[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1783 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1783

    To amend title 46, United States Code, to require the Maritime 
Administrator, in making determinations regarding the non-availability 
   of qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense 
  requirements, to identify any actions that could be taken to enable 
such capacity to meet some or all of those requirements, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 2, 2011

  Ms. Landrieu (for herself and Mr. Vitter) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 46, United States Code, to require the Maritime 
Administrator, in making determinations regarding the non-availability 
   of qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense 
  requirements, to identify any actions that could be taken to enable 
such capacity to meet some or all of those requirements, 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 ``American Mariners Job Protection 
Act''.

SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION OF ACTIONS TO ENABLE QUALIFIED UNITED STATES 
              FLAG CAPACITY TO MEET NATIONAL DEFENSE REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Identification of Actions.--Section 501(b) of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``When the head''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) The Administrator of the Maritime Administration shall--
            ``(A) in each determination referred to in paragraph (1), 
        identify any actions that could be taken to enable qualified 
        United States flag capacity to meet national defense 
        requirements;
            ``(B) provide each such determination to the Secretary of 
        Transportation and the head of the agency referred to in 
        paragraph (1) for which the determination is made; and
            ``(C) publish each such determination on the Internet site 
        of the Department of Transportation within 48 hours after it is 
        provided to the Secretary of Transportation.
    ``(3)(A) The Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, shall notify the Committees on 
Appropriations, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Homeland 
Security of the House of Representatives and the Committees on 
Appropriations and Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate--
            ``(i) of any request for a waiver of the navigation or 
        vessel-inspection laws under this section not later than 48 
        hours after receiving the request; and
            ``(ii) of the issuance of any waiver of compliance of such 
        a law not later than 48 hours after such issuance.
    ``(B) The Secretary shall include in each notification under 
subparagraph (A)(ii) an explanation of--
            ``(i) the reasons the waiver is necessary; and
            ``(ii) the reasons actions referred to in subparagraph (A) 
        are not feasible.''.
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