---
kind: "section"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 7706"
title: "46"
title_heading: "Shipping"
number: "7706"
heading: "Drug testing reporting"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/46/7706"
units:
  - "Subtitle II — Vessels and Seamen"
  - "Part E — Merchant Seamen Licenses, Certificates, and Documents"
  - "Chapter 77 — Suspension and Revocation"
---

# §7706. Drug testing reporting

- (a) **Release of Drug Test Results to Coast Guard.—** Not later than 2 weeks after receiving from a Medical Review Officer a report of a verified positive drug test or verified test violation by a civilian employee of a Federal agency, an applicant for employment by a Federal agency, an officer in the Public Health Services, or an officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, who is employed in any capacity on board a vessel operated by the agency, the head of the agency shall release to the [Commandant](/usc/46/2101.md?p=3) the report.
- (b) **Standards, Procedures, and Regulations.—** The head of a Federal agency shall carry out a release under [subsection (a)](#a) in accordance with the standards, procedures, and regulations applicable to the disclosure and reporting to the [Coast Guard](/usc/46/2101.md?p=2) of drug tests results and drug test records of individuals employed on vessels documented under the laws of the United States.
- (c) **Waiver.—** Notwithstanding section 503(e) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1987 ([5 U.S.C. 7301](/usc/5/7301.md) note), the report of a drug test of an employee or an applicant for employment by a Federal agency may be released under this section without the prior written consent of the employee or the applicant.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 108–293, title IV, § 414(a), Aug. 9, 2004, 118 Stat. 1046; amended Pub. L. 113–281, title III, § 304, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 3043; Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3541(b)(13), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2323.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Section 503(e) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1987, referred to in subsec. (c), is section 503(e) of Pub. L. 100–71, which is set out as a note under section 7301 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

### Amendments

2018—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–232 struck out “of the Coast Guard” after “Commandant”.

2014—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 113–281, § 304(1), inserted “an applicant for employment by a Federal agency,” after “Federal agency,”.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 113–281, § 304(2), inserted “or an applicant for employment by a Federal agency” after “an employee” and substituted “the employee or the applicant” for “the employee”.