[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4508 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4508
To commend the outstanding efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina by
members and employees of the Coast Guard, to provide temporary relief
to certain persons affected by such hurricane with respect to certain
laws administered by the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 13, 2005
Mr. Young of Alaska (for himself, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. LoBiondo, Mr.
Filner, Mr. Boustany, Mr. Coble, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Baker, Mr. Taylor of
Mississippi, Mr. Melancon, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Fortuno, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr.
Mack, Mr. Alexander, Ms. Schwartz of Pennsylvania, and Ms. Eddie
Bernice Johnson of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To commend the outstanding efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina by
members and employees of the Coast Guard, to provide temporary relief
to certain persons affected by such hurricane with respect to certain
laws administered by the Coast Guard, 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 ``Coast Guard Hurricane Relief Act of
2005''.
SEC. 2. COMMENDATION, RECOGNITION, AND THANKS FOR COAST GUARD
PERSONNEL.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf
of Mexico coastal region of Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Alabama, causing the worst natural disaster in United States
history.
(2) The Coast Guard strategically positioned its aircraft,
vessels, and personnel the day before Hurricane Katrina made
landfall and launched search and rescue teams within hours
after Hurricane Katrina struck.
(3) The Coast Guard moved its operations in areas
threatened by Hurricane Katrina to higher ground and mobilized
cutters, small boats, and aircraft from all around the United
States to help in the response to Hurricane Katrina.
(4) The response to Hurricane Katrina by members and
employees of the Coast Guard has been immediate, invaluable,
and courageous.
(5) The Coast Guard rescued more than 33,000 people
affected by Hurricane Katrina through the air and by water,
including evacuations of hospitals, and has been at the center
of efforts to restore commerce to areas affected by Hurricane
Katrina by clearing shipping channels, replacing aids to
navigation, and securing uprooted oil rigs.
(6) The Coast Guard was at the forefront of the Federal
response to the numerous oil and chemical spills in the area
affected by Hurricane Katrina.
(7) Members and employees of the Coast Guard--
(A) have shown great leadership in helping to
coordinate relief efforts with respect to Hurricane
Katrina;
(B) have used their expertise and specialized
skills to provide immediate assistance to victims and
survivors of the hurricane; and
(C) have set up remote assistance operations in the
affected areas in order to best provide service to the
Gulf of Mexico coastal region.
(8) Members and employees of the Coast Guard have worked
together to bring clean water, food, and resources to victims
and survivors in need.
(b) Commendation, Recognition, and Thanks.--The Congress--
(1) commends the outstanding efforts in response to
Hurricane Katrina by members and employees of the Coast Guard;
(2) recognizes that the actions of these individuals went
above and beyond the call of duty; and
(3) thanks them for their continued dedication and service.
(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the Coast
Guard should play a major role in response to any future national
emergency or disaster caused by a natural event in the United States in
a coastal or offshore area.
SEC. 3. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF LICENSES,
CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY, AND MERCHANT MARINERS'
DOCUMENTS.
(a) Licenses and Certificates of Registry.--Notwithstanding section
7106 and 7107 of title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the
department in which the Coast Guard is operating may temporarily extend
the duration of a license or certificate of registry issued for an
individual under chapter 71 of that title until not later than February
28, 2006, if--
(1) the individual is a resident of Alabama, Mississippi,
or Louisiana; or
(2) the individual is a resident of any other State, and
the records of the individual--
(A) are located at the Coast Guard facility in New
Orleans that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina; or
(B) were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane
Katrina.
(b) Merchant Mariners' Documents.--Notwithstanding section 7302(g)
of title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the department in
which the Coast Guard is operating may temporarily extend the duration
of a merchant mariners' document issued for an individual under chapter
73 of that title until not later than February 28, 2006, if--
(1) the individual is a resident of Alabama, Mississippi,
or Louisiana; or
(2) the individual is a resident of any other State, and
the records of the individual--
(A) are located at the Coast Guard facility in New
Orleans that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina; or
(B) were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane
Katrina.
(c) Manner of Extension.--Any extensions granted under this section
may be granted to individual seamen or a specifically identified group
of seamen.
SEC. 4. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF VESSEL
CERTIFICATES OF INSPECTION.
(a) Authority to Extend.--Notwithstanding section 3307 and 3711(b)
of title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the department in
which the Coast Guard is operating may temporarily extend the duration
or the validity of a certificate of inspection or a certificate of
compliance issued under chapter 33 or 37, respectively, of title 46,
United States Code, for up to 3 months for a vessel inspected by a
Coast Guard Marine Safety Office located in Alabama, Mississippi, or
Louisiana.
(b) Expiration of Authority.--The authority provided under this
section expires February 28, 2006.
SEC. 5. PRESERVATION OF LEAVE LOST DUE TO HURRICANE KATRINA OPERATIONS.
(a) Preservation of Leave.--Notwithstanding section 701(b) of title
10, United States Code, any member of the Coast Guard who serves on
active duty for a continuous period of 30 days, who is assigned to duty
or otherwise detailed in support of units or operations in the Eighth
Coast Guard District area of responsibility for activities to mitigate
the consequences of, or assist in the recovery from, Hurricane Katrina,
during the period beginning on August 28, 2005, and ending on January
1, 2006, and who would otherwise lose any accumulated leave in excess
of 60 days as a consequence of such assignment, is authorized to retain
an accumulated total of up to 90 days of leave.
(b) Excess Leave.--Leave in excess of 60 days accumulated under
subsection (a) shall be lost unless used by the member before the
commencement of the second fiscal year following the fiscal year in
which the assignment commences, or in the case of a Reserve members,
the year in which the period of active service is completed.
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