zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 - Authorizes FY2013-FY2015 appropriations for the Coast Guard for: (1) operation and maintenance; (2) acquisition, construction, rebuilding, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore and offshore facilities, vessels, aircraft, and related equipment; (3) the Coast Guard Reserve program; (4) environmental compliance and restoration of vessels, aircraft, and facilities; and (5) the Commandant of the Coast Guard for research, development, test, and evaluation of technologies, materials, and human factors directly related to search and rescue, aids to navigation, marine safety, marine environmental protection, enforcement of laws and treaties, ice operations, oceanographic research, and defense readiness. Authorizes, for each such fiscal year, end-of-year strength for active duty personnel of 47,000 and specified average military training student loads. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to convene a special selection board if an administrative error results in an officer or former officer: (1) not being considered for selection for promotion by a selection board, or (2) not being placed on an all-fully-qualified-officers list. Authorizes the Secretary to also convene such a special selection board for an officer or former officer considered but not selected for promotion if the selection board: (1) acted contrary to law in a matter material to the decision or with the involvement of material factual or administrative error, or (2) did not have material information before it for consideration. Authorizes judicial review of: (1) a decision of the Secretary not to convene a special selection board, and (2) an action of a special selection board. Prohibits the Secretary from authorizing certain involuntary administrative separations for Coast Guard members based on medical conditions considered by the Physical Evaluation Board during an evaluation resulting in the individual being determined fit for duty. Directs the Commandant to submit to Congress an annual capital investment plan for the Coast Guard for each capital asset for which appropriations are proposed in the President's annual budget. Postpones certification requirements for certain fishing vessels built after a specified date to one year after the Secretary publishes the definition of the term "built" in the Federal Register. Directs the Commandant to maintain the schedule and requirements for the total acquisition of 180 boats specified in the approved program of record for the Response Boat-Medium acquisition program in effect on June 1, 2012, until the Commandant submits to Congress the documentation required to justify the acquisition of less boats. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress with a business-case analysis of the options for and costs of reactivating and extending the service life of the Coast Guard cutter Polar Sea until the estimated date on which a new polar-class icebreaker is commissioned.

Date: 2012-06-01
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Mandatory Operational Control Reporting and Performance Measures Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), as part of DHS's annual performance report, to submit annual reports to Congress on: (1) the number of miles of the international land and maritime border between the United States and Canada and the United States and Mexico that are under operational DHS control, cumulatively and by sector; and (2) the estimated number of unlawful entries between ports of entry along the international land and maritime borders of the United States during the period covered by the report, determined using all available sources of data.

Date: 2012-06-26
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Immigration
Dredging for Restoration and Economic Development for Global Exports Act of 2012 or the DREDGE Act of 2012 - Modifies the project for navigation, Mississippi River Ship Channel, Gulf of Mexico to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to direct the Secretary of the Army to: (1) achieve, operate, and maintain a navigation channel of 50 feet with respect to the portion of the project from Baton Rouge to the Southwest Pass sea buoy; (2) complete such work not later than the last day of the third fiscal year beginning after the enactment of this Act; (3) conduct a pilot disposal and sediment project in the Southwest Pass area to determine the cost-effectiveness of pump-out disposal operations for hopper dredges for environmental enhancement and dredged material disposal; and (4) consult with appropriate federal, state, and local agencies and stakeholders to determine the safe placement and timing of such pump-out disposal operations that protect, create, restore, and nourish coastal wetlands and aquatic habitat. Requires: (1) all costs of such work to be treated as operation and maintenance costs, including the first costs of achieving a navigation channel of 50 feet; (2) the federal cost share of such work to be 100%; and (3) the Secretary to pay 100% of the costs of such work out of amounts made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for operation and maintenance expenses. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on: (1) the cost and the environmental, storm damage reduction, and social benefits of the pump-out disposal operation; and (2) the total quantity of dredge material produced during operation and maintenance activities in the New Orleans District and the quantity that is beneficially used.

