[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3508 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.3508
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen
An Act
To reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Act to promote international
action to reduce marine debris, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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This Act may be cited as the ``Save Our Seas Act of 2018''.

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Section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(B) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) work to develop outreach and education strategies with
other Federal agencies to address sources of marine debris;
``(7) except for discharges of marine debris from vessels, in
consultation with the Department of State and other Federal
agencies, promote international action, as appropriate, to reduce
the incidence of marine debris, including providing technical
assistance to expand waste management systems internationally; and
``(8) in the case of an event determined to be a severe marine
debris event under subsection (c)--
``(A) assist in the cleanup and response required by the
severe marine debris event; or
``(B) conduct such other activity as the Administrator
determines is appropriate in response to the severe marine
debris event.'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d);
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) Severe Marine Debris Events.--At the discretion of the
Administrator or at the request of the Governor of an affected State,
the Administrator shall determine whether there is a severe marine
debris event.''; and
(4) in subsection (d)(2), as redesignated--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``subparagraph (B)''
and inserting ``subparagraphs (B) and (C)''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Severe marine debris events.--Notwithstanding
subparagraph (A), the Federal share of the cost of an activity
carried out under a determination made under subsection (c)
shall be--
``(i) 100 percent of the cost of the activity, for an
activity funded wholly by funds made available by a person,
including the government of a foreign country, to the
Federal Government for the purpose of responding to a
severe marine debris event; or
``(ii) 75 percent of the cost of the activity, for any
activity other than an activity funded as described in
clause (i).''.

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TITLE I

-MARINE DEBRIS

TO MARINE DEBRIS.
It is the sense of Congress that the President should--
(1) support research and development on systems and materials
that reduce--
(A) derelict fishing gear; and
(B) the amount of solid waste that is generated from land-
based sources and the amount of such waste that enters the
marine environment;
(2) work with representatives of foreign countries that
discharge the largest amounts of solid waste from land-based
sources into the marine environment, to develop mechanisms to
reduce such discharges;
(3) carry out studies to determine--
(A) the primary means of discharges referred to in
paragraph (2);
(B) the manner in which waste management infrastructure can
be most effective in preventing such discharges; and
(C) the long-term impacts of marine debris on the national
economies of the countries with which work is undertaken under
paragraph (2) and on the global economy, including the impacts
of reducing the discharge of such debris;
(4) work with representatives of the countries with which work
is undertaken in paragraph (2) to conclude one or more new
international agreements that include provisions--
(A) to mitigate the discharge of land-based solid waste
into the marine environment; and
(B) to provide technical assistance and investment in waste
management infrastructure to reduce such discharges, if the
President determines such assistance or investment is
appropriate; and
(5) encourage the United States Trade Representative to
consider the impact of discharges of land-based solid waste from
the countries with which work is conducted under paragraph (2) in
relevant future trade agreements.

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MARINE DEBRIS ACTION PLAN.
It is the sense of Congress that the Great Lakes Land-Based Marine
Debris Action Plan (NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-49) is vital to
the ongoing efforts to clean up the Great Lakes Region and getting rid
of harmful debris, such as microplastics, abandoned vessels, and other
forms of pollution that are threatening the survival of native marine
animals and damaging the Great Lakes' recreation and tourism economy.

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COMMITTEE.
Section 5(b) of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1954(b)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (7); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) the Department of State;
``(6) the Department of the Interior; and''.

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Section 9 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1958) is amended to
read as follows:
``SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Administrator $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022
for carrying out sections 3, 5, and 6, of which not more than 5 percent
is authorized for each fiscal year for administrative costs.
``(b) Amounts Authorized for Coast Guard.--Of the amounts
authorized for each fiscal year under section 2702(1) of title 14,
United States Code, up to $2,000,000 is authorized for the Secretary of
the department in which the Coast Guard is operating for use by the
Commandant of the Coast Guard to carry out section 4 of this Act, of
which not more than 5 percent is authorized for each fiscal year for
administrative costs.''.

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This title may be cited as the ``Hamm Alert Maritime Safety Act of
2018''.

