coast 

13 Guard’’. 

14 (d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress 

16 that the amount of funds appropriated for a fiscal 

17 year for operating expenses related to Coast Guard 

18 child development services should not be less than 

19 the amount of the child development center fee re20 ceipts estimated to be collected by the Coast Guard 

21 during that fiscal year. 

22 (2) CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER FEE RE23 CEIPTS DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term 

24 ‘‘child development center fee receipts’’ means fees 


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1 paid by members of the Coast Guard for child care 

2 services provided at Coast Guard child development 

3 centers. 

4 SEC. 215. MISSION NEED STATEMENT. 

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

6 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘§ 569. Mission need statement 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—On the date on which the Presi9 dent submits to Congress a budget for fiscal year 2016 

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

11 President submits to Congress a budget for fiscal year 

12 2019 under such section, and every 4 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 an integrated major acquisition mis17 sion need statement. 

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

19 definitions apply: 

20 ‘‘(1) INTEGRATED MAJOR ACQUISITION MISSION

21 NEED STATEMENT.—The term ‘integrated major ac22 quisition mission need statement’ means a document 

23 that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) identifies current and projected gaps 

2 in Coast Guard mission capabilities using mis3 sion hour targets; 

4 ‘‘(B) explains how each major acquisition 

5 program addresses gaps identified under sub6 paragraph (A) if funded at the levels provided 

7 for such program in the most recently sub8 mitted capital investment plan; and 

9 ‘‘(C) describes the missions the Coast 

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

11 for each gap identified under subparagraph (A). 

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

13 ‘major acquisition program’ has the meaning given 

14 that term in section 569a(e). 

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

16 ‘capital investment plan’ means the plan required 

17 under section 663(a)(1).’’. 

18 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap19 ter 15 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by 

20 striking the item relating to section 569 and inserting the 

21 following: 

‘‘569. Mission need statement.’’. 


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1 SEC. 216. 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, as amended by this 

6 Act, is further amended by inserting after the item relat7 ing to section 662 the following: 

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

8 SEC. 217. INVENTORY OF REAL PROPERTY. 

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

10 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘§ 679. Inventory of real property 

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

14 2015, the Commandant shall establish an inventory of all 

15 real property, including submerged lands, under the con16 trol of the Coast Guard, which shall include— 

17 ‘‘(1) the size, the location, and any other appro18 priate description of each unit of such property; 

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

20 each unit of such property, excluding lands; 

21 ‘‘(3) a determination of whether each unit of 

22 such property should be— 

23 ‘‘(A) retained to fulfill a current or pro24 jected Coast Guard mission requirement; or 

25 ‘‘(B) subject to divestiture; and 


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1 ‘‘(4) other information the Commandant con2 siders appropriate. 

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

4 shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) maintain the inventory required under sub6 section (a) on an ongoing basis; and 

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

8 property included in such inventory not later than 

9 30 days after any change relating to the control of 

10 such property. 

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

12 than March 30, 2016, 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; and 

22 ‘‘(3) recommendations for consolidating any 

23 units of such property, including— 


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

2 associated with each recommended consolida3 tion; and 

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

5 consolidation would have on Coast Guard mis6 sion effectiveness.’’. 

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

8 chapter, as amended by this Act, is further amended by 

9 adding at the end the following: 

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

10 SEC. 218. RETIRED SERVICE MEMBERS AND DEPENDENTS 

11 SERVING ON ADVISORY COMMITTEES. 

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

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

14 by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘§ 680. Retired service members and dependents 

16 serving on advisory committees 

17 ‘‘A committee that— 

18 ‘‘(1) advises or assists the Coast Guard with re19 spect to a function that affects a member of the 

20 Coast Guard or a dependent of such a member; and 

21 ‘‘(2) includes in its membership a retired Coast 

22 Guard member or a dependent of such a retired 

23 member; 


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1 shall not be considered an advisory committee under the 

2 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) solely 

3 because of such membership.’’. 

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

5 chapter, as amended by this Act, is further amended by 

6 inserting after the item relating to section 679 the fol7 lowing: 

‘‘680. Retired service members and dependents serving on advisory committees.’’. 

8 SEC. 219. ACTIVE DUTY FOR EMERGENCY AUGMENTATION 

9 OF REGULAR FORCES. 

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

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

12 month period and’’. 

13 SEC. 220. ACQUISITION WORKFORCE EXPEDITED HIRING 

14 AUTHORITY. 

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

16 of 2010 (Public Law 111–281; 124 Stat. 2951) is amend17 ed by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2017’’. 

18 SEC. 221. COAST GUARD ADMINISTRATIVE SAVINGS. 

19 (a) ELIMINATION OF OUTDATED AND DUPLICATIVE

20 REPORTS.— 

21 (1) MARINE INDUSTRY TRAINING.—Section 59 

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


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

2 Commandant’’ and inserting ‘‘The Com3 mandant’’; and 

4 (B) by striking subsection (b). 

5 (2) OPERATIONS AND EXPENDITURES.—Section 

6 651 of title 14, United States Code, and the item re7 lating to such section in the analysis for chapter 17 

8 of such title, are repealed. 

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

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

11 89 note), and the item relating to that section in the 

12 table of contents in section 2 of that Act, are re13 pealed. 

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

15 Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (14 

16 U.S.C. 2 note), and the item relating to that section 

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

18 are repealed. 

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

20 of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 

21 (16 U.S.C. 1828 note) is amended by adding at the 

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

23 under this subsection, including that no report shall 

24 be required under section 224 of the Coast Guard 

25 and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004 or section 


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1 804 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transpor2 tation Act of 2006, for fiscal years beginning after 

3 fiscal year 2014.’’. 

4 (b) CONSOLIDATION AND REFORM OF REPORTING

5 REQUIREMENTS.— 

6 (1) MARINE SAFETY.— 

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

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

9 read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(B) on the program’s mission perform11 ance in achieving numerical measurable goals 

12 established under subsection (b), including— 

13 ‘‘(i) the number of civilian and mili14 tary Coast Guard personnel assigned to 

15 marine safety positions; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) an identification of marine safety 

17 positions that are understaffed to meet the 

18 workload required to accomplish each ac19 tivity included in the strategy and plans 

20 under subsection (a); and’’. 

21 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

22 57 of title 14, United States Code, as amended 

23 by this Act, is further amended— 

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


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1 (ii) by redesignating subsections (f), 

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

3 respectively. 

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

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

6 as follows: 

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

8 which the President submits to Congress a budget 

9 under section 1105 of title 31 each year, the Sec10 retary shall submit to the Committee on Transpor11 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent12 atives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

13 and Transportation of the Senate a report describ14 ing each project carried out under paragraph (1), in 

15 the most recently concluded fiscal year, for which 

16 the amount expended under such paragraph for such 

17 project was more than $1,000,000. If no such 

18 project was carried out during a fiscal year, no re19 port under this paragraph shall be required with re20 spect to that fiscal year.’’. 

21 SEC. 222. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO TITLE 14. 

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

23 is further amended— 


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1 (1) in section 93(b)(1) by striking ‘‘Notwith2 standing subsection (a)(14)’’ and inserting ‘‘Not3 withstanding subsection (a)(13)’’; and 

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

5 Security’’. 

6 SEC. 223. MULTIYEAR PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY FOR 

7 OFFSHORE PATROL CUTTERS. 

8 In fiscal year 2015 and each fiscal year thereafter, 

9 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

10 is operating may enter into, in accordance with section 

11 2306b of title 10, United States Code, multiyear contracts 

12 for the procurement of Offshore Patrol Cutters and associ13 ated equipment. 

14 SEC. 224. MAINTAINING MEDIUM ENDURANCE CUTTER MIS15 SION CAPABILITY. 

16 Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment 

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

18 Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the Committee 

19 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

20 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

21 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that 

22 includes— 

23 (1) a schedule and plan for decommissioning, 

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


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1 foot, Reliance-Class Cutters operated by the Coast 

2 Guard on the date of enactment of this Act; 

3 (2) a schedule and plan for enhancing the 

4 maintenance or extending the service life of each of 

5 the 270-foot, Famous-Class Cutters operated by the 

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

7 (A) to maintain the capability of the Coast 

8 Guard to carry out sea-going missions with re9 spect to such Cutters at the level of capability 

10 existing on September 30, 2013; and 

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

12 enactment of this Act and ending on the date 

13 on which the final Offshore Patrol Cutter is 

14 scheduled to be commissioned under paragraph 

15 (4); 

16 (3) an identification of the number of Offshore 

17 Patrol Cutters capable of sea state 5 operations 

18 that, if 8 National Security Cutters are commis19 sioned, are necessary to return the sea state 5 oper20 ating capability of the Coast Guard to the level of 

21 capability that existed prior to the decommissioning 

22 of the first High Endurance Cutter in fiscal year 

23 2011; 


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1 (4) a schedule and plan for commissioning the 

2 number of Offshore Patrol Cutters identified under 

3 paragraph (3); and 

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

5 later than September 30, 2034, a number of Off6 shore Patrol Cutters not capable of sea state 5 oper7 ations that is equal to— 

8 (A) 25; less 

9 (B) the number of Offshore Patrol Cutters 

10 identified under paragraph (3). 

