I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7464 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Transpor-
tation to establish a merchant mariner education loan program, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 1, 2020 
Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York (for himself, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. 
GRAVES of Missouri, and Mr. GIBBS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary of Transportation to establish a merchant mariner 
education loan program, 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 ‘‘Elijah E. Cummings 
Merchant Mariner Workforce Development Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR DOMESTIC MARI-
TIME 
WORKFORCE 
TRAINING 
AND 
EDU-
CATION: TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 
(a) REDESIGNATION AND TRANSFER OF SECTION.— 
Section 54102 of title 46, United States Code, is redesig-
nated as section 51706 of such title and transferred to 
appear after section 51705 of such title. 
(b) CLERICAL
AMENDMENTS.—Title 46, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in the analysis for chapter 541, by striking 
the item relating to section 54102; and 
(2) in the analysis for chapter 517, by striking 
the item relating to section 51705 and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘51705. Training for use of force against piracy. 
‘‘51706. Center of excellence for domestic maritime workforce training and edu-
cation’’. 
SEC. 3. MERCHANT MARINER EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 517 of title 46, United 
States Code, as amended by section 2 of this Act, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 51707. Merchant mariner career training loan pro-
gram 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish the Elijah E. Cummings Merchant 
Mariner Career Training Loan Program (in this section 
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referred to as the ‘program’) in accordance with the re-
quirements of this section. 
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the program shall 
be to make merchant mariner career training loans avail-
able to eligible students to provide for the training of 
United States merchant mariners, including those working 
to receive a Standards of Training, Certification and 
Watchkeeping endorsement under subchapter B of chapter 
I of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations. 
‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The program shall be car-
ried out by the Secretary, acting through the Adminis-
trator of the Maritime Administration. 
‘‘(d) DUTIES.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) allocate, on an annual basis, the award of 
loans under the program based on the needs of stu-
dents; 
‘‘(2) develop an application process and eligi-
bility criteria for the award of loans under the pro-
gram; 
‘‘(3) approve applications for loans under the 
program based on the eligibility criteria and alloca-
tions made under paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(4) designate maritime training institutions at 
which loans made under the program may be used. 
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‘‘(e) DESIGNATION OF MARITIME TRAINING INSTITU-
TIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In designating maritime 
training institutions under subsection (d)(4), the 
Secretary— 
‘‘(A) may include Federal, State, and com-
mercial training institutions and nonprofit 
training organizations, including centers of ex-
cellence designated under section 51706; 
‘‘(B) shall designate institutions based on 
geographic diversity and scope of classes of-
fered; 
‘‘(C) shall ensure that designated institu-
tions have the ability to administer the pro-
gram; and 
‘‘(D) shall ensure that designated institu-
tions meet requirements to provide training in-
struction for appropriate Coast Guard-approved 
training instruction. 
‘‘(2) EXCLUSIONS.—The Secretary— 
‘‘(A) may exclude from participation in the 
program a maritime training institution that 
has had severe performance deficiencies, includ-
ing deficiencies demonstrated by audits or pro-
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gram reviews conducted during the 5 calendar 
years immediately preceding the present year; 
‘‘(B) shall exclude from participation in 
the program a maritime training institution 
that has delinquent or outstanding debts to the 
United States, unless such debts are being re-
paid under or in accordance with a repayment 
arrangement satisfactory to the United States, 
or the Secretary in the Secretary’s discretion 
determines that the existence or amount of any 
such debts has not been finally determined by 
the appropriate Federal agency; 
‘‘(C) may exclude from participation in the 
program a maritime training institution that 
has failed to comply with quality standards es-
tablished by the Department of Labor, the 
Coast Guard, or a State; and 
‘‘(D) may establish such other criteria as 
the Secretary determines will protect the finan-
cial interest of the United States and promote 
the purposes of this section. 
‘‘(f) STATE MARITIME ACADEMIES.— 
‘‘(1) USE OF FUNDS FOR LOANS TO STUDENTS 
ATTENDING
STATE
MARITIME
ACADEMIES.—The 
Secretary may obligate not more than 50 percent of 
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