S5292-118

Introduced

To amend the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 to modify a provision relating to the acquisition of a Coast Guard icebreaker.

118th Congress Introduced Sep 25, 2024

Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.

Summary

What This Bill Does:
This bill modifies the Coast Guard's icebreaker acquisition program by changing the rules for purchasing icebreakers. It relaxes certain statutory requirements for the initial acquisition phase while adding new requirements for the Commandant to brief Congress on detailed cost estimates before and after procurement.

Who Benefits and How:
- The Coast Guard benefits by gaining more flexibility in acquiring icebreakers without being constrained by certain standard acquisition rules during the initial phase (paragraphs 4, 5, subsections d and e of section 1132 are waived until initial operating capacity is achieved).
- Congressional Committees benefit by receiving mandatory detailed briefings including cost estimates for icebreaker upgrades, crewing needs, shore infrastructure, and annual maintenance costs throughout the vessel's service life.

Who Bears the Burden and How:
- The Commandant of the Coast Guard must provide mandatory briefings to Congress within 30 days of enactment (for initial acquisition) and within 2 years after procurement (for full operating capability). These briefings must include detailed year-by-year cost estimates for the icebreaker's entire service life.
- The Commandant faces funding limitations - no funds can be spent on reconfiguration beyond initial operating capability until 7 days after providing the required briefing (though planning and program management activities are exempted).

Key Provisions:
- Waives paragraphs (4) and (5) of subsection (a) and subsections (d) and (e) of section 1132 for icebreaker acquisition until the first phase is complete and initial operating capacity is achieved
- Requires the Commandant to brief Congress within 30 days of enactment with detailed cost estimates including upgrades, crewing needs, and annual costs for modification, infrastructure, crewing, and maintenance
- Requires a second briefing within 2 years after procurement with year-by-year cost estimates for the icebreaker's service life
- Prohibits spending funds on reconfiguration beyond initial operating capability until 7 days after the required briefing (excluding planning/program management)
- Extends the deadline in the original act from 3 years to 5 years

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

This bill amends the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 to modify provisions relating to the acquisition of a Coast Guard icebreaker, including cost estimates, briefings, and funding limitations.

Key Policy Areas

Defense, Environment

Primary Purpose

This bill amends the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 to modify provisions relating to the acquisition of a Coast Guard icebreaker, including cost estimates, briefings, and funding limitations.

Policy Domains

Defense Environment

Legislative Progress

Introduced
Introduced Committee Passed
Sep 25, 2024

Mr. Sullivan (for himself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following …

Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Defense Environment
Actor Mappings
"the_commandant"
→ Commandant of the Coast Guard

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

2 terms
"Cost Estimate Briefing" §Section 1132

A detailed cost estimate for an icebreaker, including expected upgrades, crewing needs, and annual costs for modification, shore infrastructure, crewing, and maintenance.

"Icebreaker Acquisition" §Section 11223

Refers to the acquisition or procurement of an icebreaker under subsection (a) of Section 11223.

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology