226 
propriate, in coordination with the 
Center and the Administrator; and 
‘‘(VII) such other forms of sup-
port as the Center, in consultation 
with maritime incubators and Mari-
time Security Board, determines ap-
propriate. 
‘‘(iii) AVAILABILITY
OF
INTELLEC-
TUAL PROPERTY.—To the extent the Cen-
ter determines appropriate, the Center, in 
coordination with the maritime incubators, 
shall seek to actively inform potential par-
ticipants in multi-stakeholder research and 
innovation partnerships of the availability 
of intellectual property developed by the 
Federal Government that may be licensed 
to the partnership. 
‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of the SHIPS for America 
Act of 2024, and annually thereafter, the Center 
shall submit to the Maritime Security Board and the 
appropriate congressional committees a report on 
the activities, advances, outcomes, and work product 
of the maritime incubators and the multi-stakeholder 
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research and innovation partnerships supported 
under this subsection. 
‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 
addition to the funding contributed under subsection 
(a)(4), there is authorized to be appropriated, out of 
the Maritime Security Trust Fund established under 
section 9512 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 
$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 
2034. 
‘‘(9) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) 
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER
RESEARCH 
AND
INNOVATION
PARTNERSHIP.—The term 
‘multi-stakeholder research and innovation part-
nership’ means a partnership composed of any 
combination of 2 or more of the following: 
‘‘(i) Institutions of higher education 
(as defined in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) 
with research and innovation capability. 
‘‘(ii) Nonprofit organizations that pro-
vide policy, research, outreach, operations, 
organizational, management, testing, eval-
uation, technology transfer, legal, financial, 
or advocacy expertise. 
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‘‘(iii) For-profit commercial enter-
prises that may be publicly or privately 
owned, early stage or mature, and incor-
porated or operating by another ownership 
structure. 
‘‘(iv) Centers of excellence for domes-
tic maritime workforce training and edu-
cation (established under section 51706). 
‘‘(v) Maritime labor organizations. 
‘‘(vi) Departments or agencies of the 
Federal Government with expertise, oper-
ations, or resources related to the objec-
tives of the multi-stakeholder research and 
innovation partnership. 
‘‘(vii) State maritime academies (as 
defined in section 51102(4)). 
‘‘(viii) The United States Merchant 
Marine Academy. 
‘‘(ix) National research laboratories 
with expertise, operations, or resources re-
lated to the objectives of the partnership. 
‘‘(B) NONTRADITIONAL CAPABILITY.—The 
term ‘nontraditional capability’ means a solu-
tion to an operational challenge that can signifi-
cantly leverage commercial innovation or exter-
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nal capital with minimal dependencies on field-
ed systems. 
‘‘(C) MARITIME
INDUSTRY.—The term 
‘maritime industry’ includes— 
‘‘(i) shipbuilders and ship repair fa-
cilities; 
‘‘(ii) ship owners; 
‘‘(iii) port operators; 
‘‘(iv) personnel of the merchant ma-
rine of the United States; 
‘‘(v) manufacturers of equipment and 
technology instrumental to the facilitation 
of maritime trade and commerce; and 
‘‘(vi) other members of the industrial 
base that support the Navy or the mer-
chant marine of the United States.’’. 
(b) TRANSITION.—A Center for Maritime Innovation 
established by the Secretary of Transportation through a 
cooperative agreement pursuant to section 50307 of title 
46, United States Code, as of the day before the date of 
enactment of this Act shall— 
(1) be deemed to be the United States Center 
for Maritime Innovation under section 50307 of title 
46, United States Code, as of the date of enactment 
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of this Act, with all the authorities granted by such 
section; and 
(2) coordinate activities of the Center with the 
Maritime Security Board pursuant to subsection 
(e)(4) of such section, as amended by this Act. 
SEC. 522. NATIONAL SHIPBUILDING RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
Section 50105(c) of title 46, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) NATIONAL
SHIPBUILDING
RESEARCH
PRO-
GRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Maritime Adminis-
trator shall establish and carry out, in coordination 
with Naval Sea Systems Command, the National 
Shipbuilding Research Program. 
‘‘(2) PURPOSES.—The purpose of the National 
Shipbuilding Research Program shall be to develop 
plans for the economical construction of vessels and 
their propelling machinery, of most modern economi-
cal types, giving thorough consideration to all well- 
recognized means of propulsion and taking into ac-
count the benefits from standardized production 
where practicable and desirable. 
