I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1605 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to repeal requirements that applicants 
for merchant seamen licenses and certificates and merchant mariner’s 
documents must take oaths, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 20, 2007 
Mr. LATOURETTE (for himself, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, and Mr. LOBIONDO) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to repeal require-
ments that applicants for merchant seamen licenses and 
certificates and merchant mariner’s documents must take 
oaths, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Merchant Mariner Cre-
dentials Improvement Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. OATHS. 
Sections 7105 and 7305 of title 46, United States 
Code, and the items relating to such sections in the anal-
ysis for chapters 71 and 73 of such title, are repealed. 
SEC. 3. DURATION OF CREDENTIALS. 
(a) MERCHANT MARINER’S DOCUMENTS.—Section 
7302(f) of title 46, United States Code, is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(f) PERIODS OF VALIDITY AND RENEWAL OF MER-
CHANT MARINERS’ DOCUMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-
section (g), a merchant mariner’s document issued 
under this chapter is valid for a 5-year period and 
may be renewed for additional 5-year periods. 
‘‘(2) ADVANCE
RENEWALS.—A renewed mer-
chant mariner’s document may be issued under this 
chapter in advance but is not effective until the date 
that the previously issued merchant mariner’s docu-
ment expires.’’. 
(b) DURATION OF LICENSES.—Section 7106 of such 
title is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 7106. Duration of licenses 
‘‘(a) LICENSE RENEWAL.—A license issued under 
this part is valid for a 5-year period and may be renewed 
for additional 5-year periods; except that the validity of 
a license issued to a radio officer is conditioned on the 
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continuous possession by the holder of a first-class or sec-
ond-class radiotelegraph operator license issued by the 
Federal Communications Commission. 
‘‘(b) ADVANCE
RENEWALS.—A renewed license 
issued under this part may be issued in advance but is 
not effective until the date that the previously issued li-
cense expires.’’. 
(c) CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY.—Section 7107 of 
such title is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 7107. Duration of certificates of registry 
‘‘(a) CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY RENEWAL.—A cer-
tificate of registry issued under this part is valid for a 
5-year period and may be renewed for additional 5-year 
periods; except that the validity of a certificate issued to 
a medical doctor or professional nurse is conditioned on 
the continuous possession by the holder of a license as a 
medical doctor or registered nurse, respectively, issued by 
a State. 
‘‘(b) ADVANCE ISSUANCE.—A renewed certificate of 
registry issued under this part may be issued in advance 
but is not effective until the date that the previously issued 
certificate of registry expires.’’. 
SEC. 4. PROCESSING TIME FOR DOCUMENTS. 
Section 2110 of title 46, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(l) LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO PROCESSING 
TIME.—The Secretary may not charge a fee under this 
section for the application, processing, or issuance of a 
merchant mariner’s document for an individual under 
chapter 73 if, within 30 days after the date the individual 
submits a complete application for the document, the Sec-
retary has not— 
‘‘(1) issued the document to the individual; or 
‘‘(2) notified the individual that the document 
will not be issued because the individual does not 
meet the qualifications for issuance of that docu-
ment under that chapter.’’. 
SEC. 5. FINGERPRINTING. 
(a) MERCHANT MARINER LICENSES
AND DOCU-
MENTS.—Chapter 75 of title 46, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 7507. Fingerprinting 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Depart-
ment in which the Coast Guard is operating may not re-
quire an individual to be fingerprinted for the issuance 
or renewal of a license, a certificate of registry, or a mer-
chant mariner’s document under chapter 71 or 73 if the 
individual was fingerprinted when the individual applied 
for a transportation security card under section 70105.’’. 
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for such 
chapter is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘7507. Fingerprinting.’’. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF LI-
CENSES, CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY, AND 
MERCHANT MARINERS’ DOCUMENTS. 
(a) MERCHANT MARINER LICENSES
AND DOCU-
MENTS.—Chapter 75 of title 46, United States Code, as 
amended by section 5(a) of this Act, is further amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 7508. Authority to extend the duration of licenses, 
certificates of registry, and merchant 
mariner documents 
‘‘(a) LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY.— 
Notwithstanding section 7106 and 7107, the Secretary of 
the department in which the Coast Guard is operating 
may extend for one year an expiring license or certificate 
of registry issued for an individual under chapter 71 if 
the Secretary determines that such action is required to 
enable the Coast Guard to eliminate a backlog in proc-
essing applications for such licenses or certificates of reg-
istry. 
‘‘(b) MERCHANT MARINER DOCUMENTS.—Notwith-
standing section 7302(g), the Secretary may extend for 
one year an expiring merchant mariner’s document issued 
for an individual under chapter 71 if the Secretary deter-
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