I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3181 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to enter into a contract with an eligible 
institution to carry out research and education activities relating to 
military painting. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 10, 2019 
Ms. FINKENAUER (for herself, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. RYAN, and 
Mr. TONKO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to enter into a contract 
with an eligible institution to carry out research and 
education activities relating to military painting. 
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 ‘‘Military Readiness and 
Cost Savings Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Bob Stump National Defense Author-
ization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107– 
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314), which passed with broad bipartisan support, 
established an Office of Corrosion Policy and Over-
sight within the Office of the Under Secretary of 
Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The office 
was created to ‘‘oversee and coordinate efforts 
throughout the Department of Defense to prevent 
and mitigate corrosion of the military equipment and 
infrastructure of the Department’’. 
(2) Corrosion of the equipment and infrastruc-
ture of the Department of Defense (referred to in 
this section as the ‘‘Department’’) is expensive and 
impedes military readiness. According to a study 
commissioned by the Department’s Office of Corro-
sion Policy and Oversight, corrosion costs the De-
partment $20.6 billion annually across all services. 
These costs comprise 21 percent of the Depart-
ment’s total maintenance costs across all services. 
Corrosion is responsible for 11 percent, or roughly 
1.1 million, of all non-available days for Department 
assets. 
(3) 
Chemical-agent-resistant-coatings, 
which 
help to protect military vehicles and equipment from 
chemical and biological weapons and severe environ-
mental conditions that cause corrosion, can range in 
price from $100 to $800 per gallon. With approxi-
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mately 3,760 assets of varying sizes painted at a 
typical Department depot per year, such coatings 
comprise a significant annual cost category for the 
operation of the facility and the maintenance of mili-
tary assets, according to analysis from the South-
west Research Institute. 
(4) Military painter training and certification 
helps reduce waste and rework of military assets, re-
ducing the costs associated with the application of 
chemical-agent-resistant-coatings. For example, one 
military painter training and certification provider 
helped Letterkenny Army Depot use 8,100 fewer 
gallons of such coatings per year, saving the depot 
$500,000 per year through improved transfer effi-
ciency and reduced rework, according to the South-
west Research Institute. 
(5) The Senate Report accompanying S. 1519 
(115th Congress; the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2018) included language 
recognizing the importance of military painter train-
ing, noting that ‘‘paint training programs can save 
the Department time and funding resources by using 
advanced technology and equipment along with 
hands-on training to effectively apply coatings and 
reduce waste. Additionally, increasing coating trans-
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fer efficiency and preventing corrosion and rework 
can improve asset readiness’’. 
(6) Investing in military painter and coating 
training and certification programs helps improve 
military readiness, increases safety for service mem-
bers, and reduces paint costs. It is prudent for Con-
gress to invest in research that will foster innova-
tions in those areas. 
(7) The importance of corrosion resistance goes 
beyond Department assets. Across nearly every sec-
tor, corrosion is expensive and poses a safety risk to 
users. For example, decaying roads and bridges cost 
the United States economy $5,000,000,000 a year, 
according to the National Association of Corrosion 
Engineers. Congress has a duty to pair Federal in-
frastructure investment with corrosion management 
to ensure new and existing public infrastructure is 
built to last. 
(8) The proper application of anticorrosion 
coatings requires a high degree of knowledge and 
skill. According to the International Union of Paint-
ers and Allied Trades, a poorly executed corrosion 
prevention project will leave an asset unprotected, 
increase costs to repair or replace all or parts of it, 
and irresponsibly use taxpayer dollars. Using trained 
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and certified painters is the most effective way to 
ensure assets are truly protected from corrosion. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL CENTER FOR MILITARY PAINTER TRAIN-
ING AND APPLIED RESEARCH. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Chapter 131 of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
2228 the following new section: 
‘‘§ 2228a. National Center for Military Painter Train-
ing and Applied Research 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, acting 
through the Director of the Office of Corrosion Policy and 
Oversight, shall seek to enter into a contract with an eligi-
ble institution under which the institution will carry out 
the functions described in subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary shall designate 
the institution that is awarded a contract under subsection 
(a) as the ‘National Center for Military Painting and Ap-
plied Research’ (referred to in this section as the ‘Center’). 
‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Center shall— 
‘‘(1) serve as a testing facility for the applica-
tion of new paint coatings developed by industry- 
leading research and development facilities; 
‘‘(2) partner with industry to assess the efficacy 
of specific blends of chemical-agent-resistant coating 
powder on certain military assets to assure max-
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imum cost efficiency, coating effectiveness, and qual-
ity finish; 
‘‘(3) expand training and certification programs 
for military painters to covered facilities that have 
an ongoing, unmet need for such programs; 
‘‘(4) develop new teaching tools, which may in-
clude the use of virtual reality technology to enable 
trainees to simulate the painting of a variety of mili-
tary assets; 
‘‘(5) develop online learning modules for train-
ing military painters in the use of liquid and powder 
coatings; 
‘‘(6) explore the adoption of automated painting 
technologies while recognizing that the repair of cer-
tain military assets is best performed manually; 
‘‘(7) provide on-site consultation and technical 
assistance at covered facilities to maximize cost effi-
ciency, quality assurance, and operational effective-
ness in painting and coating operations; and 
‘‘(8) conduct outreach to servicemembers at 
covered facilities, in coordination with Department 
of Defense and any appropriate skilled labor organi-
zations, employers, and industry organizations with 
specialties in corrosion and painting, to raise aware-
ness of military painter career opportunities and any 
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related industrial and commercial painting appren-
ticeship opportunities for Veterans. 
‘‘(d) CONTRACT PROCEDURES.—A contract under 
subsection (a) shall be awarded in accordance with full 
and open competition (as that term is defined in chapter 
1 of title 41, United States Code). 
‘‘(e) PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR COAST GUARD.— 
The Secretary of Defense may enter into an agreement 
with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 
Guard is operating under which the Center may provide, 
with or without reimbursement for the cost thereof, train-
ing and other assistance to the Coast Guard in accordance 
with subsection (c). 
‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than September 
30 of each year covered by the contract under subsection 
(a), the Center shall submit to the Director of the Office 
of Corrosion Policy and Oversight a report that describes 
the progress of the Center in carrying out the functions 
described in subsection (c), including the progress of the 
Center in— 
‘‘(1) expanding training programs for military 
painters; and 
‘‘(2) conducting applied research relating to 
military painting. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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‘‘(1) The term ‘eligible institution’ means an 
entity that— 
‘‘(A) as of the date of the enactment of 
this section, provides military painter training 
programs that lead to a certification that is rec-
ognized by the Department of Defense; 
‘‘(B) demonstrates the ability to establish 
sustainable military painter operations at mul-
tiple covered facilities, including on military 
bases and depots; 
‘‘(C) has a proven ability to scale a mili-
tary painter training program to meet the needs 
of multiple covered facilities, including by devel-
oping or expanding a certified train-the-trainer 
program; 
‘‘(D) demonstrates experience in devel-
oping and managing a military painter training 
and certification program that has proven suc-
cess in achieving cost savings and unit readi-
ness through training in the prevention and 
control of corrosion; and 
‘‘(E) possesses the facilities and equipment 
necessary to conduct applied research on the ef-
ficacy of military paint composites and coatings 
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and the transfer efficiency of such composites 
and coatings. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘covered facilities’ means— 
‘‘(A) the facilities of the Department of 
Defense, including the facilities of— 
‘‘(i) the Armed Forces; 
‘‘(ii) the reserve components, includ-
ing the National Guard; and 
‘‘(iii) the Army Corps of Engineers; 
and 
‘‘(B) subject to an agreement under sub-
section (e), the facilities of the Coast Guard. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec-
tion— 
‘‘(1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and 
‘‘(2) $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 
through 2023.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 2228 the following new 
item: 
‘‘2228a. National Center for Military Painter Training and Applied Research.’’. 
Æ 
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