H. R. 4508
One Hundred Ninth Congress
of the
United States of America 
AT THE FIRST SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 
the fourth day of January, two thousand and five 
An Act 
To commend the outstanding efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina by members 
and employees of the Coast Guard, to provide temporary relief to certain persons 
affected by such hurricane with respect to certain laws administered by the 
Coast Guard, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coast Guard Hurricane Relief 
Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. COMMENDATION, RECOGNITION, AND THANKS FOR COAST 
GUARD PERSONNEL. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 
(1) On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the 
Gulf of Mexico coastal region of Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
Alabama, causing the worst natural disaster in United States 
history. 
(2) The Coast Guard strategically positioned its aircraft, 
vessels, and personnel the day before Hurricane Katrina made 
landfall and launched search and rescue teams within hours 
after Hurricane Katrina struck. 
(3) The Coast Guard moved its operations in areas threat-
ened by Hurricane Katrina to higher ground and mobilized 
cutters, small boats, and aircraft from all around the United 
States to help in the response to Hurricane Katrina. 
(4) The response to Hurricane Katrina by members and 
employees of the Coast Guard has been immediate, invaluable, 
and courageous. 
(5) The Coast Guard rescued more than 33,000 people 
affected by Hurricane Katrina through the air and by water, 
including evacuations of hospitals, and has been at the center 
of efforts to restore commerce to areas affected by Hurricane 
Katrina by clearing shipping channels, replacing aids to naviga-
tion, and securing uprooted oil rigs. 
(6) The Coast Guard was at the forefront of the Federal 
response to the numerous oil and chemical spills in the area 
affected by Hurricane Katrina. 
(7) Members and employees of the Coast Guard—
(A) have shown great leadership in helping to coordi-
nate relief efforts with respect to Hurricane Katrina; 
(B) have used their expertise and specialized skills 
to provide immediate assistance to victims and survivors 
of the hurricane; and
H. R. 4508—2
(C) have set up remote assistance operations in the 
affected areas in order to best provide service to the Gulf 
of Mexico coastal region. 
(8) Members and employees of the Coast Guard have 
worked together to bring clean water, food, and resources to 
victims and survivors in need. 
(b) COMMENDATION, RECOGNITION, AND THANKS.—The Con-
gress—
(1) commends the outstanding efforts in response to Hurri-
cane Katrina by members and employees of the Coast Guard; 
(2) recognizes that the actions of these individuals went 
above and beyond the call of duty; and 
(3) thanks them for their continued dedication and service. 
(c) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 
the Coast Guard should play a major role in response to any 
future national emergency or disaster caused by a natural event 
in the United States in a coastal or offshore area. 
SEC. 3. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF 
LICENSES, CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY, AND MERCHANT 
MARINERS’ DOCUMENTS. 
(a) LICENSES
AND
CERTIFICATES
OF
REGISTRY.—Notwith-
standing sections 7106 and 7107 of title 46, United States Code, 
the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is 
operating may temporarily extend the duration of a license or 
certificate of registry issued for an individual under chapter 71 
of that title until not later than February 28, 2006, if—
(1) the individual is a resident of Alabama, Mississippi, 
or Louisiana; or 
(2) the individual is a resident of any other State, and 
the records of the individual—
(A) are located at the Coast Guard facility in New 
Orleans that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina; or 
(B) were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane 
Katrina. 
(b) MERCHANT MARINERS’ DOCUMENTS.—Notwithstanding sec-
tion 7302(g) of title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the 
department in which the Coast Guard is operating may temporarily 
extend the duration of a merchant mariners’ document issued for 
an individual under chapter 73 of that title until not later than 
February 28, 2006, if—
(1) the individual is a resident of Alabama, Mississippi, 
or Louisiana; or 
(2) the individual is a resident of any other State, and 
the records of the individual—
(A) are located at the Coast Guard facility in New 
Orleans that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina; or 
(B) were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane 
Katrina. 
(c) MANNER OF EXTENSION.—Any extensions granted under this 
section may be granted to individual seamen or a specifically identi-
fied group of seamen. 
SEC. 4. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF 
VESSEL CERTIFICATES OF INSPECTION. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO EXTEND.—Notwithstanding section 3307 and 
3711(b) of title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the depart-
ment in which the Coast Guard is operating may temporarily extend
H. R. 4508—3
the duration or the validity of a certificate of inspection or a 
certificate of compliance issued under chapter 33 or 37, respectively, 
of title 46, United States Code, for up to 3 months for a vessel 
inspected by a Coast Guard Marine Safety Office located in Ala-
bama, Mississippi, or Louisiana. 
(b) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority provided under 
this section expires February 28, 2006. 
SEC. 5. PRESERVATION OF LEAVE LOST DUE TO HURRICANE KATRINA 
OPERATIONS. 
(a) PRESERVATION OF LEAVE.—Notwithstanding section 701(b) 
of title 10, United States Code, any member of the Coast Guard 
who serves on active duty for a continuous period of 30 days, 
who is assigned to duty or otherwise detailed in support of units 
or operations in the Eighth Coast Guard District area of responsi-
bility for activities to mitigate the consequences of, or assist in 
the recovery from, Hurricane Katrina, during the period beginning 
on August 28, 2005, and ending on January 1, 2006, and who 
would otherwise lose any accumulated leave in excess of 60 days 
as a consequence of such assignment, is authorized to retain an 
accumulated total of up to 90 days of leave. 
(b) EXCESS LEAVE.—Leave in excess of 60 days accumulated 
under subsection (a) shall be lost unless used by the member 
before the commencement of the second fiscal year following the 
fiscal year in which the assignment commences, or in the case 
of a Reserve members, the year in which the period of active 
service is completed.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.