‘‘(3) ACTIVITIES.—The National Shipbuilding 
Research Program shall— 
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‘‘(A) support technology transfers and in-
dustry networking; 
‘‘(B) select and execute research and devel-
opment projects, which may include— 
‘‘(i) advancing best practices in ship-
building and ship repair, including alter-
native project management and project fi-
nancing arrangements for shipyards, such 
as public-private financing; 
‘‘(ii) improving efficiency across the 
shipyard industrial base of the United 
States; and 
‘‘(iii) developing, maturing, and imple-
menting industry-relevant shipbuilding and 
sustainment technologies; 
‘‘(C) carry out ad hoc initiatives focused 
on specific target areas in shipbuilding and ship 
repair; and 
‘‘(D) carry out additional activities as de-
termined by the Maritime Administrator or the 
Secretary of Defense.’’. 
SEC. 523. ASSESSMENT ON MARINE INFRASTRUCTURE 
READINESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Maritime Administrator 
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shall submit to Congress a report on the status and re-
sources and authorities needed to execute and complete 
necessary vessels, harborcraft, port, shipyard, and other 
infrastructure improvements to ensure the national secu-
rity interests of the United States and support the domes-
tic and foreign commerce of the United States. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report under subsection (a) 
shall include— 
(1) consideration of existing literature and re-
porting from Federal and non-Federal sources; 
(2) an assessment of the number of commercial 
shipping vessels by class required to sustain a peace- 
time and wartime national economy; 
(3) an assessment of opportunities to leverage 
private sector funding to enhance the capability of 
marine infrastructure of the United States; 
(4) an evaluation of future infrastructure needs 
to 
support 
alternative 
fuels 
for 
vessels 
and 
harborcraft; 
(5) an assessment of an ability to construct and 
repair seaports and shipyards during national secu-
rity emergencies, including readiness to construct 
temporary facilities, and carry out marine salvage 
and firefighting operations; and 
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(6) an evaluation of the possible effects on the 
commercial operations of United States ports and 
other critical infrastructure of prohibiting any entity 
that owns or operates a port or terminal in the 
United States from using or sharing data with— 
(A) LOGINK; 
(B) any logistics platform controlled by, af-
filiated with, or subject to the jurisdiction of 
the Chinese Communist Party or the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China; or 
(C) any logistics platform that shares data 
with a system described in subparagraph (A) or 
(B). 
(c) DEFINITIONS.— 
(1) CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 
‘‘critical infrastructure’’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 721(a) of the Defense Production 
Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4565(a)). 
(2) LOGNIK.—The term ‘‘LOGINK’’ means 
the public, open, shared logistics information net-
work known as the National Public Information 
Platform for Transportation and Logistics by the 
Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of 
China. 
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TITLE VI—WORKFORCE 
DEVELOPMENT 
Subtitle A—Workforce Incentives 
SEC. 601. PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR MER-
CHANT MARINES. 
Section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)(B)(i), by inserting ‘‘the 
United States Merchant Marine (as described in 
paragraph (5)), a United States shipyard,’’ after 
‘‘law enforcement,’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) FULL-TIME JOB IN UNITED STATES MER-
CHANT MARINE.—For purposes of loan cancellation 
under this subsection, a full-time job in the United 
States Merchant Marine shall mean possession of a 
Merchant Mariner Credential authorized by the 
Coast Guard and employment on board a vessel of 
the United States for not less than 150 days in a 
calendar year.’’. 
SEC. 602. ELIGIBILITY FOR EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 521 of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘§ 52102. Eligibility for educational assistance 
‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY.—A covered individual shall be 
treated as an individual described in section 3311(b)(1) 
of title 38, United States Code, for purposes of entitle-
ment to educational assistance under chapter 33 of such 
title. 
‘‘(b) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 
‘covered individual’ means an individual who— 
‘‘(A) served as a full-time, credentialed 
United States Merchant Mariner for not less 
than 10 years; 
‘‘(B) as a result of such service received 
the Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal or 
another award for service in a designated com-
bat zone after the date of enactment of this sec-
tion; and 
‘‘(C) is not eligible under any other provi-
sion of law for benefits under laws administered 
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
‘‘(2) 
FULL-TIME, 
CREDENTIALED
UNITED 
STATES
MERCHANT
MARINER.—For purposes of 
paragraph (1), serving as a ‘full-time, credentialed 
United States Merchant Mariner’ means possession 
of a Merchant Mariner Credential authorized by the 
Coast Guard and employment on board a vessel of 
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the United States for not less than 150 days in a 
calendar year. 
‘‘(c) REIMBURSEMENT.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs such 
sums as may be necessary to carry out this section from 
the Maritime Security Trust Fund established under sec-
tion 9512 of chapter 98 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 521 of title 46, United States Code, is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘52102. Eligibility for educational assistance.’’. 
SEC. 603. ELIGIBILITY OF MARINERS TO ATTEND NAVAL 
POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8545 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) The Secretary may permit an officer or 
unlicensed mariner of the United States Merchant 
Marine to receive instruction at the Naval Post-
graduate School.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by adding at the end 
the following new sentence: ‘‘The Secretary of 
Transportation shall bear the cost of the instruction 
received by officers and unlicensed mariners of the 
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