11 SEC. 225. AVIATION CAPABILITY IN THE GREAT LAKES RE12 GION. 

13 The Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

14 Guard is operating may— 

15 (1) request and accept through a direct mili16 tary-to-military transfer under section 2571 of title 

17 10, United States Code, such H–60 helicopters as 

18 may be necessary to establish a year-round oper19 ational capability in the Coast Guard’s Ninth Dis20 trict; and 

21 (2) use funds provided under section 101 of 

22 this Act to convert such helicopters to Coast Guard 

23 MH–60T configuration. 


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1 SEC. 226. GAPS IN WRITINGS ON COAST GUARD HISTORY. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

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

4 submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

5 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

6 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep7 resentatives a report on any gaps that exist in writings 

8 on the history of the Coast Guard. The report shall ad9 dress, at a minimum, operations, broad topics, and biog10 raphies with respect to the Coast Guard. 

11 SEC. 227. OFFICER EVALUATION REPORTS. 

12 (a) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 

13 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Com14 mandant of the Coast Guard shall provide to the Com15 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

16 Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infra17 structure of the House of Representatives a written as18 sessment of the Coast Guard’s officer evaluation reporting 

19 system. 

20 (b) CONTENTS OF ASSESSMENT.—The assessment 

21 required under subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, 

22 an analysis of— 

23 (1) the extent to which the Coast Guard’s offi24 cer evaluation reports differ in length, form, and 

25 content from the officer fitness reports used by the 

26 Navy and other branches of the Armed Forces; 


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1 (2) the extent to which differences determined 

2 pursuant to paragraph (1) are the result of inherent 

3 differences between— 

4 (A) the Coast Guard and the Navy; and 

5 (B) the Coast Guard and other branches of 

6 the Armed Forces; 

7 (3) the feasibility of more closely aligning and 

8 conforming the Coast Guard’s officer evaluation re9 ports with the officer fitness reports of the Navy and 

10 other branches of the Armed Forces; and 

11 (4) the costs and benefits of the alignment and 

12 conformity described in paragraph (3), including 

13 with respect to— 

14 (A) Coast Guard administrative efficiency; 

15 (B) fairness and equity for Coast Guard 

16 officers; and 

17 (C) carrying out the Coast Guard’s statu18 tory mission of defense readiness, including 

19 when operating as a service in the Navy. 

20 SEC. 228. IMPROVED SAFETY INFORMATION FOR VESSELS. 

21 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

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

23 Coast Guard is operating shall establish a process that al24 lows an operator of a marine exchange or other non-Fed25 eral vessel traffic information service to use the automatic 


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1 identification system to transmit weather, ice, and other 

2 important navigation safety information to vessels. 

3 SEC. 229. E–LORAN. 

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

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

6 activities related to the dismantling or disposal of infra7 structure that supported the former LORAN system until 

8 the later of— 

9 (1) the date that is 1 year after the date of en10 actment of this Act; or 

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

12 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

13 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

14 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

15 Senate notice of a determination by the Secretary 

16 that such infrastructure is not required to provide a 

17 positioning, navigation, and timing system to provide 

18 redundant capability in the event GPS signals are 

19 disrupted. 

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

21 activities necessary for the safety of human life. 

22 (c) AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter into co23 operative agreements, contracts, and other agreements 

24 with Federal entities and other public or private entities, 

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1 gation, and timing system, including an enhanced LORAN 

2 system, to provide redundant capability in the event GPS 

3 signals are disrupted. 

4 SEC. 230. ANALYSIS OF RESOURCE DEFICIENCIES WITH RE5 SPECT TO MARITIME BORDER SECURITY. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

7 date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the 

8 Coast Guard shall provide to the Committee on Com9 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

10 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the 

11 Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep12 resentatives a report describing any Coast Guard resource 

13 deficiencies related to— 

14 (1) securing maritime borders with respect to 

15 the Great Lakes and the coastal areas of the South16 eastern and Southwestern United States, including 

17 with respect to Florida, California, Puerto Rico, and 

18 the United States Virgin Islands; 

19 (2) patrolling and monitoring maritime ap20 proaches to the areas described in paragraph (1); 

21 and 

22 (3) patrolling and monitoring relevant portions 

23 of the Western Hemisphere Drug Transit Zone. 


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1 (b) SCOPE.—In preparing the report under sub2 section (a), the Commandant shall consider, at a min3 imum— 

4 (1) the Coast Guard’s statutory missions with 

5 respect to migrant interdiction, drug interdiction, 

6 defense readiness, living marine resources, and 

7 ports, waterways, and coastal security; 

8 (2) whether Coast Guard missions are being ex9 ecuted to meet national performance targets set 

10 under the National Drug Control Strategy; 

11 (3) the number and types of cutters and other 

12 vessels required to effectively execute Coast Guard 

13 missions; 

14 (4) the number and types of aircraft, including 

15 unmanned aircraft, required to effectively execute 

16 Coast Guard missions; 

17 (5) the number of assets that require upgraded 

18 sensor and communications systems to effectively 

19 execute Coast Guard missions; 

20 (6) the Deployable Specialized Forces required 

21 to effectively execute Coast Guard missions; and 

22 (7) whether additional shoreside facilities are 

23 required to accommodate Coast Guard personnel 

24 and assets in support of Coast Guard missions. 


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1 SEC. 231. MODERNIZATION OF NATIONAL DISTRESS AND 

2 RESPONSE SYSTEM. 

3 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

4 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the department 

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

6 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

7 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com8 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

9 on the implementation of the Rescue 21 project in Alaska 

10 and in Coast Guard sectors Upper Mississippi River, 

11 Lower Mississippi River, and Ohio River Valley. 

12 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub13 section (a) shall— 

14 (1) describe what improvements are being made 

15 to the distress response system in the areas specified 

16 in subsection (a), including information on which 

17 areas will receive digital selective calling and direc18 tion finding capability; 

19 (2) describe the impediments to installing dig20 ital selective calling and direction finding capability 

21 in areas where such technology will not be installed; 

22 (3) identify locations in the areas specified in 

23 subsection (a) where communication gaps will con24 tinue to present a risk to mariners after completion 

25 of the Rescue 21 project; 


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1 (4) include a list of all reported marine acci2 dents, casualties, and fatalities occurring in the loca3 tions identified under paragraph (3) since 1990; and 

4 (5) provide an estimate of the costs associated 

5 with installing the technology necessary to close 

6 communication gaps in the locations identified under 

7 paragraph (3). 

8 SEC. 232. REPORT RECONCILING MAINTENANCE AND 

9 OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES ON THE MISSOURI 

10 RIVER. 

11 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

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

13 submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

14 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

15 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep16 resentatives a report that outlines a course of action to 

17 reconcile general maintenance priorities for cutters with 

18 operational priorities on the Missouri River. 

19 SEC. 233. MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE ASSISTANCE 

20 POLICY ASSESSMENT. 

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

22 Guard shall assess the Maritime Search and Rescue As23 sistance Policy as it relates to State and local responders. 

24 (b) SCOPE.—The assessment under subsection (a) 

25 shall consider, at a minimum— 


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1 (1) the extent to which Coast Guard search and 

2 rescue coordinators have entered into domestic 

3 search and rescue agreements with State and local 

4 responders under the National Search and Rescue 

5 Plan; 

6 (2) whether the domestic search and rescue 

7 agreements include the Maritime Search and Rescue 

8 Assistance Policy; and 

9 (3) the extent to which Coast Guard sectors co10 ordinate with 911 emergency centers, including en11 suring the dissemination of appropriate maritime 

12 distress check-sheets. 

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

14 of enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast 

15 Guard shall submit a report on the assessment under sub16 section (a) to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

17 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

18 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep19 resentatives. 

20 TITLE III—SHIPPING AND 

21 NAVIGATION 

22 SEC. 301. REPEAL. 

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

24 amended— 

25 (1) by repealing section 55501; 


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1 (2) by redesignating section 55502 as section 

2 55501; and 

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

4 to sections 55501 and 55502 and inserting the fol5 lowing: 

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

6 SEC. 302. DONATION OF HISTORICAL PROPERTY. 

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

8 amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

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

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

12 Government in any property administered by the 

13 Maritime Administration, except real estate or ves14 sels, if— 

15 ‘‘(A) the Secretary determines that such 

16 property is not needed by the Maritime Admin17 istration; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the recipient— 

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

20 State, or a political subdivision of a State; 

21 ‘‘(ii) agrees to hold the Government 

22 harmless for any claims arising from expo23 sure to hazardous materials, including as24 bestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, or lead 

25 paint, after conveyance of the property; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) provides a description and expla2 nation of the intended use of the property 

3 to the Secretary for approval; 

4 ‘‘(iv) has provided to the Secretary 

5 proof, as determined by the Secretary, of 

6 resources sufficient to accomplish the in7 tended use provided under clause (iii) and 

8 to maintain the property; 

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

10 longer requires the property, the recipient 

11 shall— 

12 ‘‘(I) return the property to the 

13 Secretary, at the recipient’s expense 

14 and in the same condition as received 

15 except for ordinary wear and tear; or 

16 ‘‘(II) subject to the approval of 

17 the Secretary, retain, sell, or other18 wise dispose of the property in a man19 ner consistent with applicable law; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(vi) agrees to any additional terms 

22 the Secretary considers appropriate. 

