Text of Senate Amendment 6453

On 2026-06-24, Senator Todd Young (R-IN) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6453" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6453

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3578-S3580] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6453. Mr. YOUNG (for himself and Mr. Kelly) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following: Subtitle __--Maritime SEC. ___. ALTERNATE STANDARDS. (a) In General.--Chapter 33 of title 46, United States Code, is amended-- (1) by redesignating sections 3317 and 3318 as sections 3318 and 3319, respectively; and (2) by inserting after section 3316 the following: ``Sec. 3317. Alternate standards ``(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Maritime Administrator, shall establish a program to allow a self-propelled vessel used to provide oceangoing transportation that is not documented under chapter 121 of this title to be eligible for a certificate of inspection if the Secretary determines that-- ``(1) the owner of the vessel has agreed to apply to have the vessel documented under chapter 121 of this title upon receiving the certificate; ``(2) at the time of the receipt of such certificate, the vessel is eligible for documentation under such chapter; ``(3) the vessel is classed by and designed in accordance with the rules of a classification society accepted by the Secretary; ``(4) in the case that the vessel was documented under the laws of a country other than the United States before becoming eligible for documentation under chapter 121 of this title, the vessel complies with applicable international agreements and associated guidelines, as determined by the country in which the vessel was last documented immediately before becoming eligible for documentation under such chapter, notwithstanding any other law including any regulation; ``(5) the vessel has been assessed for cybersecurity and surveillance risks; and ``(6) in the case that the vessel was documented under the laws of a country other than the United States before becoming eligible for documentation under chapter 121 of this title, the country in which the vessel was last documented before becoming eligible for documentation under such chapter has not been identified by the Secretary as inadequately enforcing international vessel regulations as to that vessel. ``(b) Continued Eligibility for Certificate.--In the case of a vessel described in subsection (a)(4), this section does not apply to the vessel after any date on which the vessel fails to comply with the applicable international agreements and associated guidelines described in such subsection. ``(c) Reliance on Classification Society.-- ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may rely on a certification from the American Bureau of Shipping or, subject to paragraph (2), another classification society accepted by the Secretary to establish that a vessel is in compliance with the requirements of paragraphs (3), (4), and (6) of subsection (a) and of subsection (b). ``(2) Foreign classification society.--The Secretary may accept certification from a foreign classification society under paragraph (1) only-- ``(A) to the extent that the government of the foreign country in which the society is headquartered provides access on a reciprocal basis to the American Bureau of Shipping; and ``(B) if the foreign classification society has offices and maintains records in the United States. [[Page S3579]] ``(d) Rulemaking Procedure.--The Secretary may initiate a rulemaking procedure to implement the standard under this section. ``(e) Savings Provision.--Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to affect requirements related to merchant seamen credentials under part E of subtitle II of this title or the requirements related to manning of vessels under part F of such subtitle.''. (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 33 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by striking the items relating to sections 3317 and 3318 and inserting the following: ``3317. Alternate standards. ``3318. Fees. ``3319. Penalties.''. SEC. __. RULEMAKING COMMITTEE ON COMMERCIAL MARITIME REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS. (a) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Covered regulation.--The term ``covered regulation''-- (A) means a commercial regulation or standard issued by the Secretary relating to the operation of vessels in foreign commerce, including-- (i) vessel design and engineering standards; (ii) merchant mariner training and credentialing; or (iii) vessel operating and environmental standards; and (B) does not include any commercial regulation or standard issued by the Secretary that exclusively applies to vessels in domestic commerce. (2) Rulemaking committee.--The term ``rulemaking committee'' means the committee established under subsection (b). (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating. (b) Establishment of Rulemaking Committee.--There is established, in the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, a rulemaking committee on commercial maritime regulations and standards to-- (1) review, and develop findings and recommendations regarding, the covered regulations; and (2) provide to the Secretary a report on opportunities to review and update regulations governing vessel design and engineering, vessel and facility operation and environmental standards, and merchant mariner credentialing, in order to-- (A) revitalize the merchant marine and the commercial maritime industry in the United States; and (B) better align, and limit redundancies between, the regulatory standards of the Coast Guard and the International Maritime Organization and international treaty requirements, while protecting United States mariners and the United States maritime industry from foreign regulations that undermine the maritime industrial competitiveness of the United States. (c) Members.-- (1) Composition of rulemaking committee.--The Secretary shall appoint the following as members of the rulemaking committee: (A) Each of the following Federal officers or employees, or their designees: (i) The Maritime Administrator. (ii) The Commandant of the Coast Guard. (iii) The Secretary of Commerce. (iv) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget. (v) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. (vi) The Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission. (vii) The chief United States delegate to the International Maritime Organization. (viii) The Secretary of State. (B) Representatives from recognized classification societies, including the American Bureau of Shipping. (C) Representatives of industry, including-- (i) owners and operators of vessels in domestic and foreign commerce of the United States; (ii) shipbuilders; and (iii) other representatives of industry the Secretary determines appropriate. (D) Individuals with a merchant mariner credential, as defined in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code. (E) Representatives of maritime labor organizations. (F) Experts in maritime safety and regulatory matters. (G) Other stakeholders the Secretary determines appropriate. (2) Period of appointment; vacancies.-- (A) In general.--A member of the rulemaking committee shall be appointed for the life of the rulemaking committee. (B) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the rulemaking committee-- (i) shall not affect the powers of the rulemaking committee; and (ii) shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. (3) Chairperson and vice chairperson.--The Secretary shall select a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the members of the rulemaking committee. (d) Meetings.-- (1) Initial meeting.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convene the rulemaking committee for the first meeting of the rulemaking committee. (2) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the rulemaking committee shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings. (e) Duties of Committee.-- (1) Considerations.--The rulemaking committee shall consider each of the following: (A) How the covered regulations interact with and compare to the treaty requirements and regulations established by the International Maritime Organization, including comparisons and interactions on the basis of-- (i) safety; (ii) cost; (iii) enforceability and compliance; and (iv) international competitiveness. (B) The benefits and challenges vessel owners and operators and United States mariners encounter when complying with both regulations of the International Maritime Organization and the covered regulations. (C) The role that covered regulations play in enhancing the size and strength of the merchant marine and the domestic and international fleet of the United States. (D) Recommended changes to covered regulations, and regulatory frameworks, to better promote alignment with international standards and the standards of countries that are allies and partners, with a focus on-- (i) increasing opportunities for qualified mariners that enter the merchant marine and reducing the barriers that lead qualified mariners to leave the merchant marine; (ii) increasing the number of vessels of the United States that are operating in domestic and foreign commerce; (iii) enhancing United States leadership within the International Maritime Organization and other international treaty organizations with a focus on the maritime industry; (iv) streamlining regulatory processes and processing timelines