I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3417 
To amend title 14, United States Code, to modify the process for congres-
sional nomination of individuals for appointment as cadets at the Coast 
Guard Academy, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require 
the Department of Homeland Security to establish a comprehensive re-
cruitment and outreach plan for the Coast Guard Academy, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 29, 2015 
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 14, United States Code, to modify the process 
for congressional nomination of individuals for appoint-
ment as cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, to amend 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the De-
partment of Homeland Security to establish a com-
prehensive recruitment and outreach plan for the Coast 
Guard Academy, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coast Guard Academy 
Opportunity Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ACADEMY NOMINATIONS. 
(a) APPOINTMENT.—Subsection (a) of section 182 of 
title 14, United States Code, is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) NOMINATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT REQUIREMENT.—Half 
of each incoming class of the Academy shall be 
composed of cadets nominated by the following: 
‘‘(i) The Vice President or, if there is 
no Vice President, by the President pro 
tempore of the Senate. 
‘‘(ii) A Senator. 
‘‘(iii) A Member of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
‘‘(iv) The Delegate to Congress from 
the District of Columbia, the Delegate to 
Congress from the Virgin Islands, the 
Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, 
the Delegate to Congress from Guam, the 
Delegate to Congress from American 
Samoa, or the Delegate to Congress from 
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the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar-
iana Islands. 
‘‘(B) NOMINEES.—Each Senator, Member 
of the House of Representatives, and Delegate 
to Congress, including such Resident Commis-
sioner, is entitled to nominate 3 persons each 
year. Cadets who do not graduate on time shall 
not count against the allocations pursuant to 
clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(2) QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An in-
dividual shall be qualified for nomination, selection, 
and appointment as a cadet at the Academy only if 
the individual— 
‘‘(A) is a citizen or national of the United 
States; and 
‘‘(B) meets such minimum requirements 
that the Secretary may establish. 
‘‘(3) NOMINATION INFORMATION.—The Super-
intendent shall furnish to any Member of Congress, 
upon the written request of such Member, the name 
of the Member of Congress or other nominating au-
thority responsible for the nomination of any named 
or identified person for appointment to the Acad-
emy.’’. 
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(b) APPLICATION.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a)— 
(1) shall apply beginning with academic pro-
gram year 2017, subject to subsection (c), and with 
respect to each academic program year thereafter; 
and 
(2) shall not affect the application of section 
182 of title 14, United States Code, as in effect be-
fore the enactment of this section, with respect to 
appointment of cadets who will matriculate to the 
Coast Guard Academy before such academic pro-
gram year. 
(c) TRANSITION.— 
(1) 
NOMINATIONS.—Notwithstanding 
the 
amendment made by subsection (a), with respect to 
the nomination of individuals pursuant to section 
182 of title 14, United States Code, as amended by 
such subsection, who will matriculate to the Coast 
Guard Academy in academic program year 2017, 
not less than 25 percent of the class shall be from 
nominations made pursuant to clauses (i) through 
(iv) of subsection (a)(1)(A) of such section 182 (as 
amended by subsection (a) of this section). 
(2) ADDITIONAL
ACTION.—The Secretary (as 
that term is used in that section) may take any ad-
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ditional action the Secretary believes necessary and 
proper to provide for the transition to the nomina-
tion, selection, and appointment process provided 
under this section. 
SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY. 
(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Subtitle H of title VIII 
of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 
890B. 
COMPREHENSIVE 
STRATEGY 
FOR 
COAST 
GUARD OUTREACH AND RECRUITMENT. 
‘‘(a) COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY REQUIRED.—The 
Secretary, acting through the Chief Human Capital Offi-
cer, shall issue a comprehensive strategy to improve out-
reach and recruitment to attract candidates to the Coast 
Guard Academy. 
‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Commandant of the 
Coast Guard, or the Commandant’s designee, in consulta-
tion with the Chief Human Capital Officer, shall imple-
ment the strategy issued under subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Beginning in 2017 and an-
nually thereafter, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, 
in consultation with the Chief Human Capital Officer, 
shall provide a report to the Committees on Homeland Se-
curity and Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
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merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate that in-
cludes— 
‘‘(1) general information on implementation of 
the comprehensive strategy required by this section; 
‘‘(2) specific information on Coast Guard out-
reach and recruitment activities for the preceding 
year; and 
‘‘(3) enrollment information about the incoming 
class that, to the extent practicable, includes infor-
mation on age, gender, ethnicity, religion, and State 
of residence.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by adding at the 
end of the items relating to such subtitle the following: 
‘‘Sec. 890B. Comprehensive strategy for Coast Guard outreach and recruit-
ment.’’. 
(c) GAO REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the issuance of the comprehensive strategy re-
quired by the amendment made by subsection (a), the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall report to 
the Congress on implementation of the comprehensive 
strategy and the extent to which such activities are effec-
tive at reaching a broad population of potentially qualified 
Academy applicants. 
Æ 
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