Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2023

Graves, Sam

Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2023This bill addresses&nbsp;Coast Guard operations,&nbsp;maritime security, and related matters.The bill&nbsp;authorizes&nbsp;for FY2024 and FY2025 the Coast Guard's&nbsp;active-duty personnel and military training student levels and activities related to&nbsp;information technology, environmental compliance, and other purposes.The bill authorizes the Coast Guard&nbsp;to&nbsp;suspend a license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner's credential if it has probable cause to believe that an individual poses a threat to others on a vessel. Further, the bill extends existing vessel registry requirements&nbsp;prohibiting foreign ownership&nbsp;to vessels supporting alternate energy production or transmission or&nbsp;commercial space exploration activities over the Outer Continental Shelf.Among other provisions, the bill&nbsp;also<ul><li>requires the Coast Guard to provide ballast water quality data to any state or territory upon request;</li><li>establishes the felony crime of grossly negligent operation of a vessel when conduct results in serious bodily injury;</li><li>authorizes the President to direct or control foreign-flag vessels when a cyber incident, transnational organized crime, or foreign state threats endanger U.S. security; and</li><li>authorizes the Coast Guard to respond to cyber incidents, transnational organized crime, or foreign state threats&nbsp;to prevent damage to structures located on and near&nbsp;navigable waters.</li></ul>The bill also&nbsp;modifies the minimum requirements for various merchant mariner credentials, including by reducing certain service time prerequisites&nbsp;and extending eligibility to noncitizen nationals of the United States. (Generally, individuals who receive U.S. nationality by virtue of being born in, or having parents who were born in,&nbsp;the U.S. outlying possessions are U.S. nationals but not U.S.&nbsp;citizens.)