I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2830 
To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2008, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 22, 2007 
Mr. OBERSTAR (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, and Mr. LATOURETTE) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal 
year 2008, 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 ‘‘Coast Guard Author-
ization Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION 
Sec. 101. Authorization of appropriations. 
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Sec. 102. Authorized levels of military strength and training. 
Sec. 103. Transfer of bridge administration program authority and functions. 
TITLE II—COAST GUARD 
Sec. 201. Appointment of civilian Coast Guard judges. 
Sec. 202. Industrial activities. 
Sec. 203. Reimbursement for medical-related travel expenses. 
Sec. 204. Commissioned officers. 
Sec. 205. Coast Guard participation in the Armed Forces Retirement Home 
(AFRH) system. 
Sec. 206. Grants to international maritime organizations. 
Sec. 207. Emergency leave retention authority. 
Sec. 208. Enforcement authority. 
Sec. 209. Repeal. 
Sec. 210. Admirals and Vice Admirals. 
Sec. 211. Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee. 
Sec. 212. Reserve commissioned warrant officer to lieutenant program. 
Sec. 213. Enhanced status quo officer promotion system. 
Sec. 214. Laser Training System. 
Sec. 215. Coast Guard vessels and aircraft. 
Sec. 216. Coast Guard District Ombudsmen. 
TITLE III—SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION 
Sec. 301. Vessel size limits. 
Sec. 302. Goods and services. 
Sec. 303. Seaward extension of anchorage grounds jurisdiction. 
Sec. 304. Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act amendment-simple possession. 
Sec. 305. Technical amendments to tonnage measurement law. 
Sec. 306. Seamen’s shoreside access. 
Sec. 307. Fishing vessel safety. 
Sec. 308. Mariner records. 
Sec. 309. Deletion of exemption of license requirement for operators of certain 
towing vessels. 
Sec. 310. Adjustment of liability limits for natural gas deepwater ports. 
Sec. 311. Period of limitations for claims against Oil Spill Liability Trust 
Fund. 
Sec. 312. Log books. 
Sec. 313. Unsafe operation. 
Sec. 314. Approval of survival craft. 
Sec. 315. Safety management. 
Sec. 316. Protection against discrimination. 
Sec. 317. Dry bulk cargo residue. 
Sec. 318. Clarification of delegation of authority to classification societies. 
Sec. 319. Registry endorsement for LNG vessels. 
Sec. 320. Oaths. 
Sec. 321. Duration of credentials. 
Sec. 322. Fingerprinting. 
Sec. 323. Authorization to extend the duration of licenses, certificates of reg-
istry, and merchant mariners’ documents. 
Sec. 324. Merchant mariner documentation. 
Sec. 325. Merchant mariner assistance report. 
Sec. 326. Merchant mariner shortage report. 
Sec. 327. Merchant mariner document standards. 
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Sec. 328. Waterside security around liquefied natural gas terminals and lique-
fied natural gas tankers. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Certificate of documentation for GALLANT LADY. 
Sec. 402. Waiver. 
Sec. 403. Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute. 
Sec. 404. Conveyance. 
Sec. 405. Crew wages on passenger vessels. 
Sec. 406. Technical corrections. 
Sec. 407. Conveyance of decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter STORIS. 
Sec. 408. Repeal of requirement of license for employment in the business of 
salvaging on the coast of Florida. 
Sec. 409. Right-of-first-refusal for Coast Guard property on Jupiter Island, 
Florida. 
Sec. 410. Conveyance of Coast Guard HU–25 Falcon Jet aircraft. 
Sec. 411. Decommissioned Coast Guard vessels for Haiti. 
Sec. 412. Extension of period of operation of vessel for setting, relocation, or 
recovery of anchors or other mooring equipment. 
TITLE V—BALLAST WATER TREATMENT 
Sec. 501. Short title. 
Sec. 502. Declaration of goals and purposes. 
Sec. 503. Ballast water management. 
Sec. 504. Rapid response plan. 
Sec. 505. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION 
SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Funds are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 
year 2008 for necessary expenses of the Coast Guard as 
follows: 
(1) For the operation and maintenance of the 
Coast Guard, $5,965,742,000, of which— 
(A) $24,500,000 is authorized to be de-
rived from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to 
carry out the purposes of section 1012(a)(5) of 
the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 
2712(a)(5)); 
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(B) $631,000,000 shall be available only 
for paying for search and rescue programs; 
(C) $527,000,000 shall be available only 
for paying for marine safety programs; and 
(D) $80,500,000 shall be available only for 
paying for operating expenses of the Integrated 
Deepwater System program. 
(2) For the acquisition, construction, rebuild-
ing, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore 
and offshore facilities, vessels, and aircraft, includ-
ing equipment related thereto, $1,005,768,000, of 
which— 
(A) $20,000,000 shall be derived from the 
Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to carry out the 
purposes of section 1012(a)(5) of the Oil Pollu-
tion Act of 1990, to remain available until ex-
pended; 
(B) $836,866,000 is authorized for the In-
tegrated Deepwater System Program; and 
(C) $44,597,000 is authorized for shore fa-
cilities and aids to navigation. 
(3) To the Commandant of the Coast Guard for 
research, development, test, and evaluation of tech-
nologies, materials, and human factors directly relat-
ing to improving the performance of the Coast 
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Guard’s mission in search and rescue, aids to navi-
gation, marine safety, marine environmental protec-
tion, enforcement of laws and treaties, ice oper-
ations, oceanographic research, and defense readi-
ness, $18,583,000, to remain available until ex-
pended, of which $2,000,000 shall be derived from 
the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to carry out the 
purposes of section 1012(a)(5) of the Oil Pollution 
Act of 1990. 
(4) For retired pay (including the payment of 
obligations otherwise chargeable to lapsed appropria-
tions for this purpose), payments under the Retired 
Serviceman’s Family Protection and Survivor Ben-
efit Plans, and payments for medical care of retired 
personnel and their dependents under chapter 55 of 
title 10, United States Code, $1,184,720,000, to re-
main available until expended. 
(5) For alteration or removal of bridges over 
navigable waters of the United States constituting 
obstructions to navigation, and for personnel and 
administrative costs associated with the Bridge Al-
teration Program, $16,000,000. 
(6) For environmental compliance and restora-
tion at Coast Guard facilities (other than parts and 
equipment associated with operation and mainte-
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nance), $12,079,000, to remain available until ex-
pended. 
(7) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, in-
cluding personnel and training costs, equipment, and 
services, $126,883,000. 
SEC. 102. AUTHORIZED LEVELS OF MILITARY STRENGTH 
AND TRAINING. 
(a) ACTIVE DUTY STRENGTH.—The Coast Guard is 
authorized an end-of-year strength for active duty per-
sonnel of 45,500 for the fiscal year ending on September 
30, 2008. 
(b) MILITARY TRAINING STUDENT LOADS.—For fis-
cal year 2008, the Coast Guard is authorized average mili-
tary training student loads as follows: 
(1) For recruit and special training, 2,500 stu-
dent years. 
(2) For flight training, 165 student years. 
(3) For professional training in military and ci-
vilian institutions, 350 student years. 
(4) For officer acquisition, 1,200 student years. 
SEC. 103. TRANSFER OF BRIDGE ADMINISTRATION PRO-
GRAM AUTHORITY AND FUNCTIONS. 
(a) TRANSFER.— 
(1) AUTHORITY
AND
FUNCTIONS.—Notwith-
standing section 888(b) of the Homeland Security 
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Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 468(b)) or any other provi-
sion of law, the authorities of the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to approve the construction, al-
teration, or operation of a bridge, drawbridge, or 
causeway across or over the navigable waters of the 
United States and to require the alteration, repair, 
or removal of that bridge, drawbridge, or causeway, 
pursuant to the Bridge Act of 1906 (34 Stat. 84; 33 
U.S.C. 491 et seq.), the General Bridge Act of 1946 
(60 Stat. 847, 33 U.S.C. 525 note), the Truman- 
Hobbs Act (54 Stat. 497; 33 U.S.C. 511 et seq.), 
and the International Bridge Act of 1972 (60 Stat. 
847; 33 U.S.C. 525 et seq.), and the functions re-
lated thereto, are hereby transferred to the Sec-
retary of Transportation. 
(2) TRANSFER AND ADMINISTRATION OF BAL-
ANCES.—Any unobligated balances of prior appro-
priations provided for the alteration of bridges are 
transferred and shall be available to the Secretary of 
Transportation to carry out the functions and au-
thorities transferred by subsection (a). 
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TITLE II—COAST GUARD 
SEC. 201. APPOINTMENT OF CIVILIAN COAST GUARD 
JUDGES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 14, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 153. Appointment of judges 
‘‘The Secretary may appoint civilian employees of the 
Department in which the Coast Guard is operating as ap-
pellate military judges, available for assignment to the 
Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals as provided for 
in section 866(a) of title 10.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for such 
chapter is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘153. Appointment of judges.’’. 
SEC. 202. INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES. 
Section 151 of title 14, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before 
‘‘All orders’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) ORDERS AND AGREEMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL 
ACTIVITIES.—Under this section, the Coast Guard indus-
trial activities may accept orders and enter into reimburs-
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able agreements with establishments, agencies, and de-
partments of the Department of Defense.’’. 
SEC. 203. REIMBURSEMENT FOR MEDICAL-RELATED TRAV-
EL EXPENSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 13 of title 14, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 518. Reimbursement for medical-related travel ex-
penses for certain persons residing on is-
lands in the continental United States 
‘‘In any case in which a covered beneficiary (as de-
fined in section 1072(5) of title 10) resides on an island 
that is located in the 48 contiguous States and the District 
of Columbia and that lacks public access roads to the 
mainland and is referred by a primary care physician to 
a specialty care provider (as defined in section 1074i(b) 
of title 10) on the mainland who provides services less 
than 100 miles from the location where the beneficiary re-
sides, the Secretary shall reimburse the reasonable travel 
expenses of the covered beneficiary and, when accompani-
ment by an adult is necessary, for a parent or guardian 
of the covered beneficiary or another member of the cov-
ered beneficiary’s family who is at least 21 years of age.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for such 
chapter is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘518. Reimbursement for medical-related travel expenses for certain persons re-
siding on islands in the continental United States.’’. 
SEC. 204. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. 
(a) ACTIVE DUTY PROMOTION LIST.—Section 42 of 
title 14, United States Code, is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘§ 42. Number and distribution of commissioned offi-
cers on active duty promotion list 
‘‘(a) MAXIMUM TOTAL NUMBER.—The total number 
of Coast Guard commissioned officers on the active duty 
promotion list, excluding warrant officers, shall not exceed 
6,700; except that the Commandant may temporarily in-
crease that number by up to 2 percent for no more than 
60 days following the date of the commissioning of a Coast 
Guard Academy class. 
‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION PERCENTAGES BY GRADE.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIRED.—The total number of commis-
sioned officers authorized by this section shall be 
distributed in grade in the following percentages: 
0.375 percent for rear admiral; 0.375 percent for 
rear admiral (lower half); 6.0 percent for captain; 
15.0 percent for commander; and 22.0 percent for 
lieutenant commander. 
‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY.—The Secretary shall 
prescribe the percentages applicable to the grades of 
lieutenant, lieutenant (junior grade), and ensign. 
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