Date: 2012-06-26
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Marine Debris Emergency Act of 2012 - Amends the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act to authorize the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare a marine debris emergency upon determining that marine debris: (1) is an immediate threat to living marine resources, the marine environment, navigation safety, or public health of the United States; and (2) requires federal resources to supplement the state and local resources available to alleviate such threat. Authorizes: (1) a governor of a state to request that the Administrator declare such an emergency in such state or a region that includes such state; and (2) the Administrator to request that the governor provide information on the nature and immediacy of the threat and the nature and amount of state and local resources that have been or will be committed to alleviating it. Directs the Administrator, within 30 days after receiving a governor's request, to either grant the request or explain why it was not granted. Directs the Administrator: (1) in evaluating marine debris grant applications, to give preference to projects to address marine debris emergencies, including projects to address marine debris that has introduced or is likely to introduce marine invasive species into the United States; and (2) within 60 days after receipt of an application for such a grant, to approve or disapprove the application and to disperse funds to an approved grantee. Directs the Administrator to take steps to encourage marine debris grant recipients to: (1) educate staff and volunteers who are engaged in marine debris response efforts on the potential threats that marine debris and marine invasive species may pose to the United States with respect to living marine resources, the marine environment, navigation, and public health; and (2) coordinate their response efforts with relevant federal, state, local, and nongovernmental entities.

Date: 2012-08-01
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Transitioning With an Improved Credential Program Act or TWIC Program Act - Declares that a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) issued before enactment of this Act to a person requiring unescorted access to secure areas of vessels, facilities, and Outer Continental Shelf facilities shall not expire before the earlier of: (1) the deadline for full implementation of a final rule issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) for electronic readers designed to work with TWICs as an access control and security measure; or (2) December 31, 2014. Declares that this Act shall not be construed to affect the Secretary's authority to revoke a TWIC because: (1) a TWIC holder is not qualified to hold it; or (2) the credential is lost, damaged, or stolen.

Date: 3/15/2011
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Emergency management
Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA] ) to transfer annually, without further appropriation, unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to United Service Organizations (USO), Incorporated, for funding its activities in support of USO airport centers. (Currently, such moneys are retained by the TSA for civil aviation security.) Directs the Assistant Secretary to transfer unclaimed clothing recovered at airport security checkpoints to local veterans organizations or other local charitable organizations for distribution to homeless or needy veterans and their families. Amends the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2005 to repeal the requirement that the TSA Administrator report annually to Congress on the total amount of unclaimed money recovered at each airport and on how it is being used to provide civil aviation security.

Date: 6/14/2011
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Replaces the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security in the Department of Transportation (DOT) with the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security as head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Increases the term of office of the Assistant Secretary from 5 to 10 years.

Date: 7/21/2011
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the alternative tax on qualifying shipping activities to treat a corporation electing such tax as continuing to use a qualifying vessel in the U.S. foreign trade during any period of use in the U.S. domestic trade, thus eliminating the 30 day limitation on operating in U.S. domestic trade under current law.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Deepwater Horizon Survivors' Fairness Act - (Sec. 2) Amends federal maritime law formerly known as the Shipowners' Liability Act of 1851 to exclude a claim for personal injury or wrongful death arising from the blowout and explosion of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon that occurred on April 20, 2010 (the Deepwater Horizon incident), from provisions limiting a vessel owner's liability in specified instances to the value of the vessel and its pending freight. (Sec. 3) Amends the Death on the High Seas Act to allow a civil action in law or in admiralty against the person or vessel responsible for a Deepwater Horizon incident death. (Current law allows only a civil action in admiralty when death is caused by a wrongful act, neglect, or default.) Authorizes any related recovery to include fair compensation for nonpecuniary loss (care, comfort, companionship, and society) plus a fair compensation for the decedent's pain and suffering. (Current law allows only fair compensation for pecuniary loss sustained by the individuals for whose benefit the action is brought.) (Sec. 4) Amends the Jones Act to authorize any recovery in a civil action at law against the employer of a seaman who dies from the Deepwater Horizon incident to include fair compensation for nonpecuniary loss, plus a fair compensation for the decedent's pain and suffering. (Current law allows only certain wrongful death and survival claims as is available to railway employees.) (Sec. 5) Applies this Act to: (1) causes of action and claims arising after April 19, 2010; and (2) actions commenced prior to, on, or after enactment of this Act that have not been finally adjudicated, including appellate review, as of such date.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2011 - Declares it is U.S. policy to develop a national surface transportation system that advances the national interest and defense, interstate and foreign commerce, the efficient and safe interstate mobility of people and goods, and the protection of the environment. Sets forth certain U.S. policy objectives and goals, including to: (1) reduce national per capita motor vehicle miles traveled annually; (2) reduce national surface transportation-generated carbon dioxide levels by 40% by 2030; (3) reduce national surface transportation (including passenger and freight) delays and congestion at U.S. points of entry; (4) increase the total usage of public transportation, intercity passenger rail services, and non-motorized transportation; and (5) ensure adequate transportation of domestic energy supplies. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) develop performance criteria and data collections systems to evaluate the effectiveness of federal surface transportation programs; (2) implement such programs to meet the policy, objectives, goals, and performance criteria established by this Act; and (3) develop and implement a National Surface Transportation Performance Plan. Authorizes the Secretary to amend the goals established under this Act.

