[House Report 115-1020]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress     }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session        }                                    {     115-1020

======================================================================



 
          COAST GUARD BLUE TECHNOLOGY CENTER OF EXPERTISE ACT

                                _______
                                

 November 13, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Shuster, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 6206]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 6206) to direct the Commandant of 
the Coast Guard to establish a Blue Technology center of 
expertise, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that 
the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose of Legislation...........................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Legislative History and Consideration............................     2
Committee Votes..................................................     2
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     2
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     3
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     3
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     4
Advisory of Earmarks.............................................     4
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     4
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     4
Federal Mandate Statement........................................     4
Preemption Clarification.........................................     4
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................     4
Applicability of Legislative Branch..............................     5
Section-by-Section Analysis of Legislation.......................     5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     5

                         PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION

    H.R. 6206 directs the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard to 
establish a Blue Technology center of expertise under section 
58 of title 14, United States Code, to increase the Service's 
awareness of Blue Technologies which could enhance mission 
effectiveness.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    ``Blue technology'' is a term that describes a wide swath 
of technologies and systems that support, sustain, and 
integrate the U.S. and global ocean economy. Accordingly, 
systems and technologies such as autonomous vehicles, sensors 
(both remote and in situ), ocean observation platforms, and 
hydrographic services, among many others fall under the term. 
The integration of advanced blue technologies could improve 
operational efficiencies and the Coast Guard's mission 
performance, as well as Maritime Domain Awareness. Emerging 
maritime technologies also may contribute to enhanced 
operational flexibility, improved understanding of the maritime 
environment, and optimal deployment and use of conventional 
Coast Guard assets (e.g., cutters, aircraft, small boats, 
etc.).

                                HEARINGS

    The bill was not subject to a hearing by the Subcommittee 
on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, however, the 
Subcommittee held a hearing to examine emerging maritime 
technologies and how such technologies could improve Coast 
Guard mission performance and enhance the safety and efficiency 
of maritime transportation on May 8, 2018.

                 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION

    On June 25, 2018, H.R. 6206 was introduced by Congressman 
John Garamendi (D-CA). The bill was referred solely to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
    On June 27, 2018, the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure met in open session to consider H.R. 6206. No 
amendments were offered. The Committee ordered the bill 
reported favorably to the House by voice vote with a quorum 
present.

                            COMMITTEE VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires each committee report to include the 
total number of votes cast for and against on each record vote 
on a motion to report and on any amendment offered to the 
measure or matter, and the names of those members voting for 
and against. There were no recorded votes taken in connection 
with consideration of H.R. 6206. A motion to order H.R. 6206 
reported favorably to the House was agreed to by voice vote 
with a quorum present.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

               NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the 
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is 
included in this report.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

    With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6206 from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, July 20, 2018.
Hon. Bill Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6206, the Coast 
Guard Blue Technology Center of Expertise Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan 
Carroll.
            Sincerely,
                                             Mark P. Hadley
                                        (For Keith Hall, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 6206--Coast Guard Blue Technology Center of Expertise Act

    Under current law, the Coast Guard (USCG) operates several 
centers of expertise, often under agreements with educational 
institutions, to provide technical assistance on a range of 
issues related to maritime safety. H.R. 6206 would direct the 
Coast Guard to establish a new center to promote the use of new 
maritime technologies related to activities including 
surveillance and monitoring, search and rescue, emergency 
response, and law enforcement.
    Using information from the USCG, CBO estimates that 
implementing H.R. 6206 would not significantly affect the 
federal budget. Because the USCG's existing Research and 
Development Center is already pursuing activities similar to 
those that the proposed center would perform, CBO expects that 
any increases in the agency's costs--which would be subject to 
appropriation--would not exceed $500,000 in any year. (In 2018 
the USCG allocated about $5 million in appropriated funds to 
those similar efforts.)
    Enacting H.R. 6206 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6206 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    H.R. 6206 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                    PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
performance goal and objective of this legislation is to 
enhance maritime transportation safety, and includes limited 
revisions to Coast Guard authorities and regulations governing 
certain maritime industries and ocean-related technologies.

                          ADVISORY OF EARMARKS

    Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, the Committee is required to include a list 
of congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited 
tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of 
rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. No 
provision in the bill includes an earmark, limited tax benefit, 
or limited tariff benefit under clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of 
rule XXI.

                    DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision 
of H.R. 6206 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the 
federal government known to be duplicative of another federal 
program, a program that was included in any report from the 
Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a 
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance.

                  DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTED RULE MAKINGS

    Pursuant to section 3(i) of H. Res. 5, 115th Cong. (2017), 
the Committee finds that enacting H.R. 6206 does not direct the 
completion of a specific rule making within the meaning of 
section 551 of title 5, United States Code.

                       FEDERAL MANDATE STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act (Public Law 104-4).

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the 
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, 
or tribal law. The Committee states that H.R. 6206 does not 
preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No new advisory committees within the meaning of section 
5(b) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act are created by this 
legislation.

                  APPLICABILITY OF LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 
104-1).

               SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF LEGISLATION

Sec. 1. Short title

    This section designates the short title as the ``Coast 
Guard Blue Technology Center of Expertise Act of 2018''.

Sec. 2. Coast Guard Blue Technology Center of Expertise

    This section directs the Commandant to establish a Blue 
Technology center of expertise not later than one year from the 
date of the enactment of the Act.
    This section also details several missions of the Blue 
Technology center of expertise, including promoting awareness 
of Blue Technologies within the Coast Guard; enabling the 
sharing of Blue Technology information between the private 
sector, academia, non-profit organizations, other Federal 
agencies, and the Coast Guard; increasing awareness of Coast 
Guard acquisition policies and practices among Blue Technology 
manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and vendors; providing technical 
support, coordination, and assistance to Coast Guard districts 
and the Coast Guard Research and Development Center; and, 
subject to the requirements of the Coast Guard Academy, 
coordinating with the Academy to develop appropriate curricula 
regarding Blue Technology.
    This section also directs the Commandant to conduct a 
briefing on the costs and benefits of hosting a biennial Coast 
Guard Blue Technology exposition to inform the Committees of 
jurisdiction in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
    This section also defines the terms used in this Act 
including ``center'', ``Commandant'', and ``Blue Technology''.

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    As reported, H.R. 6206 makes no changes in existing law.

                                  [all]