‘‘(C) while awaiting retirement, beginning on 
the date the officer is detached from duty and end-
ing on the day before the officer’s retirement, but 
not for more than 60 days. 
‘‘(c)(1) An appointment of an officer under sub-
section (a) does not vacate the permanent grade held by 
the officer. 
‘‘(2) An officer serving in a grade above rear admiral 
who holds the permanent grade of rear admiral (lower 
half) shall be considered for promotion to the permanent 
grade of rear admiral as if the officer was serving in the 
officer’s permanent grade. 
‘‘(d) Whenever a vacancy occurs in a position des-
ignated under subsection (a), the Commandant shall in-
form the President of the qualifications needed by an offi-
cer serving in that position to carry out effectively the du-
ties and responsibilities of that position.’’. 
(c) REPEAL.—Section 50a of title 14, United States 
Code, is repealed. 
(d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 51 of that 
title is amended— 
(1) by amending subsections (a), (b), and (c) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(a) An officer, other than the Commandant, who, 
while serving in the grade of admiral or vice admiral, is
retired for physical disability shall be placed on the retired 
list with the highest grade in which that officer served. 
‘‘(b) An officer, other than the Commandant, who is 
retired while serving in the grade of admiral or vice admi-
ral, or who, after serving at least two and one-half years 
in the grade of admiral or vice admiral, is retired while 
serving in a lower grade, may in the discretion of the 
President, be retired with the highest grade in which that 
officer served. 
‘‘(c) An officer, other than the Commandant, who, 
after serving less than two and one-half years in the grade 
of admiral or vice admiral, is retired while serving in a 
lower grade, shall be retired in his permanent grade.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d)(2) by striking ‘‘Area Com-
mander, or Chief of Staff’’ and inserting ‘‘or Vice 
Admirals’’. 
(e) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) The heading for section 47 of that title is 
amended by striking ‘‘assignment’’ and inserting 
‘‘appointment’’. 
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 3 of that title is amended— 
(A) by striking the item relating to section 
47 and inserting the following: 
‘‘47. Vice Commandant; appointment.’’;
(B) by striking the item relating to section 
50 and inserting the following: 
‘‘50. Vice admirals.’’; 
and 
(C) by striking the item relating to section 
50a. 
(f) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—Section 47 of that 
title is further amended in the fifth sentence by striking 
‘‘subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘section’’. 
SEC. 211. MERCHANT MARINER MEDICAL ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 71 of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 7115. Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Com-
mittee 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established a Mer-
chant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee (in this 
section referred to as the ‘Committee’). 
‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.—The Committee shall advise 
the Secretary on matters relating to— 
‘‘(A) medical certification determinations 
for issuance of merchant mariner credentials;
‘‘(B) medical standards and guidelines for 
the physical qualifications of operators of com-
mercial vessels; 
‘‘(C) medical examiner education; and 
‘‘(D) medical research. 
‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall con-
sist of 14 members, none of whom is a Federal em-
ployee, and shall include— 
‘‘(A) ten who are health-care professionals 
with particular expertise, knowledge, or experi-
ence regarding the medical examinations of 
merchant mariners or occupational medicine; 
and 
‘‘(B) four who are professional mariners 
with knowledge and experience in mariner occu-
pational requirements. 
‘‘(2) STATUS OF MEMBERS.—Members of the 
Committee shall not be considered Federal employ-
ees or otherwise in the service or the employment of 
the Federal Government, except that members shall 
be considered special Government employees, as de-
fined in section 202(a) of title 18, United States 
Code, and shall be subject to any administrative 
standards of conduct applicable to the employees of
the department in which the Coast Guard is oper-
ating. 
‘‘(c) APPOINTMENTS; TERMS; VACANCIES.— 
‘‘(1) APPOINTMENTS.—The Secretary shall ap-
point the members of the Committee, and each 
member shall serve at the pleasure of the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) TERMS.—Each member shall be appointed 
for a term of three years, except that, of the mem-
bers first appointed, three members shall be ap-
pointed for a term of two years and three members 
shall be appointed for a term of one year. 
‘‘(3) VACANCIES.—Any member appointed to 
fill the vacancy prior to the expiration of the term 
for which that member’s predecessor was appointed 
shall be appointed for the remainder of that term. 
‘‘(d) CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN.—The Sec-
retary shall designate one member of the Committee as 
the Chairman and one member as the Vice Chairman. The 
Vice Chairman shall act as Chairman in the absence or 
incapacity of, or in the event of a vacancy in the office 
of, the Chairman. 
‘‘(e) COMPENSATION; REIMBURSEMENT.—Members 
of the Committee shall serve without compensation, except 
that, while engaged in the performance of duties away 
from their homes or regular places of business of the mem-
ber, the member of the Committee may be allowed travel 
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as au-
thorized by section 5703 of title 5. 
‘‘(f) STAFF; SERVICES.—The Secretary shall furnish 
to the Committee the personnel and services as are consid-
ered necessary for the conduct of its business.’’. 
(b) FIRST MEETING.—No later than six months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Merchant Mariner 
Medical Advisory Committee established by the amend-
ment made by this section shall hold its first meeting. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap-
ter 71 of that title is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘7115. Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee.’’. 
SEC. 212. RESERVE COMMISSIONED WARRANT OFFICER TO 
LIEUTENANT PROGRAM. 
