Title: Polar Security Cutter Acquisition Act of 2019
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Polar Security Cutter Acquisition Act of 2019
This bill sets forth acquisition requirements for the U.S. Coast Guard to acquire any polar icebreaker, subject to an exception.
The Coast Guard must (1)	limit military specifications for such vessel, (2)	ensure specifications and key drawings are complete before awarding the contract for construction, (3)	ensure detail design of the vessel is complete before the start of construction, (4)	use block buy contracting (permits the use of a single contract for more than one year's worth of procurement without having to exercise a contract option for each year after the first year), and (5)	ensure all icebreaker hulls are science ready and that one is science capable.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1822 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1822

  To provide acquisition requirements for Coast Guard Polar Security 
                    Cutters, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 18, 2019

  Mr. Gibbs introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide acquisition requirements for Coast Guard Polar Security 
                    Cutters, 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 ``Polar Security Cutter Acquisition 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. POLAR SECURITY CUTTER ACQUISITION REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012.--Section 
222 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 (Public 
Law 112-213) is amended by--
            (1) redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
            (2) inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Acquisition Requirements.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, in acquiring any polar icebreaker, except for 
        an icebreaker authorized under the National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115-91), the 
        Commandant of the Coast Guard shall--
                    ``(A) limit military specifications for such vessel 
                to armament, aviation capabilities, communications 
                equipment, and navigation equipment, as described in 
                the letter report, unless funding is provided from 
                other than appropriations for the Department of 
                Homeland Security;
                    ``(B) ensure specifications and key drawings are 
                complete before awarding the contract for construction;
                    ``(C) ensure detail design of the vessel is 
                complete before the start of construction;
                    ``(D) to the extent practicable, use the block-buy 
                contract authority provided under section 1137 of title 
                14, United States Code; and
                    ``(E) ensure all icebreaker hulls are science ready 
                and icebreaker hull number four is science capable, as 
                described in the letter report.
            ``(2) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `letter 
        report' means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
        and Medicine's Committee on Polar Icebreaker Cost Assessment 
        letter report entitled `Acquisition and Operation of Polar 
        Icebreakers: Fulfilling the Nation's Needs' and dated July 11, 
        2017.''.
    (b) Technical Correction.--
            (1) Correction.--Section 207(a)(6) of the Coast Guard 
        Authorization Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-120) is amended by 
        striking ``in subsection (d) ('' and inserting ``in subsection 
        (e) (''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        shall be effective upon the enactment of such Act.
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