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

24 in any conveyance under this subsection terms under 

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


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1 Secretary shall revert to the Government if the Sec2 retary determines the property has been used other 

3 than as approved by the Secretary under paragraph 

4 (1)(B)(iii).’’. 

5 SEC. 303. SMALL SHIPYARDS. 

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

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

8 ‘‘2015 through 2017’’. 

9 SEC. 304. DRUG TESTING REPORTING. 

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

11 amended— 

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

13 for employment by a Federal agency,’’ after ‘‘Fed14 eral agency,’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (c), by— 

16 (A) inserting ‘‘or an applicant for employ17 ment by a Federal agency’’ after ‘‘an em18 ployee’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘the employee or the applicant.’’. 

21 SEC. 305. OPPORTUNITIES FOR SEA SERVICE VETERANS. 

22 (a) ENDORSEMENTS FOR VETERANS.—Section 7101 

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

24 the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(j) The Secretary may issue a license under this sec2 tion in a class under subsection (c) to an applicant that— 

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

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

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

6 tonnage or horsepower within the 7-year period im7 mediately preceding the date of application; and 

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

9 license.’’. 

10 (b) SEA SERVICE LETTERS.— 

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

12 Code, is amended by inserting after section 427 the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘§ 428. Sea service letters 

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

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

17 Coast Guard who— 

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

19 armed forces (as such term is defined in section 

20 101(a) of title 10); and 

21 ‘‘(2) requests such letter. 

22 ‘‘(b) DEADLINE.—Not later than 30 days after re23 ceiving a request for a sea service letter from a member 

24 or former member of the Coast Guard under subsection 

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


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1 or former member if such member or former member sat2 isfies the requirement under subsection (a)(1).’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

4 chapter 11 of title 14, United States Code, is 

5 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec6 tion 427 the following: 

‘‘428. Sea service letters.’’. 

7 (c) CREDITING OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES

8 SERVICE, TRAINING, AND QUALIFICATIONS.— 

9 (1) MAXIMIZING CREDITABILITY.—The Sec10 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

11 is operating, in implementing United States mer12 chant mariner license, certification, and document 

13 laws and the International Convention on Standards 

14 of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Sea15 farers, 1978, shall maximize the extent to which 

16 United States Armed Forces service, training, and 

17 qualifications are creditable toward meeting the re18 quirements of such laws and such Convention. 

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

20 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec21 retary shall notify the Committee on Transportation 

22 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

23 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

24 Transportation of the Senate on the steps taken to 

25 implement this subsection. 


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1 (d) MERCHANT MARINE POST-SERVICE CAREER OP2 PORTUNITIES.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 

3 enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast 

4 Guard shall take steps to promote better awareness, on 

5 an ongoing basis, among Coast Guard personnel regarding 

6 post-service use of Coast Guard training, education, and 

7 practical experience in satisfaction of requirements for 

8 merchant mariner credentials under section 11.213 of title 

9 46, Code of Federal Regulations. 

10 SEC. 306. CLARIFICATION OF HIGH-RISK WATERS. 

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

12 amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘provide armed personnel 

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

16 the availability of appropriations, the owners or 

17 operators of’’; and 

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

19 armed personnel aboard such vessels’’ before 

20 ‘‘if’’; and 

21 (2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and in22 serting the following: 

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

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1 rity directive issued by the Commandant and in ef2 fect on the date on which an applicable voyage be3 gins, if the Secretary of Transportation— 

4 ‘‘(A) determines that an act of piracy oc5 curred in the 12-month period preceding the 

6 date the voyage begins; or 

7 ‘‘(B) in such period, issued an advisory 

8 warning that an act of piracy is possible in such 

9 waters.’’. 

10 SEC. 307. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

11 (a) TITLE 46.—Section 2116(b)(1)(D) of title 46, 

12 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘section 

13 93(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 93(c) of title 14’’. 

14 (b) COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION

15 ACT OF 2006.—Section 304(a) of the Coast Guard and 

16 Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 (Public Law 109– 

17 241; 33 U.S.C. 1503 note) is amended by inserting ‘‘and 

18 from’’ before ‘‘the United States’’. 

19 (c) DEEPWATER PORT ACT OF 1974.—Section 4(i) 

20 of the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1503(i)) 

21 is amended by inserting ‘‘or that will supply’’ after ‘‘be 

22 supplied with’’. 

23 SEC. 308. REPORT. 

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

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


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1 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In2 frastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com3 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

4 Senate a report on the number of jobs, including vessel 

5 construction and vessel operating jobs, that would be cre6 ated in the United States maritime industry each year in 

7 2015 through 2025 if liquified natural gas exported from 

8 the United States were required to be carried— 

9 (1) before December 31, 2018, on vessels docu10 mented under the laws of the United States; and 

11 (2) on and after such date, on vessels docu12 mented under the laws of the United States and 

13 constructed in the United States. 

14 SEC. 309. FISHING SAFETY GRANT PROGRAMS. 

15 (a) FISHING SAFETY TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.— 

16 Section 4502(i)(4) of title 46, United States Code, is 

17 amended by striking ‘‘2010 through 2014’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘2015 through 2017’’. 

19 (b) FISHING SAFETY RESEARCH GRANT PRO20 GRAM.—Section 4502(j)(4) of title 46, United States 

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

22 inserting ‘‘2015 through 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 310. ESTABLISHMENT OF MERCHANT MARINE PER2 SONNEL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Chapter 81 of title 46, 

4 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘§ 8108. Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Com7 mittee 

8 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab9 lish a Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (in 

10 this section referred to as ‘the Committee’). The Com11 mittee— 

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

13 the Secretary through the Commandant of the Coast 

14 Guard on matters relating to personnel in the 

15 United States merchant marine, including training, 

16 qualifications, certification, documentation, and fit17 ness standards, and other matters as assigned by 

18 the Commandant; 

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

20 Coast Guard regulations and policies relating to per21 sonnel in the United States merchant marine, in22 cluding training, qualifications, certification, docu23 mentation, and fitness standards; 

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

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1 uals and groups in the private sector and with State 

2 or local governments; 

3 ‘‘(4) shall advise, consult with, and make rec4 ommendations reflecting its independent judgment 

5 to the Secretary; 

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

7 and 

8 ‘‘(6) may make available to Congress rec9 ommendations that the Committee makes to the Sec10 retary. 

11 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall con13 sist of not more than 19 members who are appointed 

14 by and serve terms of a duration determined by the 

15 Secretary. Before filling a position on the Com16 mittee, the Secretary shall publish a notice in the 

17 Federal Register soliciting nominations for member18 ship on the Committee. 

19 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED MEMBERS.—Subject to para20 graph (3), the Secretary shall appoint as members 

21 of the Committee— 

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

23 licenses or certificates issued under chapter 71 

24 or merchant mariner documents issued under 

25 chapter 73, including— 


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

2 viewpoint of merchant marine deck offi3 cers, of whom— 

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

5 any gross tons; 

6 ‘‘(II) 1 shall be licensed for in7 land river route with a limited or un8 limited tonnage; 

9 ‘‘(III) 2 shall have a master’s li10 cense or a master of towing vessels li11 cense; 

12 ‘‘(IV) 1 shall have significant 

13 tanker experience; and 

14 ‘‘(V) to the extent practicable— 

15 ‘‘(aa) 1 shall represent the 

16 viewpoint of labor; and 

17 ‘‘(bb) another shall rep18 resent a management perspective; 

19 ‘‘(ii) 3 engineering officers who rep20 resent the viewpoint of merchant marine 

21 engineering officers, of whom— 

22 ‘‘(I) 2 shall be licensed as chief 

23 engineer any horsepower; 


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

2 a limited chief engineer or a des3 ignated duty engineer; and 

4 ‘‘(III) to the extent practicable— 

5 ‘‘(aa) 1 shall represent a 

6 labor viewpoint; and 

7 ‘‘(bb) another shall rep8 resent a management perspective; 

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

10 ‘‘(I) 1 shall represent the view11 point of able-bodied seamen; and 

12 ‘‘(II) another shall represent the 

13 viewpoint of qualified members of the 

14 engine department; and 

15 ‘‘(iv) 1 pilot who represents the view16 point of merchant marine pilots; 

17 ‘‘(B) 6 marine educators, including— 

18 ‘‘(i) 3 marine educators who represent 

19 the viewpoint of maritime academies, in20 cluding— 

21 ‘‘(I) 2 who represent the view22 point of State maritime academies 

23 and are jointly recommended by such 

24 State maritime academies; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) 1 who represents either the 

2 viewpoint of the State maritime acad3 emies or the United States Merchant 

4 Marine Academy; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) 3 marine educators who rep6 resent the viewpoint of other maritime 

7 training institutions, 1 of whom shall rep8 resent the viewpoint of the small vessel in9 dustry; 

10 ‘‘(C) 2 individuals who represent the view11 point of shipping companies employed in ship 

12 operation management; and 

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

14 the general public. 

