H. R. 6395—1292 
SEC. 8259. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES STUDY 
AND REPORT ON ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE BY MEMBERS 
OF COAST GUARD AND DEPENDENTS. 
(a) STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study that examines access to, experience 
with, and needs under the TRICARE program of members 
of the Coast Guard and their dependents. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted under paragraph (1) 
shall analyze the following: 
(A) The record of the TRICARE program in meeting 
the standards for care for primary and specialty care for 
members of the Coast Guard and dependents of those mem-
bers, including members stationed in remote units. 
(B) The accuracy and update periodicity of lists of 
providers under the TRICARE program in areas serving 
Coast Guard families. 
(C) The wait times under the TRICARE program for 
appointments, specialty care, and referrals for members 
of the Coast Guard and dependents of those members. 
(D) The availability of providers under the TRICARE 
program in remote locations, including providers for mental 
health, care for children with special needs, child and 
adolescent psychiatry, dental, and female health. 
(E) The access of members of the Coast Guard and 
dependents of those members to services under the 
TRICARE program in comparison to the access to such 
services by personnel of the Department of Defense and 
dependents of such personnel. 
(F) The liaison assistance between members of the 
Coast Guard and dependents of those members and the 
TRICARE program provided by the Coast Guard in 
comparison to such assistance provided by the Department 
of Defense. 
(G) How delayed access to care, timeliness of care, 
and distance traveled to care may impact personnel readi-
ness of members of the Coast Guard. 
(H) The regions particularly impacted by lack of access 
to care and recommendations to address those access 
issues. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives a report containing the findings, conclu-
sions, and recommendations to improve access to quality, timely, 
and effective health care for members of the Coast Guard and 
dependents of those members from the study required under sub-
section (a). 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘dependent’’ and 
‘‘TRICARE program’’ have the meanings given such terms in section 
1072 of title 10, United States Code. 
SEC. 8260. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES STUDY 
AND REPORT ON MEDICAL STAFFING STANDARDS AND 
NEEDS FOR COAST GUARD. 
(a) STUDY.—
H. R. 6395—1293 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study that examines the health care 
system of the Coast Guard. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted under paragraph (1) 
shall analyze the following: 
(A) The billets in clinics of the Coast Guard, whether 
for personnel of the Coast Guard or otherwise, including 
the number of billets, vacancies, and length of vacancies. 
(B) The wait times for patients to attain an appoint-
ment for urgent care, routine physician care, and dental 
care. 
(C) The impact of billet vacancies on such wait times. 
(D) The barriers, if any, to improving coordination 
and access to physicians within the health care system 
of the Department of Defense. 
(E) The accessibility and availability of behavioral 
health medical personnel at clinics of the Coast Guard, 
including personnel available for family counseling, 
therapy, and other needs. 
(F) The staffing models of clinics of the Coast Guard, 
including recommendations to modernize such models. 
(G) The locations and needs of Coast Guard units with 
or without clinics. 
(H) How access to care models for members of the 
Coast Guard are managed, including models with respect 
to the time and distance traveled to receive care, the cost 
of that travel, and alternate options to secure care quickly 
and efficiently for members serving in units without a 
clinic. 
(b) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report 
containing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations from 
the study required under subsection (a). 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report submitted under paragraph (1) 
shall include the following: 
(A) An identification of the number of members of 
the Coast Guard and types of units of the Coast Guard 
serviced by the health care system of the Coast Guard. 
(B) An assessment of the ability of the Coast Guard 
to conduct medical support at outlying units, including 
remote units. 
(C) An assessment of the capacity of the Coast Guard 
to support surge operations using historical data from the 
10-year period preceding the date of the report. 
(D) An assessment of the impact to operations of the 
Coast Guard by extended wait times or travel times to 
receive care or other issues identified by the report. 
(c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
on which the report is submitted under subsection (b), the Com-
mandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives written 
recommendations for medical staffing standards for the Coast Guard
H. R. 6395—1294 
based on each finding and conclusion contained in the report, 
including recommendations for health service technicians, flight 
surgeons, physician assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, family 
advocate services, pharmacists, and administrators, and other rec-
ommendations, as appropriate. 
