Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2019
TITLE I--AUTHORIZATIONS
(Sec. 101) This bill extends the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve program through FY2021.
(Sec. 102) The Coast Guard is authorized an end-of-year strength for active duty personnel of 44,500 for FY2020-FY2021.
(Sec. 103) The budgetary effects of this bill are to be determined in accordance with the procedures established in the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
TITLE II--COAST GUARD
(Sec. 201) The bill (1) requires the Coast Guard to make a determination of satisfactory service regarding the grade in which an officer is retired; (2) provides authority to retire an officer to a lower grade if such officer committed misconduct in a lower grade than that held at the time of retirement; (3) provides that a retired grade determination is administratively final on the day an officer is retired and may not be reopened, with specified exceptions; and (4) removes gender-specific terminology from Coast Guard provisions.
(Sec. 202) The Coast Guard must appoint an officer who is in a grade above captain as Director of Congressional Affairs.
(Sec. 203) The bill increased monetary limitations for the Coast Guard to settle admiralty claims and claims for damage to Coast Guard property.
(Sec. 204) The bill provides authority for Coast Guard officers to opt out of promotion board consideration in limited circumstances.
(Sec. 205) The Coast Guard may temporarily promote officers with critical skills and serving in certain positions.
(Sec. 206) Members of the Coast Guard may be inactivated from active duty to meet personal or professional needs and then returned to the service at the end of such period.
(Sec. 207) The bill requires that Coast Guard long-term major acquisition plans include costs to operate and sustain vessels and aircraft.
(Sec. 208) The Coast Guard must improve its employment skills verification, accuracy of certificates of training and skills and its responsiveness to certification requests for its members.
(Sec. 209) The bill specifies reporting requirements for the Coast Guard regarding gender diversity, including requiring a biennial report that includes an analysis of its recruitment and retention of women and gender-based limitations on career opportunities.
(Sec. 210) This bill limits dismantling or disposal of infrastructure comprising the LORAN-C system.
(Sec. 211) The bill modifies the treatment of officers serving outside the Coast Guard with respect to the number and distribution of commissioned officers on the active duty promotion list.
(Sec. 212) The Coast Guard may enter into certain transactions to carry out basic, applied, and advanced research projects, including adequate training for involved Coast Guard personnel.
(Sec. 213) The bill provides the Coast Guard acquisition workforce reemployment authority.
(Sec. 214) The Government Accountability Office (GAO) must report on the Coast Guard's allocation of its resources to support its defense readiness mission with the Department of Defense (DOD).
(Sec. 215) The Coast Guard must report on the potential use of liquefied natural gas fuels in Coast Guard vessels, including new and converted vessels.
TITLE III--SHIPPING
(Sec. 301) The bill requires certain vessels to be equipped with electronic navigational charts that meet Coast Guard standards.
(Sec. 302) The bill requires certain passenger vessels to comply with security and safety requirements by eliminating an exception for vessels engaged on coastwise voyages.
(Sec. 303) The bill revises requirements related to non-operating individuals on board merchant vessels.
(Sec. 304) Vessels built in the United States that lose their coastwise trade privileges may regain those privileges in a manner similar to vessels not built in the United States.
(Sec. 305) The Department of Transportation (DOT) must (1) determine whether suitable U.S. flagged installation vessels are available for use and if not allow the use of foreign flagged installation vessels; and (2) develop, maintain, and periodically update an inventory of installation vessels.
(Sec. 306) The bill modifies and provides statutory authority for several advisory committees, including authorizing members of advisory committees to be available to testify before Congress with respect to advice, reports, and recommendations submitted to the Coast Guard.
(Sec. 307) The Department of Homeland Security must remove a maritime lien after such lien expires.
(Sec. 308) The bill replaces the term "law enforcement personnel" with the term "emergency response providers" to allow the Coast Guard to engage with a broader array of partner agencies.
(Sec. 309) The bill prohibits causing the beam of a laser pointer to strike a vessel operating in the navigable waters of the United States.
(Sec. 310) The U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System must include a compendium of federal programs engaged in the marine transportation system in their submission provided to Congress every five years.
(Sec. 311) The Coast Guard may establish a safety zone to address special activities in the U.S. exclusive economic zone.
(Sec. 312) Operators of certain recreational vessels must use an engine cut-off switch link while operating on plane or above displacement speed.
(Sec. 313) The Coast Guard may accept a substitution for fittings, materials, equipment, arrangements, calculations, information, or tests if the substitution provides an equivalent level of safety on the affected recreational vessel.
(Sec. 314) The Coast Guard must review and approve Area Maritime Transportation Security Plans.
(Sec. 315) DOD must submit a written explanation of the circumstances that require a waiver of navigation and vessel inspection laws in the interest of national defense.
(Sec. 316) Funds distributed through the Maritime Administration's Small Shipyard Grant Program must be used for items produced or manufactured in the United States.
(Sec. 317) The National Academy of Public Administration must conduct a study of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
(Sec. 318) DOT must designate each state maritime academy as a center of excellence in maritime workforce training.
(Sec. 319) The bill revises the Coast Guard's authority to renew existing merchant mariner credentials.
TITLE IV--MISCELLANEOUS
(Sec. 401) The Coast Guard must review the adequacy of, and continuing need for, regulations requiring a U.S. documented vessel to comply with regulations for vessels engaged in an international voyage.
