Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1982
PL 97-136 (S.831), enacted 12/29/1981

PUBLIC LAW 97-136—DEC. 29,1981 
95 STAT. 1705 
Public Law 97-136 
97th Congress 
An Act 
To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 1982, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That funds are 
authorized to be appropriated for necessary expenses of the Coast 
Guard for fiscal year 1982 as follows: 
(1) For the operation and maintenance of the Coast Guard, 
including expenses related to the Capehart housing debt reduc-
tion, $1,404,800,000. 
(2) For the acquisition, construction, rebuilding, and improve-
ment of aids to navigation, shore facilities, vessels, and aircraft, 
including equipment related thereto, $537,200,000. 
(3) For the alteration or removal of bridges over navigable 
waters of the United States, constituting obstructions to naviga-
tion, $17,500,000. 
(4) For research, development, test, and evaluation, $29,730,000 
of which sufficient funds shall be made available to continue in 
operation a Coast Guard research and development center 
through the end of the 1982 fiscal year: Provided, That the Coast 
Guard submits its research, development, test, and evaluation 
program plan, including the continuation or operation of a 
research and development center, for fiscal year 1982 to the 
Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate for approval before implementa-
tion. 
SEC. 2. For fiscal year 1982, the Coast Guard is authorized an end-of-
year strength for active duty personnel of 42,224. This end-of-year 
strength shall not include members of the Ready Reserve called to 
active duty under the authority of section 712 of title 14, United 
States Code. 
SEC. 3. For fiscal year 1982, the Coast Guard is authorized average 
miUtary training student loads as follows: 
(1) For recruit and special training, 3,660 student-years. 
(2) For flight training, 118 student-years. 
(3) For professional training in military and civilian institu-
tions, 655 student-years. 
(4) For officer acquisition, 1,038 student-years. 
SEC. 4. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the fiscal 1982 
end-of-year civilian personnel strength of the Coast Guard shall be at 
least 5 484 
SEC. 5. The Act of October 3,1980 (Public Law 96-376; 94 Stat. 1509), 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1) of the first section, by striking out 
"$1,248,367,000" and substituting "$1,337,207,000"; and 
(2) in section 2, by striking out "39,600" and substituting 
"39,819". 
Dec. 29, 1981 
[S. 831] 
Coast Guard, 
appropriation 
authorization. 
Active duty 
personnel. 
Military 
training 
students loads. 
Civilian 
personnel. 
95 STAT. 1706 
PUBLIC LAW 97-136—DEC. 29, 1981 
Active duty 
promotion list. 
14 use 290. 
Housing leases. 
Temporary 
Reserve 
members, 
benefit 
computation. 
5 use 5332 note. 
Effective date. 
14 use 707 note. 
Vessel 
inspection, 
examination or 
documentation. 
46 use 9. 
SEC. 6. (aXD Subsection (a) of section 41a of title 14, United States 
Code, is amended to read as follows: 
"(a) The Secretary shall maintain a single active duty promotion 
list of officers of the Coast Guard on active duty in the grades of 
ensign and above. Reserve officers on active duty, other than pursu-
ant to an active duty agreement executed under section 679 of 
title 10, 
retired officers, and officers of the permanent commissioned teaching 
staff of the Coast Guard Academy shall not be included on the active 
duty promotion list.". 
(2) Subsection (b) of such section is amended by striking out the 
period at the end of the second sentence and substituting ", except 
that the rear admiral serving as Chief of Staff shall be the senior rear 
admiral for all purposes other than pay.". 
(3) Subsection (d) of such section is amended by striking out 
"extended". 
O
t
)
) Section 290(a) of such title is amended by inserting "or in the 
position of Chief of Staff" in the second sentence after "vice admiral". 
(cXD Section 711 of such title is amended by striking out the first 
sentence. 
(2) The heading of such section is amended to read as follows: 
**§711. Exclusiveness of service*'. 
(3) The item relating to section 711 in the analysis of chapter 21 
is amended to read as follows: 
"711. Exclusiveness of service.". 
(d) Section 93(p) of such title is amended by inserting "including 
telephones in residences leased or owned by the Government of the 
United Stetes when appropriate to assure efficient response to 
extraordinary operational contingencies of a limited duration," after 
"of such lines and cables,". 
SEC. 7. Section 475(a) of title 14, United Stetes Code, is amended by 
inserting after the first sentence thereof the following new sentences: 
"The Secretory is also authorized to lease housing facilities for 
assignment as public quarters, without rental charge, to military 
personnel who are on sea duty or duty at remote offshore Coast 
Guard stetions and who do not have dependents. Such authority shall 
be effective in any fiscal year onlv to such extent or in such amounts 
as are provided in appropriation Acts." 
