Service to the Fleet Act
Bill: S.4433 | Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Service to the Fleet Act
This bill provides funding for improvements to the facilities of the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland, including for preparation and construction of a floating drydock and phases one through three of the Coast Guard Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan.
It also requires to the Coast Guard to submit to Congress a report outlining workforce development needs at the Coast Guard Yard with respect to its civilian employees and active duty members.

To authorize amounts to be made available for improvements to the Coast 
                  Guard Yard, 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 ``Service to the Fleet Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) For more than 100 years, the Coast Guard Yard has 
        built, repaired, and renovated ships.
            (2) The Coast Guard Yard--
                    (A) is the sole shipbuilding facility, and a major 
                repair facility, of the Coast Guard;
                    (B) is 1 of only 5 remaining public shipyards in 
                the United States;
                    (C) supports more than 2,000 full-time personnel 
                and their families;
                    (D) supports the Army, the Navy, the National 
                Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other 
                Federal agencies;
                    (E) hosts the largest warehousing operation of the 
                Department of Homeland Security, which serves the 
                entire Coast Guard surface fleet;
                    (F) is the Coast Guard's only Navy-certified heavy 
                weapons overhaul facility;
                    (G) hosts an average of 8 visiting Coast Guard 
                Cutters and vessels of other Federal agencies, and 
                their crews, at any given time;
                    (H) supports the renovation and transfer of vessels 
                and weapons systems for foreign military sale; and
                    (I) provides housing, medical and emergency 
                services, human resources, morale, welfare and 
                recreation support, and other base activities to 
                approximately 1,000 visiting crew members annually.
            (3) The Coast Guard Yard faces a rapid and widespread 
        failure of critical infrastructure, nearly all of which was 
        built in during a 4-year period during World War II.
            (4) Based on the grading criteria of the American Society 
        of Civil Engineers, the overall infrastructure grade for the 
        Coast Guard Yard is a D+, which is below the C- average for 
        other Coast Guard facilities.
            (5) Infrastructure and facilities at the Coast Guard Yard 
        are failing at a rate that is faster than the rate at which 
        such infrastructure and facilities can be maintained with 
        current resources.
            (6) Infrastructure failures at the Coast Guard Yard have 
        caused injuries, had negative environmental impacts, reduced 
        productivity, increased repair costs, and undermined the 
        ability of the Coast Guard Yard to carry out its mission.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) with respect to the Coast Guard Yard--
                    (A) to improve resilience and capacity;
                    (B) to maintain and expand Coast Guard organic 
                manufacturing capacity;
                    (C) to expand training and recruitment;
                    (D) to enhance safety; and
                    (E) to improve environmental compliance; and
            (2) to ensure that the Coast Guard Yard is prepared to meet 
        the growing needs of the modern Coast Guard fleet.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Coast guard yard.--The term ``Coast Guard Yard'' means 
        the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland.
            (2) Commandant.--The term ``Commandant'' means the 
        Commandant of the Coast Guard.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating.

SEC. 4. COAST GUARD YARD RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION 
              IMPROVEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
section 4902(2)(A)(ii) of title 14, United States Code--
            (1) $400,000,000 shall be made available for fiscal year 
        2023 to the Secretary for the purpose of making improvements to 
        the facilities of the Coast Guard Yard to complete preparations 
        for, and construction of a floating drydock and phases 1 
        through 3 of the Coast Guard Shipyard Infrastructure 
        Optimization Plan; and
            (2) $232,000,000 shall be made available for completion of 
        the Coast Guard Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan, to 
        remain available until expended.
    (b) Inclusions.--In carrying out the improvements referred to in 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure that such improvements 
include the following:
            (1) Facilities upgrades needed to improve the climate 
        resilience of the Coast Guard Yard and associated 
        infrastructure.
            (2) Acquisition of a large-capacity dry dock.
            (3) Wharf improvements.
            (4) Environmental remediation.
            (5) Construction of a new warehouse and paint facility.
            (6) Acquisition of a new travel lift.
            (7) Any other shore infrastructure maintenance and capital 
        improvement projects the Commandant considers necessary.

SEC. 5. REPORT ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of the Act, the Commandant shall submit to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a 
report outlining workforce development needs at the Coast Guard Yard 
with respect to civilian employees and active duty members of the Coast 
Guard.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall--
            (1) include--
                    (A) an assessment of the need for additional 
                personnel with expertise in trades, engineering, cyber, 
                and any other field necessary to meet the evolving 
                mission of the Coast Guard Yard;
                    (B) a description of the resources necessary to re-
                establish an apprenticeship program at the Coast Guard 
                Yard; and
                    (C) recommendations with respect to the 
                authorities, funding, training, and recruitment 
                necessary to meet the workforce development needs of 
                the Coast Guard Yard during the 10-year period 
                beginning on the date on which the report is submitted; 
                and
            (2) take into consideration matters of diversity and 
        inclusion in the workforce at the Coast Guard Yard.
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