[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1557 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1557

To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 for certain 
 maritime programs of the Department of Transportation, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 26, 1999

     Mr. Bateman (for himself and Mr. Underwood) (both by request) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 for certain 
 maritime programs of the Department of Transportation, 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 Administration 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEARS 2000 AND 2001.

    Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated, as Appropriations 
Acts may provide, for the use of the Department of Transportation for 
the Maritime Administration as follows:
            (1) For expenses necessary for operations and training 
        activities, not to exceed $72,164,000 for the fiscal year 
        ending September 30, 2000.
            (2) For the costs, as defined in section 502 of the Federal 
        Credit Reform Act of 1990, of guaranteed loans authorized by 
        title XI of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended (46 App. 
        U.S.C. 1271 et seq.), $6,000,000, to be available until 
        expended. In addition, for administrative expenses related to 
        loan guarantee commitments under title XI of the Merchant 
        Marine Act, 1936, as amended (46 App. U.S.C. 1271 et seq.), 
        $3,893,000.
            (3) For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, such 
        sums as may be necessary.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO TITLE XI OF THE MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 1936.

    (a) Section 1108(a) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 App. 
U.S.C. 1279a(a)) is amended by striking the language preceding the 
proviso and inserting in its place the following:
    ``(a) Creation.--If the proceeds of an obligation guaranteed under 
this title are to be used to finance the construction, reconstruction, 
or reconditioning of a vessel or vessels which will serve as security 
for the guarantee of the Secretary, the Secretary is authorized to 
accept and hold, in escrow under an escrow agreement with the obligor, 
proceeds of that obligation (together with such interest as may be 
earned thereon and, if required by the Secretary, an amount equal to 6 
month's interest on the obligation). The Secretary may not release 
funds from the escrow until the Secretary first determines that the 
obligor has paid its portion of the actual cost of constructing, 
reconstructing, or reconditioning the vessel or vessels and, second, 
determines that the funds to be released are needed to pay, or make 
reimbursements in connection with payments previously made to the 
shipyard or other contractors for work performed, or to pay for other 
approved costs, with respect to the vessel or vessels.''.
    (b) Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, is amended by 
inserting immediately after section 1108, the following new section:

``SEC. 1109. RESERVE FUNDS AND COLLATERAL ACCOUNTS.

    ``(a) Creation of Funds and Accounts.--There is hereby established 
in the Treasury a deposit fund into which the Secretary is authorized 
to deposit cash belonging to an obligor so long as the Secretary has a 
security interest in such cash. The account shall be governed by the 
terms of an agreement, as described hereunder, to be entered into by 
the Secretary and an obligor.
    ``(b) Terms of Agreement.--The Secretary and an obligor shall enter 
into a reserve fund or other collateral account agreement to govern the 
making of deposits and withdrawals and the retention, use, and 
reinvestment of the cash deposited under subsection (a) above. The 
agreement shall contain such terms and conditions as are further 
required hereunder and as are considered by the Secretary to be 
necessary to protect fully the interests of the United States.
    ``(c) Investment.--The Secretary is authorized to invest and 
reinvest any part of the cash of a reserve fund or collateral account 
in obligations of the United States with such maturities that these 
funds and accounts will be available as required for purposes of the 
agreement. Cash balances of the deposit fund in excess of current 
requirements shall be maintained in a form of uninvested funds and the 
Secretary of the Treasury shall pay interest on these funds.
    ``(d) Income.--The cash deposited in a reserve fund or collateral 
account may not be withdrawn without the consent of the Secretary. The 
Secretary may retain and offset any or all of the cash on deposit in a 
reserve fund or collateral account, and any income realized thereon, as 
part of the Secretary's recovery against an obligor that has defaulted 
on an obligation. In the absence of a default on an obligation, the 
Secretary may pay any income realized on a reserve fund or collateral 
account in accordance with the terms of the agreement.''.

SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO TITLE IX OF THE MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 1936.

    (a) Title IX of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended (46 App. 
U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by adding immediately after section 902 
the following new section:

``SEC. 903. DOCUMENTATION OF CERTAIN DRY CARGO VESSELS.

    ``The restrictions of section 901(b)(1) of this Act concerning the 
building, rebuilding, or documentation of a vessel in a foreign country 
shall not apply to dry bulk vessels and breakbulk vessels over 5,000 
deadweight tons and constructed, reconstructed, or acquired in a 
foreign shipyard within one year of the date of enactment of this 
section and prior to enactment of the OECD Shipbuilding Trade Agreement 
Act, whichever occurs earlier, and have transferred to United States 
flag registry under section 12105 of title 46, United States Code, 
except that (1) such vessels have nonemergency shipyard repairs, and 
other shipyard work necessary to conform the vessel to United States 
flag standards, performed in a shipyard of the United States, (2) such 
vessels comply with the standards set forth in section 1137 of the 
Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996 (46 App. U.S.C. 1187 note), (3) 
such vessels shall not be granted approval under section 9(e) of the 
Shipping Act, 1916, as amended on October 19, 1996, and (4) the 
provisions of section 607 of this Act shall not apply to vessels 
constructed, reconstructed, modified, or acquired pursuant to this 
section.''.
    (b) Section 901b(c)(2) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended 
(46 U.S.C. App. 1241f(c)(2)) is amended by striking ``1986.'' and 
inserting ``1986, the 18-month period commencing April 1, 1999, and the 
12-month period beginning on the first day of October in the year 2000 
and each year thereafter.''.

SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF WAR RISK INSURANCE AUTHORITY.

    Section 1214 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended (46 App. 
U.S.C. 1294) is amended by striking ``June 30, 2000'' and inserting 
``June 30, 2005''.

SEC. 6. TRANSPORTATION REPORT ON MARITIME ACTIVITIES.

    Section 208 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended (46 App. 
U.S.C. 1118) is amended by--
            (1) striking ``and the Secretary of Transportation shall''; 
        and
            (2) inserting ``and the Secretary of Transportation, by 
        April 1 of each odd-numbered year, shall'' before ``make''.

SEC. 7. OWNERSHIP OF THE JEREMIAH O'BRIEN.

    Section 3302 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``owned by the United States Maritime Administration'' and 
inserting in lieu thereof ``owned by the National Liberty Ship 
Memorial, Inc.''.
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