15 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con16 sult with the Secretary of Transportation in making 

17 an appointment under paragraph (2)(B)(i)(II). 

18 ‘‘(c) CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN.—The Sec19 retary shall designate one member of the Committee as 

20 the Chairman and one member of the Committee as the 

21 Vice Chairman. The Vice Chairman shall act as Chairman 

22 in the absence or incapacity of the Chairman, or in the 

23 event of a vacancy in the office of the Chairman. 

24 ‘‘(d) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Committee may estab25 lish and disestablish subcommittees and working groups 


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1 for any purpose consistent with this section, subject to 

2 conditions imposed by the Committee. Members of the 

3 Committee and additional persons drawn from the general 

4 public may be assigned to such subcommittees and work5 ing groups. Only Committee members may chair sub6 committee or working groups. 

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

8 on September 30, 2020.’’. 

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

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

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

11 SEC. 311. TRAVEL AND SUBSISTENCE COSTS FOR PREVEN12 TION SERVICES. 

13 (a) TITLE 46, UNITED STATES CODE.—Section 2110 

14 of title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol16 lows: 

17 ‘‘(b)(1) In addition to the collection of fees and 

18 charges established under subsection (a), in providing a 

19 service or thing of value under this subtitle the Secretary 

20 may accept in-kind transportation, travel, and subsistence. 

21 ‘‘(2) The value of in-kind transportation, travel, and 

22 subsistence accepted under this paragraph may not exceed 

23 applicable per diem rates set forth in regulations pre24 scribed under section 464 of title 37.’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘subsections 

2 (a) and (b),’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a),’’. 

3 (b) TITLE 14, UNITED STATES CODE.—Section 664 

4 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by redesig5 nating subsections (e) though (g) as subsections (f) 

6 through (h), respectively, and by inserting after subsection 

7 (d) the following: 

8 ‘‘(e)(1) In addition to the collection of fees and 

9 charges established under this section, in the provision of 

10 a service or thing of value by the Coast Guard the Sec11 retary may accept in-kind transportation, travel, and sub12 sistence. 

13 ‘‘(2) The value of in-kind transportation, travel, and 

14 subsistence accepted under this paragraph may not exceed 

15 applicable per diem rates set forth in regulations pre16 scribed under section 464 of title 37.’’. 

17 (c) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of the Department 

18 in which the Coast Guard is operating may not accept in19 kind transportation, travel, or subsistence under section 

20 664(e) of title 14, United States Code, or section 

21 2110(d)(4) of title 46, United States Code, as amended 

22 by this section, until the Commandant of the Coast 

23 Guard— 

24 (1) amends the Standards of Ethical Conduct 

25 for members and employees of the Coast Guard to 


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1 include regulations governing the acceptance of in2 kind reimbursements; and 

3 (2) notifies the Committee on Commerce, 

4 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

5 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

6 the House of Representatives of the amendments 

7 made under paragraph (1). 

8 SEC. 312. PROMPT INTERGOVERNMENTAL NOTICE OF MA9 RINE CASUALTIES. 

10 Section 6101 of title 46, United States Code, is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(c) NOTICE TO STATE AND TRIBAL GOVERN15 MENTS.—Not later than 24 hours after receiving a notice 

16 of a major marine casualty under this section, the Sec17 retary shall notify each State or federally recognized In18 dian tribe that is, or may reasonably be expected to be, 

19 affected by such marine casualty.’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (h)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘(1)’’; and 

22 (B) by redesignating subsection (h)(2) as 

23 subsection (i) of section 6101, and in such sub24 section— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘paragraph,’’ and in2 serting ‘‘section,’’; and 

3 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

4 (A) through (D) as paragraphs (1) 

5 through (4); and 

6 (3) by redesignating the last subsection as sub7 section (j). 

8 SEC. 313. AREA CONTINGENCY PLANS. 

9 Section 311(j)(4) of the Federal Water Pollution 

10 Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1321(j)(4)) is amended— 

11 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘qualified 

12 personnel of Federal, State, and local agencies.’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘qualified— 

14 ‘‘(i) personnel of Federal, State, and local 

15 agencies; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) members of federally recognized In17 dian tribes, where applicable.’’; 

18 (2) in subparagraph (B)(ii)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘and local’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘, local, and tribal’’; and 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘wildlife;’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘wildlife, including advance planning with re23 spect to the closing and reopening of fishing 

24 areas following a discharge;’’; 


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1 (3) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking ‘‘and 

2 local’’ and inserting ‘‘, local, and tribal’’; and 

3 (4) in subparagraph (C)— 

4 (A) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and Fed5 eral, State, and local agencies’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

6 Federal, State, and local agencies, and tribal 

7 governments’’; 

8 (B) by redesignating clauses (vii) and (viii) 

9 as clauses (viii) and (ix), respectively; and 

10 (C) by inserting after clause (vi) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(vii) include a framework for advance 

13 planning and decisionmaking with respect to 

14 the closing and reopening of fishing areas fol15 lowing a discharge, including protocols and 

16 standards for the closing and reopening of fish17 ing areas;’’. 

18 SEC. 314. INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL REFORM. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 803 of title 46, United 

20 States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) in section 80301, by adding at the end the 

22 following: 

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

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

25 operating expenses of the Coast Guard.’’; 


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1 (2) in section 80302— 

2 (A) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘An ice 

3 patrol vessel’’ and inserting ‘‘The ice patrol’’; 

4 (B) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘An 

5 ice patrol vessel’’ and inserting ‘‘The ice pa6 trol’’; and 

7 (C) in the first sentence of subsection (d), 

8 by striking ‘‘vessels’’ and inserting ‘‘aircraft’’; 

9 and 

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

11 ‘‘§ 80304. Limitation on ice patrol data 

12 ‘‘Notwithstanding sections 80301 and 80302, data 

13 collected by an ice patrol conducted by the Coast Guard 

14 under this chapter may not be disseminated to a vessel 

15 unless such vessel is— 

16 ‘‘(1) documented under the laws of the United 

17 States; or 

18 ‘‘(2) documented under the laws of a foreign 

19 country that made the payment or contribution re20 quired under section 80301(b) for the year pre21 ceding the year in which the data is collected.’’. 

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

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

‘‘80304. Limitation on ice patrol data.’’. 

24 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

25 on January 1, 2017. 


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1 SEC. 315. OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSEL THIRD-PARTY IN2 SPECTION. 

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

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

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

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

7 offshore supply vessel, the Secretary shall delegate the au8 thorities set forth in paragraph (1) of subsection (b) with 

9 respect to such vessel to a classification society to which 

10 a delegation is authorized under that paragraph. A delega11 tion by the Secretary under this subsection shall be used 

12 for any vessel inspection and examination function carried 

13 out by the Secretary, including the issuance of certificates 

14 of inspection and all other related documents. 

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

16 inspection or related document issued under authority del17 egated under paragraph (1) of this subsection with respect 

18 to a vessel has reduced the operational safety of that ves19 sel, the Secretary may terminate the certificate or docu20 ment, respectively. 

21 ‘‘(3) Not later than 2 years after the date of the en22 actment of the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime 

23 Transportation Act of 2014, and for each year of the sub24 sequent 2-year period, the Secretary shall provide to the 

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

2 describing— 

3 ‘‘(A) the number of vessels for which a delega4 tion was made under paragraph (1); 

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

6 costs incurred by the Coast Guard that resulted 

7 from the delegations; and 

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

9 other data, any impacts of the delegations on the 

10 operational safety of vessels for which the delega11 tions were made, and on the crew on those vessels.’’. 

12 SEC. 316. WATCHES. 

13 Section 8104 of title 46, United States Code, is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘coal passers, 

16 firemen, oilers, and water tenders’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘and oilers’’; and 

18 (2) in subsection (g)(1), by striking ‘‘(except 

19 the coal passers, firemen, oilers, and water 

20 tenders)’’. 

21 SEC. 317. COAST GUARD RESPONSE PLAN REQUIREMENTS. 

22 (a) VESSEL RESPONSE PLAN CONTENTS.—The Sec23 retary of the department in which the Coast Guard is op24 erating shall require that each vessel response plan pre25 pared for a mobile offshore drilling unit includes informaVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Dec 05, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 \\ALPHA3\E\BILLS\H5769.RFS H5769

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1 tion from the facility response plan prepared for the mo2 bile offshore drilling unit regarding the planned response 

3 to a worst case discharge, and to a threat of such a dis4 charge. 

5 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNIT.—The 

7 term ‘‘mobile offshore drilling unit’’ has the meaning 

8 given that term in section 1001 of the Oil Pollution 

9 Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701). 

10 (2) RESPONSE PLAN.—The term ‘‘response 

11 plan’’ means a response plan prepared under section 

12 311(j) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

13 (33 U.S.C. 1321(j)). 