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TITLE II

-MARITIME SAFETY

Congress finds the following:
(1) On September 29, 2015, the SS El Faro cargo vessel left
Jacksonville, Florida bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico, carrying 391
shipping containers, 294 trailers and cars, and a crew of 33
people, including 28 Americans.
(2) On the morning of October 1, the El Faro sent its final
communication reporting that the engines were disabled and the ship
was listing, leaving the ship directly in the path of Hurricane
Joaquin and resulting in the sinking of the vessel and the loss of
all 33 lives.
(3) The National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast
Guard made recommendations to address safety issues, such as
improving weather information and training, improving planning and
response to severe weather, reviewing the Coast Guard's program
delegating vessel inspections to third-party organizations to
assess the effectiveness of the program, and improving alerts and
equipment on the vessels, among other recommendations.
(4) Safety issues are not limited to the El Faro. For 2017,
over 21,000 deficiencies were issued to United States commercial
vessels and more than 2,500 U.S. vessels were issued ``no-sail''
requirements.
(5) The maritime industry, particularly the men and women of
the United States merchant marine, play a vital and important role
to the national security and economy of our country, and a strong
safety regime is necessary to ensure the vitality of the industry
and the protection of current and future mariners, and to honor
lost mariners.

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In this title:
(1) Commandant.--The term ``Commandant'' means the Commandant
of the Coast Guard.
(2) Recognized organization.--The term ``recognized
organization'' has the meaning given that term in section 2.45-1 of
title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the department in which the Coast Guard is operating.

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(a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date on which the
President submits to the Congress a budget each year pursuant to
section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the Commandant shall
publish on a publicly accessible Website information documenting
domestic vessel compliance with the requirements of subtitle II of
title 46, United States Code.
(b) Content.--The information required under subsection (a) shall--
(1) include flag-State detention rates for each type of
inspected vessel; and
(2) identify any recognized organization that inspected or
surveyed a vessel that was later subject to a Coast Guard-issued
control action attributable to a major nonconformity that the
recognized organization failed to identify in such inspection or
survey.

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(a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct an audit regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the
Coast Guard's oversight and enforcement of safety management plans
required under chapter 32 of title 46, United States Code.
(b) Scope.--The audit conducted under subsection (a) shall include
an evaluation of--
(1) the effectiveness and implementation of safety management
plans, including such plans for--
(A) a range of vessel types and sizes; and
(B) vessels that operate in a cross-section of regional
operating areas; and
(2) the effectiveness and implementation of safety management
plans in addressing the impact of heavy weather.
(c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Comptroller General 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 detailing the results of the audit and providing recommendations
related to such results, including ways to streamline and focus such
plans on ship safety.
(d) Marine Safety Alert.--Not later than 60 days after the date the
report is submitted under subsection (c), the Commandant shall publish
a Marine Safety Alert providing notification of the completion of the
report and including a link to the report on a publicly accessible
website.
(e) Additional Actions.--
(1) In general.--Upon completion of the report under subsection
(c), the Commandant shall consider additional guidance or a
rulemaking to address any deficiencies identified, and any
additional actions recommended, in the report.
(2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date the report is
submitted under subsection (c), 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 on the actions the Commandant has taken
to address any deficiencies identified, and any additional actions
recommended, in the report submitted under subsection (c).

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(a) Regulations.--
(1) In general.--Section 3306 of title 46, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(l)(1) The Secretary shall require that a freight vessel
inspected under this chapter be outfitted with distress signaling and
location technology for the higher of--
``(A) the minimum complement of officers and crew specified on
the certificate of inspection for such vessel; or
``(B) the number of persons onboard the vessel; and
``(2) the requirement described in paragraph (1) shall not apply to
vessels operating within the baseline from which the territorial sea of
the United States is measured.
``(m)(1) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations requiring
companies to maintain records of all incremental weight changes made to
freight vessels inspected under this chapter, and to track weight
changes over time to facilitate rapid determination of the aggregate
total.
``(2) Records maintained under paragraph (1) shall be stored, in
paper or electronic form, onboard such vessels for not less than 3
years and shoreside for the life of the vessel.''.
(2) Deadlines.--The Secretary shall--
(A) begin implementing the requirement under section
3306(l) of title 46, United States Code, as amended by this
subsection, by not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act; and
(B) promulgate the regulations required under section
3306(m) of title 46, United States Code, as amended by this
subsection, by not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(b) Engagement.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall seek to enter into
negotiations through the International Maritime Organization to amend
regulation 25 of chapter II-1 of the International Convention for the
Safety of Life at Sea to require a high-water alarm sensor in each
cargo hold of a freight vessel (as that term is defined in section 2101
of title 46, United States Code), that connects with audible and visual
alarms on the navigation bridge of the vessel.

