United States Coast Guard Corrosion Control Assistance Team Pilot Program Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9674 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9674

   To direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to establish a pilot
program to provide corrosion prevention and control assistance to Coast
               Guard field units, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2026

  Mr. Ezell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to establish a pilot
program to provide corrosion prevention and control assistance to Coast
               Guard field units, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States Coast Guard Corrosion
Control Assistance Team Pilot Program Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, acting
through the Assistant Commandant for Acquisition, shall establish and
carry out a pilot program, to be known as the ``United States Coast
Guard Corrosion Control Assistance Team Pilot Program'', to provide
corrosion prevention and control assistance to Coast Guard field units.
    (b) Scope.--In carrying out the pilot program established under
subsection (a), the Commandant shall--
            (1) provide on-site corrosion prevention and control
        technical advisory services and direct assistance to Coast
        Guard field units upon request;
            (2) develop and maintain a repository of corrosion
        prevention and control best practices and lessons learned
        applicable to Coast Guard maritime assets;
            (3) assess corrosion conditions and recommend corrective
        and preventive maintenance actions at Coast Guard units;
            (4) support training and education of Coast Guard personnel
        in corrosion prevention and control techniques;
            (5) coordinate with the Department of Defense Office of
        Corrosion Policy and Oversight and other relevant Federal
        agencies to leverage existing expertise, technical standards,
        and program data; and
            (6) collect data and metrics necessary to assess the
        effectiveness of the pilot program and inform future
        programmatic decisions.
    (c) Pilot Program Objectives.--In carrying out the pilot program
established under subsection (a), the Commandant shall specifically
seek to--
            (1) demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of a
        Coast Guard-specific corrosion control assistance capability;
            (2) apply lessons learned from the Navy's Corrosion Control
        Assistance Team program and other Department of Defense
        corrosion programs to the unique operational environment of the
        Coast Guard;
            (3) quantify the impact of corrosion prevention and control
        interventions on Coast Guard asset readiness and service life;
        and
            (4) develop recommendations related Coast Guard anti-
        corrosion prevention and control initiatives.

SEC. 3. ACTIVITIES.

    In carrying out the pilot program established under section 2, the
Commandant may--
            (1) procure equipment, tools, and materials necessary for
        corrosion assessment and control activities;
            (2) train program personnel;
            (3) contract with non-Federal entities for technical
        expertise and advisory services; and
            (4) develop data systems and information management tools
        to support program operations.

SEC. 4. ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING.

    (a) Corrosion Control Assistance Teams.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the pilot program
        established under section 2, the Commandant shall establish not
        fewer than 2 Corrosion Control Assistance Teams consisting of
        qualified corrosion prevention and control specialists.
            (2) Team composition.--Each Corrosion Control Assistance
        Team shall consist of personnel with technical expertise in--
                    (A) marine coatings and surface preparation;
                    (B) cathodic protection systems;
                    (C) coatings and corrosion control training;
                    (D) corrosion control of C5I (Command and Control,
                Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, and
                Intelligence) systems;
                    (E) corrosion engineering and failure analysis; and
                    (F) preventive maintenance program development.
            (3) Qualifications.--
                    (A) In general.--Members of the Corrosion Control
                Assistance Team shall possess relevant technical
                certifications, including corrosion control credentials
                from AMPP (including certified Coating Inspectors,
                Protective Coatings Specialists, Cathodic Protection
                Specialists, and Corrosion Specialists) and
                commensurate demonstrated expertise, as determined by
                the Commandant.
                    (B) Accreditation.--Firms performing the work
                should be AMPP QP 5 Accredited.
    (b) Interagency Coordination.--In establishing and staffing the
pilot program, the Commandant may--
            (1) enter into memoranda of understanding with the
        Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Army, or the
        Secretary of the Air Force to detail military or civilian
        personnel with corrosion prevention and control expertise to
        the pilot program;
            (2) contract with private sector entities possessing
        relevant technical expertise; and
            (3) request technical support and subject matter expertise
        from the Department of Defense Office of Corrosion Policy and
        Oversight.

SEC. 5. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Interim Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date on
which the pilot program commences operations, the Commandant shall
submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives an interim report on the pilot program that
includes--
            (1) a summary of field unit visits conducted and services
        provided;
            (2) preliminary data on the impact of program activities on
        asset readiness and maintenance costs; and
            (3) any significant challenges encountered in program
        implementation and proposed corrective actions.
    (b) Final Report.--Not later than 90 days before the date on which
the pilot program is scheduled to terminate under section 6, the
Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a final report on the
pilot program that includes--
            (1) a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the
        pilot program in achieving the objectives described in section
        4(c);
            (2) quantified metrics on improvements in asset service
        life and operational readiness attributable to pilot program
        activities;
            (3) lessons learned from the pilot program and from
        coordination with Department of Defense corrosion programs;
            (4) a detailed assessment of the feasibility and projected
        cost of a permanent, full-scale Coast Guard corrosion
        prevention and control program; and
            (5) a recommendation from the Commandant on whether to
        establish such a permanent program, and if so, a proposed
        program structure, staffing plan, and funding requirements.
    (c) Publication.--The Commandant shall make each report required
under this section publicly available on a publicly accessible website
of the Coast Guard.

SEC. 6. DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The pilot program shall terminate on the date that
is 3 years after the date on which the pilot program commences
operations.
    (b) Extension.--The Commandant may extend the pilot program for a
period of not more than 2 additional years if the Commandant
determines, and notifies the committees specified in section 5 not
later than 180 days before the termination date, that--
            (1) the pilot program has demonstrated sufficient
        effectiveness to warrant continuation; and
            (2) additional time is needed to collect data necessary to
        make a final determination on the establishment of a permanent
        program.

SEC. 7. CONSULTATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

    (a) In General.--In carrying out the pilot program, the Commandant
shall--
            (1) establish formal consultation mechanisms with the
        Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight of the Department of
        Defense to access technical expertise, standards, and program
        data;
            (2) seek to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable,
        existing Department of Defense corrosion prevention and control
        tools, processes, and best practices; and
            (3) where appropriate, develop Coast Guard-specific
        adaptations of Department of Defense corrosion prevention and
        control standards and processes.
    (b) Navy CCAT Consultation.--The Commandant shall specifically seek
to--
            (1) conduct a formal review of the structure, operations,
        and outcomes of the Navy's Corrosion Control Assistance Team
        program prior to standing up the first Coast Guard Corrosion
        Control Assistance Team under this Act;
            (2) wherever practicable, adopt Navy Corrosion Control
        Assistance Team operational procedures and technical standards
        that are applicable to Coast Guard assets; and
            (3) establish a formal information sharing mechanism with
        the Navy Corrosion Control Assistance Team program to
        facilitate ongoing exchange of lessons learned and best
        practices.

SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives an implementation plan
for the pilot program that includes--
            (1) identification of the Coast Guard districts or units to
        be served during the initial phase of the pilot program;
            (2) a proposed schedule for commencing pilot program
        operations;
            (3) a framework for measuring and reporting pilot program
        outcomes, including specific performance metrics; and
            (4) a description of planned consultation activities with
        the Department of Defense.
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