14 (3) WORST CASE DISCHARGE.—The term 

15 ‘‘worst case discharge’’ has the meaning given that 

16 term under section 311(a) of the Federal Water Pol17 lution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1321(a)). 

18 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec19 tion shall be construed to require the Coast Guard to re20 view or approve a facility response plan for a mobile off21 shore drilling unit. 

22 SEC. 318. REGIONAL CITIZENS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

23 Section 5002(k)(3) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 

24 (33 U.S.C. 2732(k)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘not more 


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1 than $1,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘not less than 

2 $1,400,000’’. 

3 SEC. 319. UNINSPECTED PASSENGER VESSELS IN THE 

4 UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS. 

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

6 States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub8 section (c); and 

9 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(b)(1) In applying this title with respect to an 

12 uninspected vessel of less than 24 meters overall in length 

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

14 States Virgin Islands, the Secretary shall substitute ‘12 

15 passengers’ for ‘6 passengers’ each place it appears in sec16 tion 2101(42) if the Secretary determines that the vessel 

17 complies with, as applicable to the vessel— 

18 ‘‘(A) the Code of Practice for the Safety of 

19 Small Commercial Motor Vessels (commonly re20 ferred to as the ‘Yellow Code’), as published by 

21 the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency and 

22 in effect on January 1, 2014; or 

23 ‘‘(B) the Code of Practice for the Safety of 

24 Small Commercial Sailing Vessels (commonly 


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1 referred to as the ‘Blue Code’), as published by 

2 such agency and in effect on such date. 

3 ‘‘(2) If the Secretary establishes standards to 

4 carry out this subsection— 

5 ‘‘(A) such standards shall be identical to 

6 those established in the Codes of Practice re7 ferred to in paragraph (1); and 

8 ‘‘(B) on any dates before the date on 

9 which such standards are in effect, the Codes of 

10 Practice referred to in paragraph (1) shall 

11 apply with respect to the vessels referred to in 

12 paragraph (1).’’. 

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

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

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

16 twenty-four months of the date of enactment of this sub17 section, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’. 

18 SEC. 320. TREATMENT OF ABANDONED SEAFARERS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 111 of title 46, United 

20 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘§ 11113. Treatment of abandoned seafarers 

23 ‘‘(a) ABANDONED SEAFARERS FUND.— 


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

2 the Treasury a separate account to be known as the 

3 Abandoned Seafarers Fund. 

4 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZED USES.—Amounts in the 

5 Fund may be appropriated to the Secretary for 

6 use— 

7 ‘‘(A) to pay necessary support of a sea8 farer— 

9 ‘‘(i) who— 

10 ‘‘(I) was paroled into the United 

11 States under section 212(d)(5) of the 

12 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

13 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)), or for whom the 

14 Secretary has requested parole under 

15 such section; and 

16 ‘‘(II) is involved in an investiga17 tion, reporting, documentation, or ad18 judication of any matter that is re19 lated to the administration or enforce20 ment of law by the Coast Guard; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) who— 

22 ‘‘(I) is physically present in the 

23 United States; 


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1 ‘‘(II) the Secretary determines 

2 was abandoned in the United States; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(III) has not applied for asylum 

5 under the Immigration and Nation6 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.); and 

7 ‘‘(B) to reimburse a vessel owner or oper8 ator for the costs of necessary support of a sea9 farer who has been paroled into the United 

10 States to facilitate an investigation, reporting, 

11 documentation, or adjudication of any matter 

12 that is related to the administration or enforce13 ment of law by the Coast Guard, if— 

14 ‘‘(i) the vessel owner or operator is 

15 not convicted of a criminal offense related 

16 to such matter; or 

17 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary determines that re18 imbursement is appropriate. 

19 ‘‘(3) CREDITING OF AMOUNTS TO FUND.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

21 subparagraph (B), there shall be credited to the 

22 Fund the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) Penalties deposited in the Fund 

24 under section 9 of the Act to Prevent Pol25 lution from Ships (33 U.S.C. 1908). 


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1 ‘‘(ii) Amounts reimbursed or recov2 ered under subsection (c). 

3 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—Amounts may be cred4 ited to the Fund under subparagraph (A) only 

5 if the unobligated balance of the Fund is less 

6 than $5,000,000. 

7 ‘‘(4) REPORT REQUIRED.—On the date on 

8 which the President submits each budget for a fiscal 

9 year pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, the Sec10 retary shall submit to the Committee on Transpor11 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent12 atives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

13 and Transportation of the Senate a report that de14 scribes— 

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

16 under paragraph (2) for the preceding fiscal 

17 year; and 

18 ‘‘(B) amounts in the Fund that were ex19 pended for the preceding fiscal year. 

20 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this section shall be 

21 construed— 

22 ‘‘(1) to create a private right of action or any 

23 other right, benefit, or entitlement to necessary sup24 port for any person; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) to compel the Secretary to pay or reim2 burse the cost of necessary support. 

3 ‘‘(c) REIMBURSEMENT; RECOVERY.— 

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

5 shall reimburse the Fund an amount equal to the 

6 total amount paid from the Fund for necessary sup7 port of a seafarer, if— 

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

9 ‘‘(i) during the course of an investiga10 tion, reporting, documentation, or adju11 dication of any matter under this Act that 

12 the Coast Guard referred to a United 

13 States attorney or the Attorney General, 

14 fails to provide necessary support of a sea15 farer who was paroled into the United 

16 States to facilitate the investigation, re17 porting, documentation, or adjudication; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(ii) subsequently is— 

20 ‘‘(I) convicted of a criminal of21 fense related to such matter; or 

22 ‘‘(II) required to reimburse the 

23 Fund pursuant to a court order or ne24 gotiated settlement related to such 

25 matter; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) the vessel owner or operator aban2 dons a seafarer in the United States, as deter3 mined by the Secretary based on substantial 

4 evidence. 

5 ‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.—If a vessel owner or op6 erator fails to reimburse the Fund under paragraph 

7 (1) within 60 days after receiving a written, itemized 

8 description of reimbursable expenses and a demand 

9 for payment, the Secretary may— 

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

11 which the seafarer served in the Federal district 

12 court for the district in which the vessel is 

13 found; and 

14 ‘‘(B) withhold or revoke the clearance re15 quired under section 60105 for the vessel and 

16 any other vessel operated by the same operator 

17 (as that term is defined in section 2(9)(a) of 

18 the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 

19 U.S.C. 1901(9)(a)) as the vessel on which the 

20 seafarer served. 

21 ‘‘(3) OBTAINING CLEARANCE.—A vessel may 

22 obtain clearance from the Secretary after it is with23 held or revoked under paragraph (2)(B) if the vessel 

24 owner or operator— 


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1 ‘‘(A) reimburses the Fund the amount re2 quired under paragraph (1); or 

3 ‘‘(B) provides a bond, or other evidence of 

4 financial responsibility, sufficient to meet the 

5 amount required to be reimbursed under para6 graph (1). 

7 ‘‘(4) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary 

8 shall notify the vessel at least 72 hours before taking 

9 any action under paragraph (2)(B). 

10 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

12 terms ‘abandons’ and ‘abandoned’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) a vessel owner’s or operator’s unilat14 eral severance of ties with a seafarer; or 

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

16 to provide necessary support of a seafarer. 

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

18 Abandoned Seafarers Fund established under this 

19 section. 

20 ‘‘(3) NECESSARY SUPPORT.—The term ‘nec21 essary support’ means normal wages and expenses 

22 the Secretary considers reasonable for lodging, sub23 sistence, clothing, medical care (including hos24 pitalization), repatriation, and any other support the 

25 Secretary considers to be appropriate. 


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

2 alien crew member who is employed or engaged in 

3 any capacity on board a vessel subject to the juris4 diction of the United States. 

5 ‘‘(5) VESSEL SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION

6 OF THE UNITED STATES.—The term ‘vessel subject 

7 to the jurisdiction of the United States’ has the 

8 meaning given that term in section 70502(c), except 

9 that it does not include a vessel that is— 

10 ‘‘(A) owned, or operated under a bareboat 

11 charter, by the United States, a State or polit12 ical subdivision thereof, or a foreign nation; and 

13 ‘‘(B) not engaged in commerce.’’. 

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

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

‘‘11113. Treatment of abandoned seafarers.’’. 

16 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 9 of the 

17 Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 U.S.C. 1908) is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(g) Any penalty collected under subsection (a) or (b) 

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

21 information leading to the conviction or assessment of 

22 such penalties shall be deposited in the Abandoned Sea23 farers Fund established under section 11113 of title 46, 

24 United States Code.’’. 


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1 SEC. 321. ENFORCEMENT. 

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

3 United States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘(1) Each department or agency that has re7 sponsibility for a program under this section shall 

8 administer that program consistent with this section 

9 and any regulations and guidance issued by the Sec10 retary of Transportation concerning this section.’’; 

11 (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para12 graph (3), and by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall have exclusive au15 thority for determining the applicability of this sec16 tion to a program of a Federal department or agen17 cy. 

