“A bill to establish a Secretary of the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes the position of Secretary of the Coast Guard, appointed by the President from civilian life with Senate confirmation and a five-year bar on recent active-duty commissioned officers, as the head of the Coast Guard responsible to the Secretary of Homeland Security for functions including recruiting, organizing, equipping, training, and maintaining the service (codified at new 14 U.S.C. 501(b)). The Secretary of the Coast Guard exercises powers previously held by the Secretary of Homeland Security under 14 U.S.C. 501(a) and reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security, with the Commandant of the Coast Guard reporting directly to the new Secretary (amending 6 U.S.C. 113 and 14 U.S.C. 501). When the Coast Guard operates as a service in the Navy, the Secretary of the Coast Guard may advise the Secretary of the Navy, and the Commandant reports directly to the Secretary of the Navy (amending 6 U.S.C. 113 and 468(f)). Conforming amendments update references to the Secretary of the Coast Guard in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(9)(D) and 8013a.