Date: 2011-02-10
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Harbor Maintenance Act of 2011 - Requires the total budget resources for expenditures from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for harbor maintenance programs to equal the level of receipts plus interest credited to such Fund for that fiscal year. Limits the use of such resources to such programs only.Declares that it shall be out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that would cause total budget resources for the Fund in a fiscal year for harbor maintenance programs to be less than the level of receipts plus interest credited to the Fund for that fiscal year.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Requires states, at a minimum, to cooperate with affected nonmetropolitan local officials responsible for transportation through regional transportation planning organizations to develop and implement long-range statewide transportation plans and statewide transportation improvement programs, with emphasis on addressing the transportation needs of nonmetropolitan areas of the state. Defines a regional transportation planning organization as a multi-jurisdictional organization composed of nonmetropolitan local officials (or their designees) and representatives of local transportation systems who all volunteer for such organization.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
SAFE Port Reauthorization Act - Amends the SAFE Port Act to authorize appropriations for FY2011-FY2016 for: (1) the automated targeting system for identifying and inspecting high-risk oceanborne container cargo, (2) the Container Security Initiative, and (3) the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). Permits: (1) unannounced inspections of a C-TPAT participant's security measures, and (2) provision of voluntary supply chain security training. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program to promote sharing of private sector security-related information. Requires the Secretary, prior to entering into an arrangement between the United States and a foreign government providing for mutual recognition of supply chain security programs, to: (1) notify Congress of such arrangement's terms, and (2) determine that the foreign government's program provides a C-TPAT level of security. Sets forth exemptions to the requirement that a container loaded on a vessel in a foreign port not be allowed into the United States unless it was scanned by nonintrusive imaging and radiation detection equipment prior to loading. Grants: (1) immunity from civil liability to any individual who, in good faith and based on objectively reasonable suspicion, makes a voluntary report of covered activity (any suspicious transaction, activity, or occurrence that indicates an individual may be engaging in a violation of law relating to a threat to a vessel, facility, port, or waterway or an act of terrorism) to an authorized official; (2) qualified immunity from civil liability to any authorized official who observes, or receives a report of, a covered activity and takes reasonable action in good faith to respond to such activity; and (3) immunity from civil liability to an authorized official not entitled to assert the defense of qualified immunity if he or she takes reasonable action, in good faith, to respond to the reported activity. Entitles any such individual or authorized official granted immunity to recover from the plaintiff all reasonable costs and attorney fees. Exempts a report regarding such activity from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Directs the Secretary to report on the coordination of the America's Waterway Watch Program and similar critical infrastructure suspicious activity reporting programs within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Directs the Secretary to either approve or disapprove a complete application for a port security grant, a matching requirement, or a grant extension within 60 days of submission. Authorizes appropriations for port security grants for FY2011-FY2016.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Fisheries Fee Fairness Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, using sums received as fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property for violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act or other fishery resource laws enforced by the Secretary, to reimburse certain legal fees and costs to a person applying for reimbursement that: (1) the Secretary directed to be remitted a fisheries enforcement penalty in the Secretarial Decision Memorandum issued by the Secretary on May 17, 2011, entitled Decisions regarding Certain NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Cases Based on Special Master Swartwood's Report and Recommendations; or (2) received a Notice of Violation and Assessment for a fisheries enforcement penalty issued on or after March 17, 1994, that was settled or otherwise resolved prior to February 3, 2010, paid a civil penalty, submitted a complaint seeking remittance prior to May 7, 2011, and was directed by the Secretary to receive at least a portion of such remittance. Directs the Secretary to make a final determination on whether to provide a reimbursement within 90 days after receiving such an application. Prohibits providing more than $200,000 to such a person for appropriate legal fees and costs.