SEC. 8261. REPORT ON FAST RESPONSE CUTTERS, OFFSHORE PATROL 
CUTTERS, AND NATIONAL SECURITY CUTTERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall submit to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives a report on the combination of Fast 
Response Cutters, Offshore Patrol Cutters, and National Security 
Cutters necessary to carry out Coast Guard missions. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection (a) shall 
include— 
(1) an updated cost estimate for each type of cutter 
described in such subsection; and 
(2) a cost estimate for a Sensitive Compartmented Informa-
tion Facility outfitted to manage data in a manner equivalent 
to the National Security Cutter Sensitive Compartmented 
Information Facilities. 
Subtitle E—Coast Guard Academy 
Improvement Act 
SEC. 8271. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Coast Guard Academy 
Improvement Act’’. 
SEC. 8272. COAST GUARD ACADEMY STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the department in which 
the Coast Guard is operating shall seek to enter into an arrange-
ment with the National Academy of Public Administration not 
later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of the this 
Act under which the National Academy of Public Administration 
shall— 
(1) conduct an assessment of the cultural competence of 
the Coast Guard Academy as an organization and of individuals 
at the Coast Guard Academy to carry out effectively the primary 
duties of the United States Coast Guard listed in section 102 
of title 14, United States Code, when interacting with individ-
uals of different races, ethnicities, genders, religions, sexual 
orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, or from different 
geographic origins; and 
(2) issue recommendations based upon the findings in such 
assessment. 
(b) ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE.— 
(1) 
CULTURAL
COMPETENCE
OF
THE
COAST
GUARD 
ACADEMY.—The arrangement described in subsection (a) shall 
require the National Academy of Public Administration to, not 
later than 1 year after entering into an arrangement with 
the Secretary under subsection (a), submit to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
H. R. 6395—1295 
Transportation of the Senate the assessment described under 
subsection (a)(1). 
(2) ASSESSMENT SCOPE.—The assessment described under 
subsection (a)(1) shall— 
(A) describe the level of cultural competence described 
in subsection (a)(1) based on the National Academy of 
Public Administration’s assessment of the Coast Guard 
Academy’s relevant practices, policies, and structures, 
including an overview of discussions with faculty, staff, 
students, and relevant Coast Guard Academy affiliated 
organizations; 
(B) examine potential changes which could be used 
to further enhance such cultural competence by— 
(i) modifying institutional practices, policies, and 
structures; and 
(ii) any other changes deemed appropriate by the 
National Academy of Public Administration; and 
(C) make recommendations to enhance the cultural 
competence of the Coast Guard Academy described in 
subparagraph (A), including any specific plans, policies, 
milestones, performance measures, or other information 
necessary to implement such recommendations. 
(c) FINAL ACTION MEMORANDUM.—Not later than 6 months 
after submission of the assessment under subsection (b)(1), the 
Commandant of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate, a final action memorandum in response to all rec-
ommendations contained in the assessment. The final action memo-
randum shall include the rationale for accepting, accepting in part, 
or rejecting each recommendation, and shall specify, where 
applicable, actions to be taken to implement such recommendations, 
including an explanation of how each action enhances the ability 
of the Coast Guard to carry out the primary duties of the United 
States Coast Guard listed in section 102 of title 14, United States 
Code. 
(d) PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the date 
of the submission of the final action memorandum required 
under subsection (c), the Commandant, in coordination with 
the Chief Human Capital Officer of the Department of Home-
land Security, shall submit a plan to carry out the recommenda-
tions or the parts of the recommendations accepted in the 
final action memorandum to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate. 
(2) STRATEGY WITH MILESTONES.—If any recommendation 
or parts of recommendations accepted in the final action memo-
randum address any of the following actions, then the plan 
required in paragraph (1) shall include a strategy with appro-
priate milestones to carry out such recommendations or parts 
of recommendations: 
(A) Improve outreach and recruitment of a more 
diverse Coast Guard Academy cadet candidate pool based 
on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, 
socioeconomic background, and geographic origin.