US Codex
Bill
Notes

Title II — Enhancing Opportunities at the Coast Guard Academy

H.R. 3488 · 116th Congress · Jun 25, 2019 · Lineage

II Enhancing Opportunities at the Coast Guard Academy

Sec. 201 Academy nominations

(a)
Appointment— Section 1922 of title 14, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
by inserting before the text the following:

“(a) In general”

(2)
by adding at the end the following:

“(b) Nominations

“(1) Congressional nominations

“(A) Appointment requirement—Half of each incoming class of the Academy shall be composed of cadets nominated by the following:

“(i) The Vice President or, if there is no Vice President, by the President pro tempore of the Senate.

“(ii) A Senator.

“(iii) A Member of the House of Representatives.

“(iv) The Delegate to the Congress from the District of Columbia, the Delegate to the Congress from the United States Virgin Islands, the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, the Delegate to the Congress from Guam, the Delegate to the Congress from American Samoa, or the Delegate to the Congress from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

“(B) Congressional nominees—Each Senator, Member of the House of Representatives, and Delegate to the Congress, including such Resident Commissioner, is entitled to nominate 3 persons each year. Cadets who do not graduate on time shall not count against the allocations pursuant to clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A).

“(2) Qualification requirements—An individual shall be qualified for nomination, selection, and appointment as a cadet at the Academy only if the individual—

“(A) is a citizen or national of the United States; and

“(B) meets such minimum requirements that the Secretary may establish.

“(3) Nomination information—The Commandant, through the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, shall furnish to any Member of Congress, upon the written request of such Member, the name of the Member of Congress or other nominating authority responsible for the nomination of any named or identified person for appointment to the Academy.”

(b)
Application— The amendment made by subsection (a)—
(1)
shall apply beginning with academic program year 2022, subject to subsection (d), and with respect to each academic program year thereafter; and
(2)
shall not affect the application of section 1922 of title 14, United States Code, as in effect before the enactment of this section, with respect to appointment of cadets who will matriculate to the Coast Guard Academy before such academic program year.
(c)
Reporting— Not later than 90 days before the beginning of each new academic year, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, through the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, shall report to the Congress on the achievement of the nominee class composition requirement established by the amendment made by subsection (a). If the requirement is not achieved, the report shall include plans on how to achieve the nominee class composition requirement.
(d)
Transition—
(1)
Nominations— Notwithstanding the amendment made by subsection (a), with respect to the nomination of individuals pursuant to section 1922 of title 14, United States Code, as amended by such subsection, who will matriculate at the Coast Guard Academy in academic program year 2022, not less than 25 percent of the class shall be from nominations made pursuant to clauses (i) through (iv) of subsection (b)(1)(A) of such section 1922 (as amended by subsection (a) of this section).
(2)
Notification to the Congress— Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall notify the Congress of the criteria, process, and timeline congressional offices are to follow for submitting such nominations.
(3)
Additional action— The Secretary, acting through the Commandant of the Coast Guard may take any additional action the Secretary considers necessary and proper to provide for the transition to the nomination, selection, and appointment process under this section.

Sec. 202 Coast Guard College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative

(a)
In general— Subchapter I of chapter 21 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

“2130. College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative

“(a) In general—There is authorized within the Coast Guard the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative program (in this section referred to as the “program”) for eligible undergraduate students to enlist and receive a guaranteed commission as an officer in the Coast Guard.

“(b) Criteria for selection—To be eligible for the program a student must meet all eligibility requirements of such program as in effect on the date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act, and must be—

“(1) an undergraduate sophomore or junior at a historically Black college or university described in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)) or an institution of higher education described in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)); or

“(2) an undergraduate sophomore or junior student who is active in minority-serving organizations and pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics at an institution of higher education described in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001) that is not a historically Black college or university or institution of higher education referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection.

“(c) Participation in officer candidate school—The Commandant of the Coast Guard shall ensure that graduates of the program are included in the first enrollment for Officer Candidate School that commences after the date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act and in each enrollment period thereafter.

“(d) Reports—Not later than 90 days after the conclusion of each academic year with respect to which the program is carried out beginning with the first full academic year after the date of the enactment of Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committees on Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, including outreach and recruitment efforts and participation data, including demographic information of enrollees including race, ethnicity, gender, and geographic origin.”

(b)
Clerical amendment— The analysis for such subchapter is amended by adding at the end the following: