H. R. 7776—692 
‘‘§ 51327. Sexual Assault Advisory Council 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transportation shall 
establish a Sexual Assault Advisory Council (in this section referred 
to as the ‘Council’). 
‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be composed of not 
fewer than 8 and not more than 14 individuals selected by 
the Secretary of Transportation who are alumni that have 
graduated within the last 4 years or current midshipmen of 
the United States Merchant Marine Academy (including mid-
shipmen or alumni who were victims of sexual assault, to 
the maximum extent practicable, and midshipmen or alumni 
who were not victims of sexual assault) and governmental 
and nongovernmental experts and professionals in the sexual 
assault field. 
‘‘(2) EXPERTS INCLUDED.—The Council shall include— 
‘‘(A) not less than 1 member who is licensed in the 
field of mental health and has prior experience working 
as a counselor or therapist providing mental health care 
to survivors of sexual assault in a victim services agency 
or organization; and 
‘‘(B) not less than 1 member who has prior experience 
developing or implementing sexual assault or sexual 
harassment prevention and response policies in an aca-
demic setting. 
‘‘(3) RULES REGARDING MEMBERSHIP.—No employee of the 
Department of Transportation shall be a member of the Council. 
The number of governmental experts appointed to the Council 
shall not exceed the number of nongovernmental experts. 
‘‘(c) DUTIES; AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall meet not less often 
than semiannually to— 
‘‘(A) review— 
‘‘(i) the policies on sexual harassment, dating 
violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and 
stalking under section 51318 of this title; 
‘‘(ii) the trends and patterns of data contained 
in the system described under section 51325 of this 
title; and 
‘‘(iii) related matters the Council views as appro-
priate; and 
‘‘(B) develop recommendations designed to ensure that 
such policies and such matters conform, to the extent prac-
ticable, to best practices in the field of sexual assault 
and sexual harassment response and prevention. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—To carry out this subsection, 
the Council may— 
‘‘(A) interview current and former midshipmen of the 
United States Merchant Marine Academy (to the extent 
that such midshipmen provide the Department of Transpor-
tation express consent to be interviewed by the Council); 
and 
‘‘(B) review surveys under section 51322(d). 
‘‘(3) PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.—In carrying 
out this subsection, the Council shall comply with the obliga-
tions of the Department of Transportation to protect personally 
identifiable information.
H. R. 7776—693 
‘‘(d) REPORTS.—On an annual basis for each of the 5 years 
after the date of enactment of this section, and at the discretion 
of the Council thereafter, the Council shall submit, to the President 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Appro-
priations of the House of Representatives, a report on the Council’s 
findings based on the reviews conducted pursuant to subsection 
(c) and related recommendations. 
‘‘(e) EMPLOYEE STATUS.—Members of the Council shall not be 
considered employees of the United States Government for any 
purpose and shall not receive compensation other than reimburse-
ment of travel expenses and per diem allowance in accordance 
with section 5703 of title 5. 
‘‘(f) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Federal Advisory Com-
mittee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Council. 
‘‘§ 51328. Student support 
‘‘The Maritime Administrator shall— 
‘‘(1) require a biannual survey of midshipmen, faculty, and 
staff of the Academy assessing the environment of the Academy; 
and 
‘‘(2) require an annual survey of faculty and staff of the 
Academy assessing the Sea Year program.’’. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 days after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Maritime Administrator shall 
provide Congress with a briefing on the resources necessary to 
properly implement section 51328 of title 46, United States Code, 
as added by this section. 
(c) CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—The chapter analysis for 
chapter 513 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘51325. Sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention information management 
system. 
‘‘51326. Student advisory board at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. 
‘‘51327. Sexual Assault Advisory Council. 
‘‘51328. Student support.’’. 
(d) UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY STUDENT SUP-
PORT PLAN.— 
(1) STUDENT SUPPORT PLAN.—Not later than January 1, 
2023, the Maritime Administrator shall issue a Student Support 
Plan for the United States Merchant Marine Academy, in con-
sultation with relevant mental health professionals in the Fed-
eral Government or experienced with the maritime industry 
or related industries. Such plan shall— 
(A) address the mental health resources available to 
midshipmen, both on-campus and during Sea Year; 
(B) establish a tracking system for suicidal ideations 
and suicide attempts of midshipmen, which excludes 
personally identifiable information; 
(C) create an option for midshipmen to obtain assist-
ance from a professional care provider virtually; and 
(D) require an annual survey of faculty and staff 
assessing the adequacy of mental health resources for mid-
shipmen of the Academy, both on campus and during Sea 
Year.
H. R. 7776—694 
(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Maritime Adminis-
trator shall provide Congress with a report on the resources 
necessary to properly implement this subsection. 
(e) SPECIAL VICTIMS ADVISOR.—Section 51319 of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following: 
‘‘(c) SPECIAL VICTIMS ADVISOR.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall designate an 
attorney (to be known as the ‘Special Victims Advisor’) for 
the purpose of providing legal assistance to any cadet of the 
Academy who is the victim of an alleged sex-related offense 
regarding administrative and criminal proceedings related to 
such offense, regardless of whether the report of that offense 
is restricted or unrestricted. 
‘‘(2) SPECIAL
VICTIMS
ADVISORY.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that the attorney designated as the Special Victims 
Advisor has knowledge of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 
as well as criminal and civil law. 
‘‘(3) PRIVILEGED
COMMUNICATIONS.—Any communications 
between a victim of an alleged sex-related offense and the 
Special Victim Advisor, when acting in their capacity as such, 
shall have the same protection that applicable law provides 
for confidential attorney-client communications.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) UNFILLED VACANCIES.—The Administrator of the Maritime 
Administration may appoint qualified candidates to positions under 
subsections (a) and (d) of this section without regard to sections 
3309 through 3319 of title 5.’’. 
(f) CATCH A SERIAL OFFENDER ASSESSMENT.— 
(1) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard, in coordination with the Maritime Administrator, shall 
conduct an assessment of the feasibility and process necessary, 
and appropriate responsible entities to establish a program 
for the United States Merchant Marine Academy and United 
States Merchant Marine modeled on the Catch a Serial 
Offender program of the Department of Defense using the 
information management system required under subsection (a) 
of section 51325 of title 46, United States Code, and the exit 
interviews under subsection (b) of such section. 
(2) LEGISLATIVE CHANGE PROPOSALS.—If, as a result of the 
assessment required by paragraph (1), the Commandant or 
the Administrator determines that additional authority is nec-
essary to implement the program described in paragraph (1), 
the Commandant or the Administrator, as applicable, shall 
provide appropriate legislative change proposals to Congress. 
(g) SHIPBOARD TRAINING.—Section 51322(a) of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) TRAINING.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As part of training that shall be 
provided not less than semiannually to all midshipmen 
of the Academy, pursuant to section 51318, the Maritime 
Administrator shall develop and implement comprehensive 
in-person sexual assault risk-reduction and response 
training that, to the extent practicable, conforms to best
H. R. 7776—695 
practices in the sexual assault prevention and response 
field and includes appropriate scenario-based training. 
‘‘(B) 
DEVELOPMENT
AND
CONSULTATION
WITH 
EXPERTS.—In developing the sexual assault risk-reduction 
and response training under subparagraph (A), the Mari-
time Administrator shall consult with and incorporate, as 
appropriate, the recommendations and views of experts 
in the sexual assault field.’’. 
SEC. 3532. MARITIME TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENT ACT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 51706 of title 46, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary of Transportation may des-
ignate as a center of excellence for domestic maritime workforce 
training and education an entity which is a covered training entity.’’; 
(2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award a maritime 
career training grant to a center of excellence designated under 
subsection (a) for the purpose of developing, offering, or 
improving career and technical education or training programs 
related to the United States maritime industry for United 
States workers. 
‘‘(2) GRANT PROPOSAL.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this subsection, a center of excellence designated under 
subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary a grant proposal 
that includes a detailed description of— 
‘‘(A) the specific project proposed to be funded by the 
grant, including a description of the manner in which the 
grant will be used to develop, offer, or improve a career 
and technical education or training program that is suited 
to United States maritime industry workers; 
‘‘(B) the extent to which the project for which the 
grant proposal is submitted will meet the educational or 
career training needs of United States maritime industry 
workers; 
‘‘(C) any previous experience of the center of excellence 
in providing United States maritime industry career and 
technical education or training programs; 
‘‘(D) how the project proposed to be funded by the 
grant would address shortcomings in existing educational 
or career training opportunities available to United States 
maritime industry workers; and 
‘‘(E) the extent to which employers, including small 
and medium-sized firms, have demonstrated a commitment 
to employing United States maritime industry workers who 
would benefit from the project for which the grant proposal 
is submitted. 
‘‘(3) CRITERIA FOR AWARD OF GRANTS.—Subject to the appro-
priation of funds to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 
award grants under this subsection to centers of excellence 
based on— 
‘‘(A) an determination of the merits of a grant proposal 
submitted under paragraph (2) to develop, offer, or improve 
career and technical education or training programs to