Date: 2011-06-29
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Preserve Our Large Arctic Response Capability Act or POLAR-C Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should maintain domestic heavy and medium duty icebreaker assets to meet U.S. Coast Guard (CG) statutory requirements and priorities for maritime transportation; and (2) maintaining less than a sufficient number of such assets jeopardizes national security, law enforcement, maritime safety, environmental protection, disaster response, scientific research, and natural resource protection in the polar regions and Alaska. Directs the CG Commandant to submit to Congress its polar icebreaker business case analysis for replacing or performing service life extensions on the CG's 2 heavy polar icebreakers: (1) Cutter POLAR SEA (WAGB 11), and (2) Cutter POLAR STAR (WAGB 10). Prohibits the CG Commandant and the Administrator of the Maritime Administration from disposing or taking any other specified action with respect to such icebreakers until 2 years after such submission.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
America's Cup Act of 2011 - Authorizes vessels operating in preparation for, or in connection with, the 34th America's Cup competition, that have been certified by the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to be eligible vessels, to position competing vessels and transport individuals, equipment, and supplies utilized for the staging, operations, or broadcast of the competition from and around U.S. ports. Deems such an eligibility certification to be conclusive evidence to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the qualification of a vessel to participate in the competition. Subjects any vessel participating in the 34th America's Cup as a competing or supporting vessel that has not received an eligibility certification or that is not in compliance with provisions regarding coastwise endorsement to specified penalties. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement limited to the carriage of natural gas for the LNG GEMINI, the LNG LEO, and the LNG VIRGO. Terminates such endorsement if such a vessel's owner on the date of enactment of this Act sells it to a person who is not related by ownership or control. Declares that a vessel transported in Dry Dock #2 (Alaska registration AIDEA FDD-2) is not merchandise for purposes of requirements applicable to transporting merchandise between points in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply if, during such transportation, Dry Dock #2 remains connected by a utility or other connecting line to pier side moorage located in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Date: 2011-10-20
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Sports and recreation
American Mariners Job Protection Act - Amends federal shipping laws that require a determination by the Administrator of the Maritime Administration regarding the non-availability of qualified U.S. flag capacity to meet national defense requirements before the head of an agency responsible for the administration of navigation or vessel-inspection laws is authorized on its own initiative to waive compliance with such laws when it considers it necessary in the interest of national defense. Requires the Administrator, in making such determinations, to: (1) identify any actions that could be taken to enable such flag capacity to meet the national defense requirements, (2) provide each such determination to the Secretary of Transportation and the head of the agency for which the determination is made, and (3) publish each such determination on the Internet site of the Department of Transportation (DOT) within 48 hours after it is provided to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to notify Congress of any waiver requests or issuances. Requires the notification of the issuance of a waiver to include the reasons why: (1) the waiver is necessary, and (2) specified actions are not feasible.