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

19 agency shall request the Secretary to determine the 

20 applicability of this section to a program of such de21 partment or agency if the department or agency is 

22 uncertain of such applicability. Not later than 30 

23 days after receiving such a request, the Secretary 

24 shall make such determination. 

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

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1 termination regarding the applicability of this sec2 tion to a program administered by a Federal depart3 ment or agency. 

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

5 under this paragraph regarding a program shall re6 main in effect until the Secretary determines that 

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

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

9 amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows: 

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

11 administration of programs subject to the re12 quirements of this section to determine compli13 ance with the requirements of this section;’’; 

14 and 

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

16 ‘‘(4) On the date on which the President sub17 mits to Congress a budget pursuant to section 1105 

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

19 Internet website of the Department of Transpor20 tation a report that— 

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

22 to determinations made by the Secretary under 

23 paragraph (2) in the preceding year; and 

24 ‘‘(B) describes the results of the most re25 cent annual review required by paragraph 


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1 (3)(A), including identification of the depart2 ments and agencies that transported cargo in 

3 violation of this section and any action the Sec4 retary took under paragraph (3) with respect to 

5 each violation.’’. 

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

7 of Transportation shall complete the first review required 

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

9 not later than December 31, 2015. 

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

11 the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act 

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

13 SEC. 322. COAST GUARD REGULATIONS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

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

16 department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 

17 submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

18 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

19 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep20 resentatives an analysis of the Coast Guard’s proposed 

21 promulgation of safety and environmental management 

22 system requirements for vessels engaged in Outer Conti23 nental Shelf activities. The analysis shall include— 

24 (1) a discussion of any new operational, man25 agement, design and construction, financial, and 


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1 other mandates that would be imposed on vessel 

2 owners and operators; 

3 (2) an estimate of all associated direct and indi4 rect operational, management, personnel, training, 

5 vessel design and construction, record keeping, and 

6 other costs; 

7 (3) an identification and justification of any of 

8 such proposed requirements that exceed those in 

9 international conventions applicable to the design, 

10 construction, operation, and management of vessels 

11 engaging in United States Outer Continental Shelf 

12 activities; and 

13 (4) an identification of exemptions to the pro14 posed requirements, that are based upon vessel clas15 sification, tonnage, offshore activity or function, al16 ternative certifications, or any other appropriate cri17 teria. 

18 (b) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may not issue pro19 posed regulations relating to safety and environmental 

20 management system requirements for vessels on the 

21 United States Outer Continental Shelf for which noticed 

22 was published on September 10, 2013 (78 Fed. Reg. 

23 55230) earlier than 6 months after the submittal of the 

24 analysis required by subsection (a). 


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1 SEC. 323. WEBSITE. 

2 (a) REPORTS TO SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION; 

3 INCIDENTS AND DETAILS.—Section 3507(g)(3)(A) of title 

4 46, United States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘the incident to an 

6 Internet based portal maintained by the Secretary’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘each incident specified in clause (i) to 

8 the Internet website maintained by the Secretary of 

9 Transportation under paragraph (4)(A)’’; and 

10 (2) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘based portal 

11 maintained by the Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘website 

12 maintained by the Secretary of Transportation 

13 under paragraph (4)(A)’’. 

14 (b) AVAILABILITY OF INCIDENT DATA ON INTER15 NET.—Section 3507(g)(4) of title 46, United States Code, 

16 is amended— 

17 (1) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) WEBSITE.— 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of 

21 Transportation shall maintain a statistical 

22 compilation of all incidents on board a 

23 cruise vessel specified in paragraph 

24 (3)(A)(i) on an Internet website that pro25 vides a numerical accounting of the miss26 ing persons and alleged crimes reported 


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1 under that paragraph without regard to 

2 the investigative status of the incident. 

3 ‘‘(ii) UPDATES AND OTHER REQUIRE4 MENTS.—The compilation under clause (i) 

5 shall— 

6 ‘‘(I) be updated not less fre7 quently than quarterly; 

8 ‘‘(II) be able to be sorted by 

9 cruise line; 

10 ‘‘(III) identify each cruise line by 

11 name; 

12 ‘‘(IV) identify each crime or al13 leged crime committed or allegedly 

14 committed by a passenger or crew15 member; and 

16 ‘‘(V) identify the number of indi17 viduals alleged overboard. 

18 ‘‘(iii) USER-FRIENDLY FORMAT.—The 

19 Secretary of Transportation shall ensure 

20 that the compilation, data, and any other 

21 information provided on the Internet 

22 website maintained under this subpara23 graph are in a user-friendly format.’’; and 

24 (2) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘Sec25 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary of Transportation’’. 


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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 fiscal year 2015. 

6 SEC. 402. AWARD OF REPARATIONS. 

7 Section 41305 of title 46, United States Code, is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘, plus reason10 able attorney fees’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(e) ATTORNEY FEES.—In any action brought under 

13 section 41301, the prevailing party may be awarded rea14 sonable attorney fees.’’. 

15 SEC. 403. TERMS OF COMMISSIONERS. 

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

17 States Code, is amended— 

18 (1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol19 lows: 

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

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

22 the Commissioner may continue to serve until a suc23 cessor is appointed and qualified, but for a period 

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1 graph (3), no individual may serve more than 2 

2 terms.’’; and 

3 (2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para4 graph (5), and inserting after paragraph (2) the fol5 lowing: 

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

7 the same manner as the original appointment. An 

8 individual appointed to fill a vacancy is appointed 

9 only for the unexpired term of the individual being 

10 succeeded. An individual appointed to fill a vacancy 

11 may serve 2 terms in addition to the remainder of 

12 the term for which the predecessor of that individual 

13 was appointed. 

14 ‘‘(4) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.— 

15 ‘‘(A) LIMITATION ON RELATIONSHIPS

16 WITH REGULATED ENTITIES.—A Commissioner 

17 may not have a pecuniary interest in, hold an 

18 official relation to, or own stocks or bonds of 

19 any entity the Commission regulates under 

20 chapter 401 of this title. 

21 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON OTHER ACTIVI22 TIES.—A Commissioner may not engage in an23 other business, vocation, or employment.’’. 

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1 sioner of the Federal Maritime Commission appointed and 

2 confirmed by the Senate before the date of the enactment 

3 of this Act. 

4 TITLE V—ARCTIC MARITIME 

5 TRANSPORTATION 

6 SEC. 501. ARCTIC MARITIME TRANSPORTATION. 

7 (a) ARCTIC MARITIME TRANSPORTATION.—Chapter 

8 5 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

9 after section 89 the following: 

10 ‘‘§ 90. Arctic maritime transportation 

11 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to en12 sure safe and secure maritime shipping in the Arctic in13 cluding the availability of aids to navigation, vessel es14 corts, spill response capability, and maritime search and 

15 rescue in the Arctic. 

16 ‘‘(b) INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION

17 AGREEMENTS.—To carry out the purpose of this section, 

18 the Secretary is encouraged to enter into negotiations 

19 through the International Maritime Organization to con20 clude and execute agreements to promote coordinated ac21 tion among the United States, Russia, Canada, Iceland, 

22 Norway, and Denmark and other seafaring and Arctic na23 tions to ensure, in the Arctic— 

24 ‘‘(1) placement and maintenance of aids to 

25 navigation; 


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1 ‘‘(2) appropriate marine safety, tug, and sal2 vage capabilities; 

3 ‘‘(3) oil spill prevention and response capability; 

4 ‘‘(4) maritime domain awareness, including 

5 long-range vessel tracking; and 

6 ‘‘(5) search and rescue. 

7 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION BY COMMITTEE ON THE MARI8 TIME TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.—The Committee on the 

9 Maritime Transportation System established under section 

10 55501 of title 46, United States Code, shall coordinate 

11 the establishment of domestic transportation policies in 

12 the Arctic necessary to carry out the purpose of this sec13 tion. 

14 ‘‘(d) AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS.—The Secretary 

15 may, subject to the availability of appropriations, enter 

16 into cooperative agreements, contracts, or other agree17 ments with, or make grants to, individuals and govern18 ments to carry out the purpose of this section or any 

19 agreements established under subsection (b). 

20 ‘‘(e) ICEBREAKING.—The Secretary shall promote 

21 safe maritime navigation by means of icebreaking where 

22 necessary, feasible, and effective to carry out the purposes 

23 of this section. 

24 ‘‘(f) ARCTIC DEFINITION.—In this section, the term 

25 ‘Arctic’ has the meaning given such term in section 112 


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1 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 

2 4111).’’. 

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

4 chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating 

5 to section 89 the following: 

‘‘90. Arctic maritime transportation.’’. 

6 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 307 of the 

7 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (Public Law 111– 

8 281; 14 U.S.C. 92 note) is repealed. 

9 SEC. 502. ARCTIC MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 14, United 

11 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘§ 154. Arctic maritime domain awareness 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant shall improve 

15 maritime domain awareness in the Arctic— 

16 ‘‘(1) by promoting interagency cooperation and 

17 coordination; 

18 ‘‘(2) by employing joint, interagency, and inter19 national capabilities; and 

20 ‘‘(3) by facilitating the sharing of information, 

21 intelligence, and data related to the Arctic maritime 

22 domain between the Coast Guard and departments 

23 and agencies listed in subsection (b). 