SEC. 8. (a) The third sentence of section 707(a) of title 14, United 
Stetes Code, is amended to read as follows: "For benefit computetion, 
regardless of pay or pay stetus, the member is considered to have had 
monthly pay of the monthly equivalent of the minimum rate of basic 
pay in effect for grade GS-9 of the General Schedule on the date the 
injury is incurred.". 
(b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply only with 
respect to paymente for benefite under section 707(a) of title 14, 
United Stetes Code, for months beginning on or after the date of the 
enactment of 
this Act. 
SEC. 9. The Act of July 5,1884 (46 U.S.C. 2 et seq.), is amended by 
adding at the end thereof the following new section: 
"SEC. 8. (a) The original and periodic inspections or examinations of 
a vessel documented or to be documented as a vessel of the United 
Stetes, both in the United Stetes and in foreign countries, may be 
delegated to the maximum extent practicable by the Secretory of the 
department in which the Coast Guard is operating to the American 
Bureau of Shipping, or similar American classification society, or 
agent thereof, who may issue certificates of inspection, attesting to 
PUBLIC LAW 97-136—DEC. 29, 1981 
95 STAT. 1707 
compliance with existing Coast Guard regulations, and such other 
certificates as are essential to documentation. 
"(b) The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is 
operating may also contract or enter into agreements with or utilize 
the American Bureau of Shipping, or similar American classification 
society for the review and approval of vessel hull, machinery, piping, 
and electrical plans. 
"(c) The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is 
operating shall report to the Congress on the implementation of 
subsections (a) and (b) within 6 months of the date of the enactment of 
this section, and annually thereafter for 3 years. Such report shall 
include the views of the affected industry on the implementation of 
those subsections.". 
SEC. 10. Paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 104 of the Vessel 
Documentation Act (Public Law 96-694; 94 Stat. 3453) are amended 
to read as follows: 
"(1) an individual who is a citizen of the United States, or an 
association, trust, joint venture, or other entity capable of hold-
ing title to a vessel, under the law of the United States, of any 
State, territory, or possession of the United States, of the District 
of Columbia, or of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, all of the 
members of which are citizens of the United States; 
"(2) a partnership whose general partners are citizens of the 
United States, and the controlling interest in the partnership is 
owned by citizens of the United States;". 
SEC. 11. Section 7 of the Act of May 21, 1920 (31 U.S.C. 686), is 
amended by inserting "Coast Guard," in the first proviso of subsec-
tion (a) after "Federal Aviation Agency,". 
SEC. 12. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize or 
provide funds for removing facilities of Coast Guard Group Port 
Angeles from Ediz Hook. 
SEC. 13. (a) The Congress, in recognition of the heroic efforts that 
resulted in the saving, under extremely adverse conditions, of the 
lives of all 510 passengers aboard the motor vessel Prinsendam which 
caught fire off the coast of Alaska on October 4,1980, hereby honors 
and expresses its thanks to the members of the Coast Guard, the 
individuals of the United States and Canadian Air Forces, and the 
crew of the tanker Williamsburg and all others who participated 
directly in this valiant underta^ng, as well as the crew of the 
Prinsendam. 
0^) The Commandant of the Coast Guard shall determine the names 
and addresses of those individuals honored under subsection (a), and 
provide the names and addresses to the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives who shall convey in appropriate language the appre-
ciation of C!ongress to each such individual for his or her actions in 
connection with the Prinsendam rescue. 
SEC. 14. The Coast Guard shall deploy at least one helicopter for 
search and rescue, as well as other missions of the (]!oast Guard, at 
each of the following sites: Newport, Oregon; Cordova, Alaska; and 
Charleston, South Carolina. 
Contracts and 
agreements. 
Report to 
Congress. 
46 u s e 65b. 
Prinsendam, 
congressional 
recognition of 
rescue efforts. 
Helicopter 
deployment. 
95 STAT. 1708 
PUBLIC LAW 97-136—DEC. 29, 1981 
SEC 15. The Rogue River station in Oregon operated by the Ck>
a8t 
Guaid shall remain in operation until at least October 31 of each 
year. 
Approved December 29, 1981. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 831 (H.R. 2559): 
HOUSE REPORT No. 97-62 accompanying H.R. 2559 (Comm. on Merchant Marine 
and Fisheries). 
SENATE REPORT No. 97-45 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 127 (1981): 
May 4, considered and passed Senate. 
Dec. 8, 14, H.R. 2559 considered and passed House; passage vacated and S. 831, 
amended, passed in lieu. 
Dec. 16, Senate concurred in House amendment with an amendment; House 
concurred in Senate amendment.