S.Amdt. 3646

This amendment proposes the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, providing a comprehensive set of authorizations, policy changes, and legal updates for the United States Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Funding, Personnel, and Welfare

• Budget and Staffing: Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, updates military strength levels, and introduces direct hire authority for specific roles.
• Member Support: Updates family leave policies, provides maternity uniform allowances for officers, and creates an "Embedded Behavioral Health Technician Program."
• Education: Establishes a college student precommissioning initiative, a tuition assistance pilot program for sea duty, and reinstates training on the workings of Congress.
• Administrative Updates: Changes the designation of Vice Admirals and establishes a Commandant Advisory Judge Advocate and a Special Advisor to the Commandant for Tribal and Native Hawaiian Affairs.

Sexual Misconduct and Accountability

• Victim Support: Creates extensive protocols for responding to sexual assault and harassment, including "safe-to-report" policies for minor misconduct, expedited transfers for victims, and expanded medical exams for PTSD or sexual assault.
• Oversight: Mandates independent reviews, requires records of sexual misconduct to be kept for at least 50 years, and creates a policy for reporting allegations against senior leaders (O-7 or higher and Senior Executive Service) to the Inspector General within 72 hours.
• Discipline: Allows for the downgrade of honorable discharges to general discharges for those found to have committed sexual assault or harassment and requires misconduct notations in service records.
• Whistleblowers: Requires a comprehensive report on whistleblower protections and accountability for those who retaliate.

Maritime Safety and Operations

• Vessel Oversight: Sets penalties for grossly negligent vessel operation and introduces a performance-driven examination schedule for foreign vessels.
• Environmental and Safety Issues: Prohibits the abandonment of "covered vessels" (non-barges), establishes a national inventory of abandoned vessels, and mandates a web-based app for reporting oil discharges.
• Technology: Establishes a National Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Systems, creates a NOAA pilot program for small uncrewed maritime systems, and mandates Coast Guard training on these systems.
• Security: Expands waterfront safety definitions to include cyber incidents and foreign state threats, and prohibits representatives of governments supporting international terrorism from visiting secure facilities.

Coast Guard Academy

• Governance: Reorganizes the Board of Visitors and establishes the Coast Guard Academy Student and Women Advisory Board.
• Facilities and Safety: Mandates electronic locks for cadet rooms, the construction of two behavioral health and wellness rooms, and allows room reassignment requests based on discomfort.
• Legal: Establishes concurrent jurisdiction between the Federal Government and the State of Connecticut for investigating crimes on Academy property.

Acquisitions and Infrastructure

• Asset Management: Modifies rules for lead systems integrators, requires life-cycle cost estimates for new vessels and aircraft, and establishes "service life extension programs."
• Strategic Planning: Mandates new strategies for Great Lakes icebreaking and regular reports on Polar Security Cutters.
• Property: Allows cooperative agreements with State, Tribal, or local governments to manage natural and cultural resources on Coast Guard installations.

NOAA and International Treaties

• NOAA Corps: Changes the head of the Corps to Assistant Administrator, requires fleet modernization plans every two years, and establishes Cooperative Aviation Centers.
• South Pacific Tuna Treaty: Updates the South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988 regarding fishing licenses, prohibited acts, legal penalties, and enforcement authorities.
• North Pacific Research Board: Adds a member representing Alaska Natives and modifies the 15 percent cap on administrative expenses.

Reports and Studies

• Operational Assessments: Directs studies on the Coast Guard's ability to conduct primary missions, the replacement of the Bay class icebreaking tug fleet, and maritime domain awareness for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
• Administrative Reviews: Mandates evaluations of training facility infrastructure, behavioral health care quality, Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) misalignment, and the JROT C program.