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(a) In General.--Chapter 63 of title 46, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 6309. Voyage data recorder access
``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Coast Guard shall
have full, concurrent, and timely access to and ability to use voyage
data recorder data and audio held by any Federal agency in all marine
casualty investigations, regardless of which agency is the
investigative lead.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for such chapter is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``6309. Voyage data recorder access.''.

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(a) Float-Free and Beacon Requirements.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall seek to enter into
negotiations through the International Maritime Organization to
amend regulation 20 of chapter V of the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea to require that all voyage data
recorders are installed in a float-free arrangement and contain an
integrated emergency position indicating radio beacon.
(2) Progress update.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this 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 an update on the progress of the engagement
required under paragraph (1).
(b) Cost-Benefit Analysis.--Not later than 2 years after the date
of the enactment of this 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 cost-benefit analysis of requiring that voyage data
recorders installed on commercial vessels documented under chapter 121
of title 46, United States Code, capture communications on the internal
telephone systems of such vessels, including requiring the capture of
both sides of all communications with the bridge onboard such vessels.

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Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Commandant shall, subject to the availability of appropriations,
identify and procure equipment that will provide search-and-rescue
units the ability to attach a radio or Automated Identification System
strobe or beacon to an object that is not immediately retrievable.

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(a) Prospective Sector Commander Training.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall
implement an Officer in Charge, Marine Inspections segment to the
sector commander indoctrination course for prospective sector
commanders without a Coast Guard prevention ashore officer specialty
code.
(b) Steamship Inspections.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall implement steam plant
inspection training for Coast Guard marine inspectors and, subject to
availability, recognized organizations to which authority is delegated
under section 3316 of title 46, United States Code.
(c) Advanced Journeyman Inspector Training.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall establish advanced
training to provide instruction on the oversight of recognized
organizations to which authority is delegated under section 3316 of
title 46, United States Code, auditing responsibilities, and the
inspection of unique vessel types.
(2) Recipients.--The Commandant shall--
(A) require that such training be completed by senior Coast
Guard marine inspectors; and
(B) subject to availability of training capacity, make such
training available to recognized organization surveyors
authorized by the Coast Guard to conduct inspections.
(d) Coast Guard Inspections Staff; Briefing.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall
provide to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of
the House of Representatives a briefing detailing--
(1) the estimated time and funding necessary to triple the
current size of the Coast Guard's traveling inspector staff; and
(2) other options available to the Coast Guard to enhance and
maintain marine safety knowledge, including discussion of increased
reliance on--
(A) civilian marine inspectors;
(B) experienced licensed mariners;
(C) retired members of the Coast Guard;
(D) arranging for Coast Guard inspectors to ride onboard
commercial oceangoing vessels documented under chapter 121 of
title 46, United States Code, to gain experience and insight;
and
(E) extending tour-lengths for Coast Guard marine safety
officers assigned to inspection billets.
(e) Audits; Coast Guard Attendance and Performance.--Not later than
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant
shall--
(1) update Coast Guard policy to utilize risk analysis to
target the attendance of Coast Guard personnel during external
safety management certificate and document of compliance audits;
and
(2) perform a quality assurance audit of recognized
organization representation and performance regarding United
States-flagged vessels.

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Section 6101(i)(3) of title 46, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``$500,000'' and inserting ``$2,000,000''.