Section 214(a) of title 14, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) The president may appoint temporary commis-
sioned officers— 
‘‘(1) in the Regular Coast Guard in a grade, 
not above lieutenant, appropriate to their qualifica-
tions, experience, and length of service, as the needs 
of the Coast Guard may require, from among the 
commissioned warrant officers, warrant officers, and 
enlisted members of the Coast Guard, and from
holders of licenses issued under chapter 71 of title 
46; and 
‘‘(2) in the Coast Guard Reserve in a grade, 
not above lieutenant, appropriate to their qualifica-
tions, experience, and length of service, as the needs 
of the Coast Guard may require, from among the 
commissioned warrant officers of the Coast Guard 
Reserve.’’. 
SEC. 213. ENHANCED STATUS QUO OFFICER PROMOTION 
SYSTEM. 
Chapter 11 of title 14, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in section 253(a)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘considered,’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘, and the number of offi-
cers the board may recommend for promotion’’; 
(2) in section 258— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ be-
fore the existing text; 
(B) in subsection (a) (as so designated) by 
striking the colon at the end of the material 
preceding paragraph (1) and inserting ‘‘—’’; 
and 
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(b) PROVISION OF DIRECTION AND GUIDANCE.— 
‘‘(1) In addition to the information provided 
pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary may fur-
nish the selection board— 
‘‘(A) specific direction relating to the needs 
of the Coast Guard for officers having par-
ticular skills, including direction relating to the 
need for a minimum number of officers with 
particular skills within a specialty; and 
‘‘(B) any other guidance that the Secretary 
believes may be necessary to enable the board 
to properly perform its functions. 
‘‘(2) Selections made based on the direction and 
guidance provided under this subsection shall not ex-
ceed the maximum percentage of officers who may 
be selected from below the announced promotion 
zone at any given selection board convened under 
section 251 of this title.’’; 
(3) in section 259(a), by inserting after ‘‘whom 
the board’’ the following: ‘‘, giving due consideration 
to the needs of the Coast Guard for officers with 
particular skills so noted in specific direction fur-
nished to the board by the Secretary under section 
258 of this title,’’; and
(4) in section 260(b), by inserting after ‘‘quali-
fied for promotion’’ the following: ‘‘to meet the 
needs of the service (as noted in specific direction 
furnished the board by the Secretary under section 
258 of this title)’’. 
SEC. 214. LASER TRAINING SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Within one year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the department 
in which the Coast Guard shall test an integrated laser 
engagement system for the training of members of the 
Coast Guard assigned to small vessels in the use of indi-
vidual weapons and machine guns on those vessels. The 
test shall be conducted on vessels on the Great Lakes 
using similar laser equipment used by other Federal agen-
cies. However, that equipment shall be adapted for use 
in the marine environment. 
(b) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit a report to 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and 
the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate within 6 
months after the conclusions of the test required under 
subsection (a) on the costs and benefits of using the sys-
tem regionally and nationwide to train members of the
Coast Guard in the use of individual weapons and machine 
guns. 
SEC. 215. COAST GUARD VESSELS AND AIRCRAFT. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO FIRE AT OR INTO A VESSEL.— 
Section 637(c) of title 14, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and in-
serting a semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) any other vessel or aircraft on government 
noncommercial service when— 
‘‘(A) the vessel or aircraft is under the tac-
tical control of the Coast Guard; and 
‘‘(B) at least one member of the Coast 
Guard is assigned and conducting a Coast 
Guard mission on the vessel or aircraft.’’. 
(b) AUTHORITY TO DISPLAY COAST GUARD ENSIGNS 
AND PENNANTS.—Section 638(a) of title 14, United 
States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Coast Guard vessels 
and aircraft’’ and inserting ‘‘Vessels and aircraft author-
ized by the Secretary’’.
SEC. 216. COAST GUARD DISTRICT OMBUDSMEN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 14, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 55. District Ombudsmen 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant shall appoint 
an employee of the Coast Guard in each Coast Guard Dis-
trict as a District Ombudsman to serve as a liaison be-
tween ports, terminal operators, shipowners, and labor 
representatives and the Coast Guard. 
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the District Om-
budsman shall be the following: 
‘‘(1) To support the operations of the Coast 
Guard in each port in the District for which the Dis-
trict Ombudsman is appointed. 
‘‘(2) To improve communications between and 
among port stakeholders including, port and ter-
minal operators, ship owners, labor representatives, 
and the Coast Guard. 
‘‘(3) To seek to resolve disputes between the 
Coast Guard and all petitioners regarding require-
ments imposed or services provided by the Coast 
Guard. 
‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) COMPLAINTS.—The District Ombudsman 
may examine complaints brought to the attention of
the District Ombudsman by a petitioner operating in 
a port or by Coast Guard personnel. 
‘‘(2) GUIDELINES FOR DISPUTES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The District Ombuds-
man shall develop guidelines regarding the 
types of disputes with respect to which the Dis-
trict Ombudsman will provide assistance. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The District Ombuds-
man shall not provide assistance with respect to 
a dispute unless it involves the impact of Coast 
Guard requirements on port business and the 
flow of commerce. 
‘‘(C) PRIORITY.—In providing such assist-
ance, the District Ombudsman shall give pri-
ority to complaints brought by petitioners who 
believe they will suffer a significant hardship as 
the result of implementing a Coast Guard re-
quirement or being denied a Coast Guard serv-
ice. 
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—The District Ombuds-
man may consult with any Coast Guard personnel 
who can aid in the investigation of a complaint. 
‘‘(4) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—The District 
Ombudsman shall have access to any Coast Guard 
document, including any record or report, that will