24 ‘‘(b) COORDINATION.—The Commandant shall seek 

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1 tion, intelligence, and data related to the Arctic maritime 

2 domain between the Coast Guard and the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) The Department of Homeland Security. 

4 ‘‘(2) The Department of Defense. 

5 ‘‘(3) The Department of Transportation. 

6 ‘‘(4) The Department of State. 

7 ‘‘(5) The Department of the Interior. 

8 ‘‘(6) The National Aeronautics and Space Ad9 ministration. 

10 ‘‘(7) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

11 Administration. 

12 ‘‘(8) The Environmental Protection Agency. 

13 ‘‘(9) The National Science Foundation. 

14 ‘‘(10) The Arctic Research Commission. 

15 ‘‘(11) Any Federal agency or commission or 

16 State the Commandant determines is appropriate. 

17 ‘‘(c) COOPERATION.—The Commandant and the head 

18 of a department or agency listed in subsection (b) may 

19 by agreement, on a reimbursable basis or otherwise, share 

20 personnel, services, equipment, and facilities to carry out 

21 the requirements of this section. 

22 ‘‘(d) 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.—Not later than Jan23 uary 1, 2016 and every 5 years thereafter, the Com24 mandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 

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1 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

2 of Representatives a 5-year strategic plan to guide inter3 agency and international intergovernmental cooperation 

4 and coordination for the purpose of improving maritime 

5 domain awareness in the Arctic 

6 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section the term ‘Arctic’ 

7 has the meaning given that term in section 112 of the 

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

9 4111).’’. 

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

11 chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating 

12 to section 153 the following: 

‘‘154. Arctic maritime domain awareness.’’. 

13 SEC. 503. 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— 

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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. 504. FORWARD OPERATING FACILITIES. 

24 The Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

25 Guard is operating may construct facilities in the Arctic 


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1 (as that term is defined in section 112 of the Arctic Re2 search and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111). The fa3 cilities shall— 

4 (1) support aircraft maintenance, including ex5 haust ventilation, heat, an engine wash system, fuel, 

6 ground support services, and electrical power; 

7 (2) provide shelter for both current helicopter 

8 assets and those projected to be located at Air Sta9 tion Kodiak, Alaska, for at least 20 years; and 

10 (3) include accommodations for personnel. 

11 SEC. 505. ICEBREAKERS. 

12 (a) COAST GUARD POLAR ICEBREAKERS.—Section 

13 222 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act 

14 of 2012 (Public Law 112–213; 126 Stat. 1560) is amend15 ed— 

16 (1) in subsection (d)(2)— 

17 (A) in the paragraph heading by striking 

18 ‘‘; BRIDGING STRATEGY’’; and 

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

20 Guard’’ and all that follows through the period 

21 at the end and inserting ‘‘Commandant of the 

22 Coast Guard may decommission the Polar 

23 Sea.’’; 

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

25 following: 


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

2 the analysis submitted under this section the Sec3 retary does not make a determination under sub4 section (a)(5) regarding whether it is cost effective 

5 to reactivate the Polar Sea, then— 

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

7 may decommission the Polar Sea; or 

8 ‘‘(B) the Secretary may make such deter9 mination, not later than 90 days after the date 

10 of the enactment of Howard Coble Coast Guard 

11 and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014, and 

12 take actions in accordance with this subsection 

13 as though such determination was made in the 

14 analysis previously submitted.’’; 

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

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

17 (4) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(e) STRATEGIES.— 

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

21 after the date on which the analysis required under 

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

23 Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on 

24 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 


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1 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

2 Science, and Transportation of the Senate— 

3 ‘‘(A) unless the Secretary makes a deter4 mination under this section that it is cost effec5 tive to reactivate the Polar Sea, a bridging 

6 strategy for maintaining the Coast Guard’s 

7 polar icebreaking services until at least Sep8 tember 30, 2024; 

9 ‘‘(B) a strategy to meet the Coast Guard’s 

10 Arctic ice operations needs through September 

11 30, 2050; and 

12 ‘‘(C) a strategy to meet the Coast Guard’s 

13 Antarctic ice operations needs through Sep14 tember 30, 2050. 

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

16 under paragraph (1) shall include a business case 

17 analysis comparing the leasing and purchasing of 

18 icebreakers to maintain the needs and services de19 scribed in that paragraph.’’. 

20 (b) CUTTER ‘‘POLAR SEA’’.—Upon the submission of 

21 a service life extension plan in accordance with section 

22 222(d)(1)(C) of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transpor23 tation Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–213; 126 Stat. 1560), 

24 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

25 is operating may use funds authorized under section 101 


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1 of this Act to conduct a service life extension of 7 to 10 

2 years for the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea (WAGB 11) 

3 in accordance with such plan. 

4 (c) 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 solely 

11 on an operational requirement of another Fed12 eral department or agency, except for amounts 

13 appropriated for design activities for a fiscal 

14 year before 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 solely on an operational requirement of that or 

23 another 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. 506. ICEBREAKING IN POLAR REGIONS. 

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

5 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 86 the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘§ 87. Icebreaking in polar regions 

8 ‘‘The President shall facilitate planning for the de9 sign, procurement, maintenance, deployment, and oper10 ation of icebreakers as needed to support the statutory 

11 missions of the Coast Guard in the polar regions by allo12 cating all funds to support icebreaking operations in such 

13 regions, except for recurring incremental costs associated 

14 with specific projects, to the Coast Guard.’’. 

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

16 chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating 

17 to section 86 the following: 

‘‘87. Icebreaking in polar regions.’’. 

18 TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 

19 SEC. 601. DISTANT WATER TUNA FLEET. 

20 Section 421 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Trans21 portation Act of 2006 (46 U.S.C. 8103 note) is amend22 ed— 

23 (1) by striking subsections (c) and (e); and 

24 (2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (f) as 

25 subsections (c) and (d), respectively. 


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1 SEC. 602. EXTENSION OF MORATORIUM. 

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

3 note) is amended by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘2015’’. 

5 SEC. 603. NATIONAL MARITIME STRATEGY. 

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

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trans8 portation, in consultation with the Secretary of the depart9 ment in which the Coast Guard is operating, shall submit 

10 to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

11 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

12 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 

13 national maritime strategy. 

14 (b) CONTENTS.—The strategy required under sub15 section (a) shall— 

16 (1) identify— 

17 (A) Federal regulations and policies that 

18 reduce the competitiveness of United States flag 

19 vessels in international transportation markets; 

20 and 

21 (B) the impact of reduced cargo flow due 

22 to reductions in the number of members of the 

23 United States Armed Forces stationed or de24 ployed outside of the United States; and 

25 (2) include recommendations to— 


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1 (A) make United States flag vessels more 

2 competitive in shipping routes between United 

3 States and foreign ports; 

4 (B) increase the use of United States flag 

5 vessels to carry cargo imported to and exported 

6 from the United States; 

7 (C) ensure compliance by Federal agencies 

8 with chapter 553 of title 46, United States 

9 Code; 

10 (D) increase the use of third-party inspec11 tion and certification authorities to inspect and 

12 certify vessels; 

13 (E) increase the use of short sea transpor14 tation routes, including routes designated under 

15 section 55601(c) of title 46, United States 

16 Code, to enhance intermodal freight movements; 

17 and 

18 (F) enhance United States shipbuilding ca19 pability. 

20 SEC. 604. WAIVERS. 

21 (a) ‘‘JOHN CRAIG’’.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 8902 of title 46, 

23 United States Code, shall not apply to the vessel 

24 John Craig (United States official number 

25 D1110613) when such vessel is operating on the 


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1 portion of the Kentucky River, Kentucky, located at 

2 approximately mile point 158, in Pool Number 9, be3 tween Lock and Dam Number 9 and Lock and Dam 

4 Number 10. 

5 (2) APPLICATION.—Paragraph (1) shall apply 

6 on and after the date on which the Secretary of the 

7 department in which the Coast Guard is operating 

8 determines that a licensing requirement has been es9 tablished under Kentucky State law that applies to 

10 an operator of the vessel John Craig. 

11 (b) ‘‘F/V WESTERN CHALLENGER’’.—Notwith12 standing section 12132 of title 46, United States Code, 

13 the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard 

14 is operating may issue a certificate of documentation with 

15 a coastwise endorsement for the F/V Western Challenger 

16 (IMO number 5388108). 

17 SEC. 605. COMPETITION BY UNITED STATES FLAG VESSELS. 

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

19 Guard shall enter into an arrangement with the National 

20 Academy of Sciences to conduct an assessment of authori21 ties under subtitle II of title 46, United States Code, that 

22 have been delegated to the Coast Guard and that impact 

23 the ability of vessels documented under the laws of the 

24 United States to effectively compete in international trans25 portation markets. 


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1 (b) REVIEW OF DIFFERENCES WITH IMO STAND2 ARDS.—The assessment under subsection (a) shall include 

3 a review of differences between United States laws, poli4 cies, regulations, and guidance governing the inspection 

5 of vessels documented under the laws of the United States 

6 and standards set by the International Maritime Organi7 zation governing the inspection of vessels. 

