[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1780 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1780

  To amend the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to authorize State maritime 
 academies to reimburse qualified individuals for fees imposed for the 
 issuance of certain entry level merchant seamen licenses and merchant 
              mariners' documents, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 1993

 Mr. Fields of Texas (for himself, Mr. Studds, Mr. Tauzin, Ms. Snowe, 
and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to authorize State maritime 
 academies to reimburse qualified individuals for fees imposed for the 
 issuance of certain entry level merchant seamen licenses and merchant 
              mariners' documents, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Maritime Academy Licensing Relief 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT OF CERTAIN FEES BY STATE MARITIME ACADEMIES.

    (a) Condition of Assistance.--Section 1304(d) of the Merchant 
Marine Act, 1936 (46 App. U.S.C. 1295c(d)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
    ``(3)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), an agreement under this 
subsection shall require a State maritime academy to reimburse each 
qualified individual for any fee or charge for which the individual is 
liable to the United States for--
            ``(i) the issuance of an entry level license under chapter 
        71 of title 46, United States Code;
            ``(ii) the first issuance of a merchant mariner's document 
        under chapter 73 of that title;
            ``(iii) an evaluation or examination for such a license or 
        merchant mariner's document conducted before the end of the 
        period described in subparagraph (D)(ii); or
            ``(iv) an application for such a license, merchant 
        mariner's document, evaluation, or examination.
    ``(B) A State maritime academy shall reimburse qualified 
individuals under subparagraph (A) to the extent amounts are available 
under subparagraph (C).
    ``(C) In addition to annual payments under paragraph (1)(A) and 
subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall 
annually pay to each State maritime academy that enters into an 
agreement under paragraph (1) amounts to reimburse qualified 
individuals under subparagraph (A).
    ``(D) In this paragraph, the term `qualified individual' means an 
individual who--
            ``(i) is attending or is a graduate of a State maritime 
        academy;
            ``(ii) fulfills the requirements for a license or merchant 
        mariner's document described in subparagraph (A) not later than 
        three months after the date the individual graduates from a 
        State maritime academy; and
            ``(iii) is liable for a fee or charge described in 
        subparagraph (A).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) is 
effective October 1, 1993.
    (c) Amendment of Existing Agreements.--As soon as practicable after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation 
shall amend agreements under section 1304(d) of the Merchant Marine 
Act, 1936 (46 App. U.S.C. 1295c(d)) pursuant to the amendment made by 
subsection (a).
    (d) Additional Appropriations Authorized.--In addition to amounts 
authorized to be appropriated for assistance to State maritime 
academies, there is authorized to be appropriated $300,000 for Fiscal 
Year 1994 to reimburse qualified individuals pursuant to the amendment 
made by subsection (a).

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