Date: 2011-11-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Prevention of Unreasonable Fees Act - Prohibits an operator of a transportation terminal that uses federal funds for terminal construction, or for the purchase or lease of equipment installed there, from charging a fee to a provider of pre-arranged ground transportation service that meets state vehicle and intrastate passenger licensing requirements. Exempts from such prohibition: (1) fees charged to the general public for access to, or use of, the terminal; or (2) any fee for the availability of ancillary facilities located there. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) prohibit or restrict a transportation terminal operator from requiring vehicles that cannot safely use public parking facilities to use segregated facilities provided the fee for segregated facilities is no more than that charged to the public for similar facilities, or (2) restrict the right of a state or its political subdivisions to require a license or fee (other than a prohibited transportation terminal fee) for a motor vehicle providing certain other prearranged ground transportation.

Date: 2011-11-29
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Great Lakes Short Sea Shipping Enhancement Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the harbor maintenance tax commercial cargo (other than bulk cargo) loaded or unloaded at U.S. ports in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System. Defines the "Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System" as the waterway between Duluth, Minnesota, and Sept Iles, Quebec, Canada, encompassing the five Great Lakes, their connecting channels, and the Saint Lawrence River.

Date: 2011-12-08
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is urgent that the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) application process be reformed by the end of 2012, when many of the more than 1 million current TWIC holders will be required to renew their TWICs. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to reform the process for the enrollment, activation, issuance, and renewal of TWICs to require not more than one in-person visit to a designated enrollment center.

Date: 2011-12-08
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Clean Ports Act of 2011 - Declares that federal preemption of state and local law relating to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier of property shall not apply to the authority of a state, local government, or the political authority of two or more states to adopt requirements for motor carriers providing services at port facilities that are reasonably related to the reduction of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, the improvement of highway safety, or the efficient utilization of such port facilities, provided adoption or enforcement of such requirements does not conflict with federal law. Declares that nothing in this Act may be construed to limit the rights reserved to any state or political subdivision of a state under the Clean Air Act.

Date: 2011-12-16
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Invest in American Jobs Act of 2011 - Revises Buy American requirements with respect to federal-aid highways, capital investment grants to support intercity passenger rail service (rail grants), and Amtrak, particularly the handling of waiver requests. Revises similar Buy American requirements with respect to public transportation, particularly rolling stock. Requires the cost of rolling stock components and subcomponents produced in the United States to increase from 60% in FY2012 by 10% annual increments up to 100% for FY2016 and ensuing fiscal years. Revises waiver requirements as well to mirror those for federal-aid highways. Applies the rail grant Buy American requirements under this Act to recipients of rail loans and loan guarantees with respect to railroad rehabilitation and improvement. Prescribes Buy American requirements for procurement of a facility or equipment under federal aviation programs similar to those for rolling stock. Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to report annually to Congress on: (1) each project for which a waiver of Buy American requirements was issued; and (2) the country of origin and product specifications for steel, iron, or manufactured goods acquired pursuant to each waiver. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to prescribe Buy American requirements for steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in the construction of a publicly owned wastewater treatment works.

Date: 2011-12-17
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Boating Capacity Standards Act of 2012 - Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to: (1) establish maximum passenger capacity and maximum weight capacity standards for recreational vessels, and (2) require manufacturers and operators of passenger vessels to permanently display in a legible manner and clearly visible to vessel passengers such maximum capacity requirements and a notice of the need to balance vessel weight to avoid capsizing.

Date: 2012-09-13
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Realize America's Maritime Promise Act or RAMP Act - Requires the total budget resources for expenditures from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for harbor maintenance programs to equal the level of receipts plus interest credited to such Fund for that fiscal year. Limits the use of such resources to such programs only.

Declares that it shall be out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that would cause total budget resources for the Fund in a fiscal year for harbor maintenance programs to be less than the level of receipts plus interest credited to the Fund for that fiscal year.

Date: 2013-01-22
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with persons for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide customs and immigration services at a land border port of entry, subject to payment of a fee to reimburse the CBP for providing such services. Declares that nothing in this grant of authority shall be construed to reduce the responsibilities or duties of the CBP to provide services at land border ports of entry that have been authorized by law and federally-funded.

