[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 6, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H11054-H11055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NAVAL VESSELS TRANSFER ACT OF 2005

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1886) to authorize the transfer of naval vessels to 
certain foreign recipients.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1886

       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 ``Naval Vessels Transfer Act 
     of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. TRANSFERS BY GRANT.

       The President is authorized to transfer vessels to foreign 
     recipients on a grant basis under section 516 of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j), as follows:
       (1) Greece.--To the Government of Greece, the OSPREY class 
     minehunter coastal ship PELICAN (MHC-53).
       (2) Egypt.--To the Government of Egypt, the OSPREY class 
     minehunter coastal ships CARDINAL (MHC-60) and RAVEN (MHC-
     61).
       (3) Pakistan.--To the Government of Pakistan, the SPRUANCE 
     class destroyer ship FLETCHER (DD-992).
       (4) Turkey.--To the Government of Turkey, the SPRUANCE 
     class destroyer ship CUSHING (DD-985).

     SEC. 3. TRANSFERS BY SALE.

       The President is authorized to transfer vessels to foreign 
     recipients on a sale basis under section 21 of the Arms 
     Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2761), as follows:
       (1) India.--To the Government of India, the AUSTIN class 
     amphibious transport dock ship TRENTON (LPD-14).
       (2) Greece.--To the Government of Greece, the OSPREY class 
     minehunter coastal ship HERON (MHC-52).
       (3) Turkey.--To the Government of Turkey, the SPRUANCE 
     class destroyer ship O'BANNON (DD-987).

     SEC. 4. GRANTS NOT COUNTED IN ANNUAL TOTAL OF TRANSFERRED 
                   EXCESS DEFENSE ARTICLES.

       The value of a vessel transferred to another country on a 
     grant basis pursuant to authority provided by section 2 shall 
     not be counted against the aggregate value of excess defense 
     articles transferred to countries in any fiscal year under 
     section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

     SEC. 5. COSTS OF CERTAIN TRANSFERS.

       Notwithstanding section 516(e)(1) of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j(e)(1)), any expense incurred by 
     the United States in connection with a transfer authorized 
     under section 2 shall be charged to the recipient.

     SEC. 6. REPAIR AND REFURBISHMENT IN UNITED STATES SHIPYARDS.

       To the maximum extent practicable, the President shall 
     require, as a condition of the transfer of a vessel under 
     this section, that the country to which the vessel is 
     transferred have such repair or refurbishment of the vessel 
     as is needed before the vessel joins the naval forces of that 
     country be performed at a shipyard located in the United 
     States, including a United States Navy shipyard.

     SEC. 7. EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.

       The authority to transfer a vessel under this section shall 
     expire at the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date 
     of the enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Leach) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on S. 1886.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1886, the Naval Vessels Transfer 
Act of 2005, which the Senate passed by unanimous consent on October 
18, 2005. S. 1886 would authorize the transfers of eight decommissioned 
United States Naval vessels to other countries. Two ships would be 
transferred by grant to Egypt and one each to Greece, Pakistan and 
Turkey. Three would be transferred by sale, one to India, one to Greece 
and one to Turkey.
  The bill's provisions are nearly identical to those contained in 
section 751 of H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for 
fiscal years 2006 and 2007, which would also authorize transfer of 
eight vessels to the same countries and on the same terms. H.R. 2601 
passed the House on July 20 by recorded vote of 351 to 78.
  The Senate has not yet completed floor consideration in this session 
of a Foreign Relations Authorization Act. It passed a stand-alone bill, 
S. 1886, authorizing the transfer of these eight vessels. Since timely 
action was necessary to ensure the smooth operation and effective use 
of the decommissioned ship assets of the United States Navy, this 
limited purpose bill is before us. I hope my colleagues will join me in 
supporting the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, the 
legislation before us accomplishes a simple

[[Page H11055]]

and straightforward task. It gives the Navy the authority to transfer 
excess U.S. Naval vessels to India, Greece, Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt.
  With these transfers our military will have greater interoperability 
with the armed forces of these nations, all of which are either key 
allies of the United States or are located in strategically important 
regions of the world.
  It is my strong hope that these transfers will encourage these 
countries to expand their cooperation with the United States in our 
mutual struggle against terrorism in all its virulent and demented 
forms.
  I would also note that our legislation has already been approved by 
the House as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act which has, 
unfortunately, languished in the other body.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill, S. 1886.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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