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

9 date on which the Commandant enters into an arrange10 ment with the National Academy of Sciences under sub11 section (a), the Commandant shall submit to the Com12 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

13 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

14 Science, and Transportation of the Senate the assessment 

15 required under such subsection. 

16 SEC. 606. VESSEL REQUIREMENTS FOR NOTICES OF AR17 RIVAL AND DEPARTURE AND AUTOMATIC 

18 IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM. 

19 Not later than 30 days after the date of the enact20 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the department in which 

21 the Coast Guard is operating shall notify the Committee 

22 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

23 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

24 Science, and Transportation of the Senate of the status 

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1 making titled ‘‘Vessel Requirements for Notices of Arrival 

2 and Departure, and Automatic Identification System’’ and 

3 published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2008 

4 (73 Fed. Reg. 76295). 

5 SEC. 607. CONVEYANCE OF COAST GUARD PROPERTY IN 

6 ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. 

7 (a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Commandant 

8 of the Coast Guard is authorized to convey, at fair market 

9 value, all right, title, and interest of the United States in 

10 and to a parcel of real property, consisting of approxi11 mately 0.2 acres, that is under the administrative control 

12 of the Coast Guard and located at 527 River Street in 

13 Rochester, New York. 

14 (b) RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL.—The City of Roch15 ester, New York, shall have the right of first refusal with 

16 respect to the purchase, at fair market value, of the real 

17 property described in subsection (a). 

18 (c) SURVEY.—The exact acreage and legal descrip19 tion of the property described in subsection (a) shall be 

20 determined by a survey satisfactory to the Commandant. 

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

22 of the property described in subsection (a) shall— 

23 (1) be determined by appraisal; and 

24 (2) be subject to the approval of the Com25 mandant. 


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

2 all reasonable and necessary costs, including real estate 

3 transaction and environmental documentation costs, asso4 ciated with a conveyance under subsection (a) shall be de5 termined by the Commandant and the purchaser. 

6 (f) ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The 

7 Commandant may require such additional terms and con8 ditions in connection with a conveyance under subsection 

9 (a) as the Commandant considers appropriate and reason10 able to protect the interests of the United States. 

11 (g) DEPOSIT OF PROCEEDS.—Any proceeds from a 

12 conveyance under subsection (a) shall be deposited in the 

13 fund established under section 687 of title 14, United 

14 States Code. 

15 SEC. 608. CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN PROPERTY IN GIG 

16 HARBOR, WASHINGTON. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi18 nitions apply: 

19 (1) CITY.—The term ‘‘City’’ means the city of 

20 Gig Harbor, Washington. 

21 (2) PROPERTY.—The term ‘‘Property’’ means 

22 the parcel of real property, together with any im23 provements thereon, consisting of approximately 

24 0.86 acres of fast lands commonly identified as tract 

25 65 of lot 1 of section 8, township 21 north, range 


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1 2 east, Willamette Meridian, on the north side of the 

2 entrance of Gig Harbor, narrows of Puget Sound, 

3 Washington. 

4 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

5 the Secretary of the Interior. 

6 (b) CONVEYANCE.— 

7 (1) AUTHORITY TO CONVEY.—Not later than 

8 30 days after the date on which the Secretary of the 

9 department in which the Coast Guard is operating 

10 relinquishes the reservation of the Property for light11 house purposes, at the request of the City and sub12 ject to the requirements of this section, the Sec13 retary shall convey to the City all right, title, and in14 terest of the United States in and to the Property, 

15 notwithstanding the land use planning requirements 

16 of sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy 

17 and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 

18 1713). 

19 (2) TERMS OF CONVEYANCE.—A conveyance 

20 made under paragraph (1) shall be made— 

21 (A) subject to valid existing rights; 

22 (B) at the fair market value as described 

23 in subsection (c); and 


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1 (C) subject to any other condition that the 

2 Secretary may consider appropriate to protect 

3 the interests of the United States. 

4 (3) COSTS.—The City shall pay any transaction 

5 or administrative costs associated with a conveyance 

6 under paragraph (1), including the costs of the ap7 praisal, title searches, maps, and boundary and ca8 dastral surveys. 

9 (4) CONVEYANCE IS NOT A MAJOR FEDERAL

10 ACTION.—A conveyance under paragraph (1) shall 

11 not be considered a major Federal action for pur12 poses of section 102(2) of the National Environ13 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)). 

14 (c) FAIR MARKET VALUE.— 

15 (1) DETERMINATION.—The fair market value 

16 of the Property shall be— 

17 (A) determined by an appraisal conducted 

18 by an independent appraiser selected by the 

19 Secretary; and 

20 (B) approved by the Secretary in accord21 ance with paragraph (3). 

22 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—An appraisal conducted 

23 under paragraph (1) shall— 


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1 (A) be conducted in accordance with na2 tionally recognized appraisal standards, includ3 ing— 

4 (i) the Uniform Appraisal Standards 

5 for Federal Land Acquisitions; and 

6 (ii) the Uniform Standards of Profes7 sional Appraisal Practice; and 

8 (B) shall reflect the equitable consider9 ations described in paragraph (3). 

10 (3) EQUITABLE CONSIDERATIONS.—In approv11 ing the fair market value of the Property under this 

12 subsection, the Secretary shall take into consider13 ation matters of equity and fairness, including the 

14 City’s past and current lease of the Property, any 

15 maintenance or improvements by the City to the 

16 Property, and such other factors as the Secretary 

17 considers appropriate. 

18 (d) REVOCATION; REVERSION.—Effective on and 

19 after the date on which a conveyance of the Property is 

20 made under subsection (b)(1)— 

21 (1) Executive Order 3528, dated August 9, 

22 1921, is revoked; and 

23 (2) the use of the tide and shore lands belong24 ing to the State of Washington and adjoining and 

25 bordering the Property, that were granted to the 


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1 Government of the United States pursuant to the 

2 Act of the Legislature, State of Washington, ap3 proved March 13, 1909, the same being chapter 110 

4 of the Session Laws of 1909, shall revert to the 

5 State of Washington. 

6 SEC. 609. VESSEL DETERMINATION. 

7 The vessel assigned United States official number 

8 1205366 is deemed a new vessel effective on the date of 

9 delivery of the vessel after January 1, 2012, from a pri10 vately owned United States shipyard, if no encumbrances 

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

12 issuance of the new certificate of documentation for the 

13 vessel. 

14 SEC. 610. SAFE VESSEL OPERATION IN THUNDER BAY. 

15 The Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

16 Guard is operating and the Administrator of the Environ17 mental Protection Agency may not prohibit a vessel oper18 ating within the existing boundaries and any future ex19 panded boundaries of the Thunder Bay National Marine 

20 Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve from taking up or 

21 discharging ballast water to allow for safe and efficient 

22 vessel operation if the uptake or discharge meets all Fed23 eral and State ballast water management requirements 

24 that would apply if the area were not a marine sanctuary. 


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1 SEC. 611. PARKING FACILITIES. 

2 (a) ALLOCATION AND ASSIGNMENT.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the requirements 

4 of this section, the Administrator of General Serv5 ices, in coordination with the Commandant of the 

6 Coast Guard, shall allocate and assign the spaces in 

7 parking facilities at the Department of Homeland 

8 Security St. Elizabeths Campus to allow any mem9 ber or employee of the Coast Guard, who is assigned 

10 to the Campus, to use such spaces. 

11 (2) TIMING.—In carrying out paragraph (1), 

12 and in addition to the parking spaces allocated and 

13 assigned to Coast Guard members and employees in 

14 fiscal year 2014, the Administrator shall allocate 

15 and assign not less than— 

16 (A) 300 parking spaces not later than Sep17 tember 30, 2015; 

18 (B) 700 parking spaces not later than Sep19 tember 30, 2016; and 

20 (C) 1,042 parking spaces not later than 

21 September 30, 2017. 

22 (b) TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT REPORT.—Not 

23 later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 

24 Act, and each fiscal year thereafter in which spaces are 

25 allocated and assigned under subsection (a)(2), the Ad26 ministrator shall provide to the Committee on Commerce, 


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1 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com2 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

3 of Representatives a report on— 

4 (1) the impact of assigning and allocating park5 ing spaces under subsection (a) on the congestion of 

6 roads connecting the St. Elizabeths Campus to the 

7 portions of Suitland Parkway and I–295 located in 

8 the Anacostia section of the District of Columbia; 

9 and 

10 (2) progress made toward completion of essen11 tial transportation improvements identified in the 

12 Transportation Management Program for the St. 

13 Elizabeths Campus. 

14 (c) REALLOCATION.—Notwithstanding subsection 

15 (a), the Administrator may revise the allocation and as16 signment of spaces to members and employees of the 

17 Coast Guard made under subsection (a) as necessary to 

18 accommodate employees of the Department of Homeland 

19 Security, other than the Coast Guard, when such employ20 ees are assigned to the St. Elizabeths Campus. 

Passed the House of Representatives December 3, 

2014. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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