Directs the Administrator of General Services to establish procedures for evaluating proposals submitted by persons to: (1) enter into cost-sharing or reimbursement agreements with the General Services Administration (GSA) for the construction or maintenance of infrastructure at a land border port of entry, and (2) provide GSA an unconditional gift of property for use in the construction or maintenance of such infrastructure.

Prescribes minimum requirements for such procedures.

Date: 2013-03-13
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Maritime Lien Reform Act - Bars specified federal shipping laws related to maritime liability from: (1) establishing maritime liens on state or federal fishing permits (authorizing a person or use of a vessel to engage in fishing), and (2) authorizing civil actions to enforce maritime liens on such permits.

Specifies that a "fishing permit" is governed solely by the state or federal law under which it was issued and is not included in the whole or as an appurtenance or intangible of a vessel.

Date: 2013-03-13
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2013 or WAVE4 Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to require certain delivery process reforms for qualifying construction and major rehabilitation projects for navigation infrastructure of inland and intracoastal waterways.

Directs the Secretary, working in conjunction with the Inland Waterways Users Board, to submit to Congress a 20-year program for making capital investments on inland and intracoastal waterways. Authorizes such program to be based on the 20-year capital investment strategy contained in the Inland Marine Transportation System (IMTS) Capital Projects Business Model, Final Report published on April 13, 2010, as approved by the Board.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit expenditures from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund to 50% of the total cost of the construction or rehabilitation project. Makes Fund amounts unavailable for: (1) construction or rehabilitation of dams, or (2) rehabilitation expenditures that do not equal or exceed $100 million.

Date: 2013-03-14
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act or the WIN P3 Act - Directs the Chief of Engineers to establish a pilot program to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and project delivery efficiency of allowing non-federal interests to carry out authorized flood damage reduction, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and navigation projects. Requires the Chief: (1) to identify not more than 15 projects authorized for construction; (2) to develop a detailed project management plan for each identified project that outlines the scope, budget, design, and construction resource requirements necessary for the non-federal interest to execute the project or an element of the project; (3) to enter into a project partnership agreement with the non-federal interest at such interest's request to provide full project management control for construction of the project or element in accordance with plans approved by the Chief; (4) following execution of such agreement, to transfer specified amounts to the non-federal interest to carry out project construction; and (5) to regularly monitor and audit each such project being constructed by a non-federal interest.

Sets forth restrictions on projects selected. Authorizes the Chief to: (1) provide technical assistance to the non-federal interests for compensation, and (2) waive or modify applicable federal regulations if doing so would provide public and financial benefits.

Directs the Chief, before entering into a project partnership agreement, to enter into an arrangement with an independent third party to conduct an assessment and provide justification that the proposed agreement would represent a better public and financial benefit than a similar transaction using public funding.

Terminates authority to commence a project under this Act five years after its enactment.

Date: 2013-03-14
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Water resources development
Dredging for Restoration and Economic Development for Global Exports Act of 2013 or the DREDGE Act of 2013 - Modifies the project for navigation, Mississippi River Ship Channel, Gulf of Mexico to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to direct the Secretary of the Army to: (1) achieve, operate, and maintain a navigation channel of 50 feet with respect to the portion of the project from Baton Rouge to the Southwest Pass sea buoy; (2) complete such work not later than the last day of the third fiscal year beginning after the enactment of this Act; (3) conduct a pilot disposal and sediment project in the Southwest Pass area to determine the cost-effectiveness of pump-out disposal operations for hopper dredges for environmental enhancement and dredged material disposal; and (4) consult with appropriate federal, state, and local agencies and stakeholders to determine the safe placement and timing of such pump-out disposal operations that protect, create, restore, and nourish coastal wetlands and aquatic habitat.

Requires: (1) all costs of such work to be treated as operation and maintenance costs, including the first costs of achieving a navigation channel of 50 feet; (2) the federal cost share of such work to be 100%; and (3) the Secretary to pay 100% of the costs of such work out of amounts made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for operation and maintenance expenses.

Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on: (1) the cost and the environmental, storm damage reduction, and social benefits of the pump-out disposal operation; and (2) the total quantity of dredge material produced during operation and maintenance activities in the New Orleans District and the quantity that is beneficially used.