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(a) Major Conversion Determinations.--
(1) Review of policies and procedures.--The Commandant shall
conduct a review of policies and procedures for making and
documenting major conversion determinations, including an
examination of the deference given to precedent.
(2) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall provide to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives a briefing on the findings of the review
required by paragraph (1).
(b) Ventilators, Openings and Stability Standards.--
(1) Review.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall complete a review of
the effectiveness of United States regulations, international
conventions, recognized organizations' class rules, and Coast Guard
technical policy regarding--
(A) ventilators and other hull openings;
(B) fire dampers and other closures protecting openings
normally open during operations;
(C) intact and damage stability standards under subchapter
S of chapter I of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations; and
(D) lifesaving equipment for mariners, including survival
suits and life jackets.
(2) Briefing.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall provide to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives a briefing on the effectiveness of the
regulations, international conventions, recognized organizations'
class rules, and Coast Guard technical policy reviewed under
paragraph (1).
(c) Self-Locating Datum Marker Buoys.--Not later than 6 months
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall
provide to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of
the House of Representatives a briefing on the reliability of self-
locating datum marker buoys and other similar technology used during
Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations. The briefing shall include a
description of reasonable steps the Commandant could take to increase
the reliability of such buoys, including the potential to leverage
technology used by the Navy, and how protocols could be developed to
conduct testing of such buoys before using them for operations.
(d) Correction.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the Secretary of Transportation, for purposes of section 502(f)(4)
of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976
(45 U.S.C. 822(f)(4)) (as in effect on the day before the
amendments made by section 11607 of Public Law 114-94 (129 Stat.
1698) took effect)--
(A) not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, and in consultation with the Director of the Office
of Management and Budget, shall define the term ``cohorts of
loans'';
(B) before the deadline described in paragraph (2), shall
return to the original source, on a pro rata basis, the credit
risk premiums paid for the loans in the cohort of loans, with
interest accrued thereon, that were not used to mitigate
losses; and
(C) shall not treat the repayment of a loan after the date
of enactment of Public Law 114-94 as precluding, limiting, or
negatively affecting the satisfaction of the obligation of its
cohort prior to the enactment of Public Law 114-94.
(2) Deadline described.--The deadline described in this
paragraph is--
(A) if all obligations attached to a cohort of loans have
been satisfied, not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act; and
(B) if all obligations attached to a cohort of loans have
not been satisfied, not later than 60 days after the date on
which all obligations attached to the cohort of loans are
satisfied.
(e) Oversight Program; Effectiveness.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall commission an
assessment of the effectiveness of the Coast Guard's oversight of
recognized organizations and its impact on compliance by and safety
of vessels inspected by such organizations.
(2) Experience.--The assessment commissioned under paragraph
(1) shall be conducted by a research organization with significant
experience in maritime operations and marine safety.
(3) Submission to congress.--Not later than 180 days after the
date that the assessment required under paragraph (1) is completed,
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
the results of such assessment.

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(a) Freight Vessels; Damage Control Information.--Within 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue
flag-State guidance for all freight vessels documented under chapter
121 of title 46, United States Code, built before January 1, 1992,
regarding the inclusion of comprehensive damage control information in
safety management plans required under chapter 32 of title 46, United
States Code.
(b) Recognized Organizations; United States Supplement.--The
Commandant shall--
(1) work with recognized organizations to create a single
United States Supplement to rules of such organizations for
classification of vessels; and
(2) by not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, provide to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a briefing on
whether it is necessary to revise part 8 of title 46, Code of
Federal Regulations, to authorize only one United States Supplement
to such rules.

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Section 2116 of title 46, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``each year of an annual''
and inserting ``of a triennial'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Annual'' and
inserting ``Triennial''; and
(B) by striking ``annual'' each place it appears and
inserting ``triennial'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``fiscal year 2011 and each fiscal year''
and inserting ``fiscal year 2020 and triennially''; and
(B) by striking ``annual plan'' and inserting ``triennial
plan''; and
(4) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ``annually'' and
inserting ``triennially''.

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(a) In General.--Section 3316 of title 46, United States Code, is
amended by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h), and by
inserting after subsection (f) the following:
``(g)(1) There shall be within the Coast Guard an office that
conducts comprehensive and targeted oversight of all recognized
organizations that act on behalf of the Coast Guard.
``(2) The staff of the office shall include subject matter experts,
including inspectors, investigators, and auditors, who possess the
capability and authority to audit all aspects of such recognized
organizations.
``(3) In this subsection the term `recognized organization' has the
meaning given that term in section 2.45-1 of title 46, Code of Federal
Regulations, as in effect on the date of the enactment of the Hamm
Alert Maritime Safety Act of 2018.''.
(b) Deadline for Establishment.--The Commandant of the Coast Guard
shall establish the office required by the amendment made by subsection
(a) by not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this
Act.

