Icebreaker Recapitalization Act

To provide multiyear procurement authority for the procurement of up to six polar icebreakers to be owned and operated by the Coast Guard. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Icebreaker Recapitalization Act 2. Multiyear procurement authority for polar icebreakers (a) Multiyear procurement Subject to section 2306b of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary of the Navy shall enter into multiyear contracts for the procurement of up to six heavy duty polar icebreakers and any systems and equipment associated with those vessels. (b) Authority for advance procurement The Secretary may enter into one or more contracts, beginning in fiscal year 2016, for advance procurement associated with the vessels, systems, and equipment for which authorization to enter into a multiyear contract is provided under subsection (a). (c) Condition for Out-Year Contract Payments A contract entered into under subsection (a) shall provide that any obligation of the United States to make a payment under the contract for a fiscal year after fiscal year 2016 is subject to the availability of appropriations or funds for that purpose for such later fiscal year. (d) Memorandum of agreement Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall enter into a memorandum of agreement establishing a process by which the Coast Guard, in concurrence with the Navy, shall— (1) identify the vessel specifications, capabilities, systems, equipment, and other details required for the design of heavy polar icebreakers capable of fulfilling Navy and Coast Guard mission requirements, with the Coast Guard, as the sole operator of United States Government polar icebreaking assets, retaining final decision authority in the establishment of vessel requirements; (2) oversee the construction of heavy polar icebreakers authorized to be procured under this section; and (3) to the extent not adequately addressed in the 1965 Revised Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of the Navy and the Department of the Treasury on the Operation of Icebreakers, transfer heavy polar icebreakers procured through contracts authorized under this section from the Navy to the Coast Guard to be maintained and operated by the Coast Guard.

Summary: Icebreaker Recapitalization Act This bill directs the Department of the Navy to enter into multiyear contracts for the procurement of up to six heavy duty polar icebreakers and any associated systems and equipment. The Department may enter into one or more contracts, beginning in FY 2016, for advance procurement associated with such vessels, systems, and equipment. The Department and the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall enter into a memorandum of agreement under which the Coast Guard shall: identify the vessel specifications, capabilities, systems, equipment, and other details required for the design of heavy polar icebreakers, with the Coast Guard retaining final decision authority; oversee the construction of authorized heavy polar icebreakers; and to the extent not adequately addressed in the 1965 Revised Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of the Navy and the Department of the Treasury on the Operation of Icebreakers, transfer heavy polar icebreakers from the Navy to the Coast Guard to be maintained and operated by the Coast Guard.