Date: 2013-03-14
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Coast Guard Academy Opportunity Act - Modifies the Coast Guard Academy cadet nomination process by requiring that half of each incoming class be composed of cadets nominated by: (1) the Vice President or, if there is no Vice President, the President pro tempore of the Senate; (2) a Senator; (3) a Member of the House of Representatives; and (4) the various delegates to Congress, including the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico. Entitles each Senator, House Member, Delegate, and Resident Commissioner to nominate three persons each year.

Requires nominees to be citizens or nationals of the United States and meet any minimum requirements established by the Secretary of the respective department in which the Coast Guard is operating.

Directs the Superintendent of the Academy to furnish any Member of Congress, upon written request, the name of the nominating authority responsible for the nomination of any named or identified person for appointment to the Academy.

Date: 2013-04-11
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Autofill Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) establish a program to allow taxpayers to download income tax forms that are populated with tax return information (e.g., wages, withholding, and self-employment income) previously reported to the Secretary for the taxable year; (2) establish standards for data download to tax preparation software; and (3) provide on the website of the Department of the Treasury a secure function that allows a taxpayer to download, as both a printable document file and in a form suitable for input to automatic tax preparation software, the 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ forms that are populated with tax return information previously reported to the Secretary. Establishes deadlines for reporting tax return information to the Secretary and for making such information available for populating tax returns.

Date: 2013-04-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Port Security Grant Act of 2013 - Extends the authorization of appropriations for the port security grant program through FY2017.

Date: 2013-04-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Emergency management
Gauging American Port Security Act or the GAPS Act - Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a study of gaps in U.S. port security and submit to Congress a report (in classified form but with an unclassified annex) that includes a prioritization of such gaps and a plan for addressing them.

Directs the Secretary of DHS to: (1) share relevant information with designated points of contact from federal agencies, state, local, or tribal governments, and port system owners and operators in accordance with rules for the handling of classified information; and (2) help expedite the clearance process if a designated point of contact does not have the necessary security clearance to receive such information.

Date: 2013-04-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Emergency management
Saving Essential American Sailors Act or SEAS Act - Amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) to repeal the Act's repeal of the agricultural export requirements that: (1) 25% of the gross tonnage of certain agricultural commodities or their products exported each fiscal year be transported on U.S. commercial vessels, and (2) the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) finance any increased ocean freight charges incurred in the transportation of such items.

Revives and reinstates those repealed requirements to read as if they were never repealed.

Date: 2013-04-23
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Amends federal shipping law to extend through October 31, 2028, the exemption of certain vessels from the requirement that U.S. passenger vessels having berth or stateroom accommodations for at least 50 passengers be constructed of fire-retardant materials in order to be granted a certificate of inspection.

Continues to apply this exemption only to vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, which operate only within the Boundary Line (the dividing point between inland waters and high seas).

Date: 2013-05-14
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Coast Guard STRONG Act - Directs the Secretary concerned (under current law, the Secretaries of the military departments) to issue regulations to ensure the timely determination of a request for a permanent change of station or unit transfer by a member of the Armed Forces who is the victim of a sexual assault or related offense (thereby including the Coast Guard within such requirement).

Date: 2013-05-20
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Port Opportunity Reinvestment and Training Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to award renewable one-year grants to ports to provide summer jobs to high school students who live within each port's Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Requires the Secretary, when considering grant applications and amounts, to favor ports located in cities with high unemployment rates and also consider each port's cargo volume and the size of its MSA.

Allows ports to use the grants to provide job training to such students, provided no more than 15% of the students' time is spent training and they are compensated at their normal pay rate while training.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Great Lakes Navigation System Sustainability Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to manage and allocate funding for all commercial and recreational navigation projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System as components of a single system, recognizing the interdependence of the projects.

Directs the Secretary, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to: (1) establish a program to fund eligible operations and maintenenace projects of the System to their authorized depths and widths, and (2) give higher priority to projects at certain harbors in which a 50% non-federal share of costs of eligible operations and maintenance expenses is provided.