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MERCHANT MARINERS.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Commandant shall seek to enter into negotiations through the
International Maritime Organization to amend the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea to require that vessels
subject to the requirements of such Convention receive--
(1) timely synoptic and graphical chart weather forecasts; and
(2) where available, timely hazard advisories for merchant
mariners, including broadcasts of tropical cyclone forecasts and
advisories, intermediate public advisories, and tropical cyclone
updates to mariners via appropriate technologies.

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(a) Pilot Program.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall establish an anonymous
safety alert pilot program.
(b) Requirements.--The pilot program established under subsection
(a) shall provide an anonymous reporting mechanism to allow crew
members to communicate urgent and dire safety concerns directly and in
a timely manner with the Coast Guard.

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(a) In General.--Not later than December 19 of 2018, and of each of
the 2 subsequent years thereafter, the Commandant shall provide to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives a briefing on the status of implementation of each
action outlined in the Commandant's final action memo dated December
19, 2017, regarding the sinking and loss of the vessel El Faro.
(b) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General shall
report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives on the status of the Coast Guard's
implementation of each action outlined in the Commandant's final action
memo dated December 19, 2017, regarding the sinking and loss of the
vessel El Faro.

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(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall review the authorities that
have been delegated to recognized organizations for the alternative
compliance program as described in subpart D of part 8 of title 46,
Code of Federal Regulations, and, if necessary, revise or establish
policies and procedures to ensure those delegated authorities are being
conducted in a manner to ensure safe maritime transportation.
(b) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall provide to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a
briefing on the implementation of subsection (a).

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This title may be cited as the ``Coast Guard Blue Technology Center
of Expertise Act''.

f081a58b3cddf46e8dc998b3df54b2237705dc34f1ff32bf81288fd946f89638

TITLE III

-CENTER OF EXPERTISE

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act and subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Commandant may establish under section 58 of title
14, United States Code, a Blue Technology center of expertise.
(b) Missions.--In addition to the missions listed in section 58(b)
of title 14, United States Code, the Center may--
(1) promote awareness within the Coast Guard of the range and
diversity of Blue Technologies and their potential to enhance Coast
Guard mission readiness, operational performance, and regulation of
such technologies;
(2) function as an interactive conduit to enable the sharing
and dissemination of Blue Technology information between the Coast
Guard and representatives from the private sector, academia,
nonprofit organizations, and other Federal agencies;
(3) increase awareness among Blue Technology manufacturers,
entrepreneurs, and vendors of Coast Guard acquisition policies,
procedures, and business practices;
(4) provide technical support, coordination, and assistance to
Coast Guard districts and the Coast Guard Research and Development
Center, as appropriate; and
(5) subject to the requirements of the Coast Guard Academy,
coordinate with the Academy to develop appropriate curricula
regarding Blue Technology to be offered in professional courses of
study to give Coast Guard cadets and officer candidates a greater
background and understanding of Blue Technologies.
(c) Blue Technology Exposition; Briefing.--Not later than 6 months
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall
provide to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a briefing on the costs and benefits of
hosting a biennial Coast Guard Blue Technology exposition to further
interactions between representatives from the private sector, academia,
and nonprofit organizations, and the Coast Guard and examine emerging
technologies and Coast Guard mission demands.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Blue Technology
center of expertise established under this section.
(2) Commandant.--The term ``Commandant'' means the Commandant
of the Coast Guard.
(3) Blue technology.--The term ``Blue Technology'' means any
technology, system, or platform that--
(A) is designed for use or application above, on, or below
the sea surface or that is otherwise applicable to Coast Guard
operational needs, including such a technology, system, or
platform that provides continuous or persistent coverage; and
(B) supports or facilitates--
(i) maritime domain awareness, including--
(I) surveillance and monitoring;
(II) observation, measurement, and modeling: or
(III) information technology and communications;
(ii) search and rescue;
(iii) emergency response;
(iv) maritime law enforcement;
(v) marine inspections and investigations; or
(vi) protection and conservation of the marine
environment.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.

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Save Our Seas Act of 2018 — S. 3508

Other Sections

TITLE I

TITLE II

TITLE III

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