(Sec. 402) The Coast Guard must regularly assess available unmanned maritime systems and satellite vessel tracking technologies for potential use to support its missions.
(Sec. 403) The Coast Guard must establish a policy to allow the transfer of a member whose dependent is the victim of sexual assault perpetrated by a member of the Armed Forces who is unrelated to the victim.
(Sec. 404) The bill allows towing vessels to transit beyond the boundary line in certain limited situations.
(Sec. 405) The Coast Guard must enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the Academy will prepare an assessment of Coast Guard operational authorities.
(Sec. 406) The Coast Guard must submit to Congress a description of the its strategy to implement cloud computing.
(Sec. 407) The Coast Guard must report on the vulnerabilities of its installations and requirements resulting from climate change over the next twenty years.
(Sec. 408) The Coast Guard must develop a plan to address its shore infrastructure issues.
(Sec. 409) The Coast Guard must report on the status of its efforts to field a comprehensive Physical Access Control System.
(Sec. 410) The Coast Guard must issue certificates of documentation with coastwise endorsements for the vessels Safari Voyager (International Maritime Organization number 8963753) and Pacific Provider (United States official number 597967).
(Sec. 411) The Coast Guard must submit a report to Congress regarding the ongoing Polar Security Cutter acquisition.
(Sec. 412) The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the United States needs an additional Great Lakes icebreaker to facilitate commerce in the Great Lakes.
(Sec. 413) The GAO must conduct an audit regarding the enforcement of the U.S. cargo preference program.
(Sec. 414) The Coast Guard must brief Congress on a plan to expand the Coast Guard Insider Threat program to include the monitoring of all Coast Guard devices.
(Sec. 415) The bill requires the cap on the federal share of funds to apply to any funding with respect to providing fishing safety grants.
(Sec. 416) The Coast Guard must develop a plan for a demonstration program that will assess the feasibility of using unmanned aircraft systems for surveillance of marine protected areas.
(Sec. 417) The Coalbank Slough in Coos Bay, Oregon, is not considered navigable waters of the United States
(Sec. 418) The Coast Guard must brief Congress on Coast Guard housing, including the material condition of its housing facilities.
(Sec. 419) The bill permits remedial actions to be completed after the transfer of Coast Guard property at Point Spencer, Alaska.
(Sec. 420) The bill prohibits the Coast Guard from establishing new anchorages in the Hudson River between Yonkers, New York, and Kingston, New York.
(Sec. 421) The Coast Guard may extend the duration of a vessel certificate of documentation and certification of financial responsibility for a period of not more than one year.
(Sec. 422) The bill establishes a rotational cybersecurity research and training program at the Coast Guard Academy.
(Sec. 423) The bill prohibits the collection of towing vessels inspection fees until the Coast Guard completes a review of inspection costs and implements regulations to establish specific inspection fees.
(Sec. 424) An insurer or other indemnifier of a responsible party or injured third party is subject to the subrogated rights of that responsible party or injured third party to such compensation.
(Sec. 425) The bill eliminates the loan program that provided assistance to fishermen and aquaculture producers during the claims procedure with respect to oil pollution.
(Sec. 426) The bill provides different levels of liability for deepwater ports used in connection with the transportation of oil and the transportation of natural gas.
(Sec. 427) The Coast Guard must report on current drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean and whether the number of maritime surveillance hours used to counter illicit drug trafficking meets mission requirements.
(Sec. 428) The bill revises voting requirements for the western Alaska community development quota program panel.
(Sec. 429) The Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard must develop and implement a joint application for merchant mariner's documents and for a transportation security card.
(Sec. 430) The Coast Guard must develop plans for a wing-in-ground craft demonstration program.
TITLE V--REORGANIZATION
(Sec. 501) The bill reorganizes provisions in the U.S. Code related to uninspected commercial fishing industry vessels.
(Sec. 502) The bill redesignates several Coast Guard provisions in the U.S. Code, including provisions related to sexual assault and sexual harassment, and disputes regarding acquisitions.
(Sec. 503) The bill repeals provisions in the U.S. Code related to (1) service under licenses issued without examination, (2) standards for tank vessels of the United States, (3) Caribbean Support Tender Vessels, and (4) accident and incident notification.
TITLE VI--TECHNICAL, CONFORMING, AND CLARIFYING AMENDMENTS
(Sec. 601) The bill makes technical amendments to the U.S. Code to revise provisions related to the Coast Guard and shipping.
TITLE VII--FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
Federal Maritime Commission Authorization Act of 2019
(Sec. 702) The bill reauthorizes through FY2021 the Federal Maritime Commission.
TITLE VIII--COAST GUARD ACADEMY IMPROVEMENT ACT
Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act
(Sec. 802) The Coast Guard must enter into an arrangement with National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) under which NAPA will prepare an assessment of the level of cultural competence at the Coast Guard Academy.
(Sec. 803) The Coast Guard must annually report on diversity at the Coast Guard Academy.
(Sec. 804) The Coast Guard must enter into an arrangement with NAPA under which NAPA will conduct a comprehensive review of the Coast Guard Academy admissions process.
(Sec. 805) The bill establishes a minority outreach team at the Coast Guard Academy.
(Sec. 806) The bill authorizes a college pre-commissioning initiative program for the Coast Guard.
(Sec. 807) The Coast Guard Academy Board of Visitors must include recruitment and retention within its scope of review.