Date: 2013-06-06
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Cruise Passenger Protection Act - Directs the Secretary to determine whether any of the enumerated rights in the international cruise line passenger bill of rights (adopted by the members of the Cruise Lines International Association) is enforceable under federal law.

Applies this Act to passenger vessels that: (1) carry at least 250 passengers, (2) have sleeping facilities for each passenger, (3) are on a voyage that embarks or disembarks passengers in the United States, (4) are not engaged in coastwise trade, and (5) are not federal- or state-owned.

Revises passenger vessel security and safety requirements concerning: (1) log book entries and reporting of deaths, missing individuals, thefts, and other crimes; and (2) placement, access to records, and notice of video surveillance equipment to monitor crime.

Directs the Secretary to maintain on a website a statistical compilation of reported incidents of missing persons, crimes, and other information for vessel passengers.

Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Attorney General, and heads of other relevant federal agencies, to study the feasibility of having an individual on board each passenger vessel to provide victim support and related safety and security services.

Requires the Administrator of the Maritime Administration (who, currently, is merely authorized) to certify organizations in the United States and abroad that offer the curriculum for training and certification of passenger vessel security personnel, crewmembers, and law enforcement officials on the appropriate methods for prevention, detection, evidence preservation, and reporting of crimes in international waters.

Revises vessel design, equipment, construction, and retrofitting requirements.

Requires the peep hole or other means of visual identification in the entry door of a passenger stateroom or crew cabin to provide an unobstructed view of the area outside the stateroom or crew cabin.

Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to withhold or revoke the clearance of, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to deny entry into the United States to, any vessel owner that: (1) commits an act or omission for which a penalty is imposed under this Act, or (2) fails to pay the penalty.

Date: 2013-07-23
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Puerto Rico Interstate Commerce Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends federal shipping law to revise coastwise endorsement requirements for certain vessels that transport liquified natural gas or liquified petroleum gas to Puerto Rico from other U.S. ports.

Repeals authority to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for a vessel to transport liquified natural gas or liquified petroleum gas to Puerto Rico from other ports in the United States, if the vessel: (1) is a foreign built vessel that was built before October 19, 1996; or (2) was documented before that date, even if it is placed under a foreign registry and subsequently redocumented for operation.

Exempts from coastwise endorsement requirements self-propelled vessels that transport bulk cargo, including liquified natural gas or liquified petroleum bulk cargo, to Puerto Rico from another U.S. port or from Puerto Rico to another U.S. port.

Date: 2013-07-25
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Waterfront of Tomorrow Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to study measures that provide the greatest flood protection and climate resilience for New York City coastal communities from a disaster such as Hurricane Sandy.

 Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the environmental impact of each major disaster that will have a significant environmental impact on U.S. waters.

Makes one of the goals of national freight policy to ensure that the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of moving cargo through a community are fully accounted for in establishing the national freight network (composed of highways, railways, navigable waterways, seaports, airports, freight intermodal connectors, and aerotropolis transportation systems most critical to the multimodal movement of freight).

Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to ensure that ports and harbors are incorporated into the national freight network.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to make grants to states and local governments for projects to improve port infrastructure and intermodal rail and highway networks.

Directs the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, acting jointly with the EPA Administrator, to establish a green port designation for ports that meet certain environmental standards.

Authorizes the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to provide grants and technical assistance to a designated green port to implement innovations that minimize the environmental impacts of port operations.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the Economic Development Administration (EDA), to make grants to states and local governments for projects to establish environmentally sustainable waterfront areas. Sets the federal share of project costs at 75%.

Date: 2013-07-31
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Clean Ports Act of 2013 - Declares that federal preemption of state and local law relating to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier of property shall not apply to the authority of a state, local government, or the political authority of two or more states to adopt requirements for motor carriers providing services at port facilities that are reasonably related to the reduction of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, the improvement of highway safety, or the efficient utilization of such port facilities, provided adoption or enforcement of such requirements does not conflict with federal law.

Declares that nothing in this Act shall limit the rights reserved to any state or political subdivision of such state under the Clean Air Act.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works