[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4531 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4531

  To authorize an exception to the prohibition on the construction of 
      naval vessels in foreign shipyards, and for other purposes.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 13, 2024

    Mr. Lee introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

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                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize an exception to the prohibition on the construction of 
      naval vessels in foreign shipyards, 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 ``Ensuring Naval Readiness Act''.

SEC. 2. EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION ON CONSTRUCTION OF NAVAL VESSELS IN 
              FOREIGN SHIPYARDS.

    Section 8679 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``subsection (b)'' and 
        inserting ``subsections (b) and (c)'';
            (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new 
        subsection (c):
    ``(c) Exception for Construction of Naval Vessels in Certain 
Countries.--(1) Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to the 
construction of a naval vessel otherwise covered by that subsection 
if--
            ``(A) the foreign shipyard concerned is located in--
                    ``(i) a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member 
                country; or
                    ``(ii) a country in the Indo-Pacific region that is 
                party to a mutual defense treaty with United States; 
                and
            ``(B) the cost of the construction concerned is less than 
        the cost would be if such construction occurred in a domestic 
        shipyard.
    ``(2) Before the construction of a naval vessel, or a major 
component of the hull or superstructure of a naval vessel, may commence 
at a foreign shipyard under this subsection, the Secretary of the Navy 
shall submit to Congress a certification that the foreign shipyard is 
not owned or operated by a Chinese company or a multinational company 
domiciled in the People's Republic of China.''.
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