Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025

Authorizes funding for the Coast Guard for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 for operations and support, equipment procurement and infrastructure construction, research and development, and military retired pay and health care.

Establishes a Senate-confirmed civilian Secretary of the Coast Guard within the Department of Homeland Security to oversee the service and directly supervise the Commandant, following submission of a reorganization plan and review by the Comptroller General.

Establishes a Coast Guard Chief Prosecutor with exclusive authority over court-martial charging decisions for covered sexual offenses and felonies, and creates an independent Coast Guard Inspector General.

Modifies merchant mariner credentialing by allowing noncitizen nationals to obtain credentials, permitting up to 50 percent foreign crew on certain vessels through 2065, reducing sea service requirements for deck ratings, and allowing approved simulator, practical, and classroom training to substitute for sea time.

Prohibits abandoning vessels on navigable waters, creates civil penalties of up to $500, sets owner notice procedures, and creates a public national inventory of abandoned vessels.

Mandates a comprehensive evidence-retention policy requiring the Coast Guard to preserve physical and documentary evidence of sexual assault for at least 50 years and maintain criminal case records for at least 7 years, while granting victims expedited access to their records.

Establishes an expedited, 72-hour review process allowing Coast Guard Academy cadets who are victims of sexual assault to transfer to another military academy or enroll in a civilian college ROTC program.

Establishes a service-wide "safe-to-report" policy protecting Coast Guard sexual assault victims and reporting witnesses from discipline for minor collateral misconduct discovered through reports.

Sets Coast Guard active-duty troop strength targets at 50,000 for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, 55,000 for 2027, and 60,000 for 2028 and 2029, while increasing authorized student training quotas.

Requires the Commandant to personally submit a plan to Congress detailing recruiting, training, and salary costs whenever presidential budget requests fail to propose funding increases proportional to authorized troop growth.

Suspends statutory limits on the number of senior enlisted Coast Guard personnel through September 30, 2027.

Requires the Commandant to provide monthly in-person congressional briefings until overdue capital investment reports are delivered.

Requires a congressional report within 180 days assessing the adequacy and cost of shoreside facilities needed to support newly acquired cutters and aircraft.

Requires the Coast Guard to submit and publicly post reports on the progress of Arctic cutter homeporting projects and plans to expand ship repair capacity at Base Ketchikan, Alaska.

Applies major acquisition program baseline and life-cycle cost review requirements to Level 1 and Level 2 Coast Guard acquisitions.

Mandates quarterly congressional briefings on major acquisition programs, advance notice before taking actions that significantly alter project costs or schedules, and delivery of approved acquisition memos within five business days.

Requires an annual report and follow-up briefings by the Commandant detailing all overdue congressional reports and briefings on acquisition programs.

Freezes helicopter procurement and modernization spending for fiscal years 2027 through 2029 until the Coast Guard reports on its helicopter fleet mix and mandates maintaining at least 140 operational helicopters.

Restricts the expenditure of certain appropriated procurement funds until required reports are delivered, and bars presidential waivers allowing foreign-built vessel hulls or superstructures unless domestic shipyards cannot meet national security needs.

Directs the Coast Guard and Navy to submit joint reports and quarterly briefings on costs, schedule delays, and risk factors for the Polar Security Cutter program until the second cutter is operational.

Requires an annual operational plan and detailed budget display for Coast Guard operations in the Pacific region supporting Department of State and Department of Defense missions.

Codifies the statutory primary duties of the Coast Guard—including search and rescue, marine safety, drug and migrant interdiction, and environmental protection—and prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from significantly reducing them.

Limits reappointments of the Commandant of the Coast Guard to a single additional four-year term.

Creates a senior career Special Advisor to the Commandant for Tribal and Native Hawaiian Affairs to manage government-to-government consultations, engagement, and policy matters.

Requires an annual training course on Congress and the federal legislative process for Coast Guard leaders, fellows, liaisons, and congressional affairs staff, taught primarily by outside non-executive branch experts.

Authorizes the Coast Guard to lease the National Coast Guard Museum and adjacent property and accept related construction and operational services from nonprofit organizations.

Directs the Coast Guard to publicly report statistics on maritime interdictions, including data on seized drug types and quantities, interdicted persons, and unaccompanied minors.

Authorizes the Coast Guard to provide reimbursable cyber defense and incident response assistance to foreign governments and international organizations regarding maritime transportation systems and illegal fishing.

Increases the spending cap for minor construction and repair projects managed directly by the Coast Guard from $1,500,000 to $4,000,000.

Requires the Coast Guard to develop location-specific tsunami evacuation plans, hazard maps, and annual training exercises for all Coast Guard properties located in tsunami inundation zones.

Directs quarterly reports on the occupancy of renovated housing and repair facilities and plans to construct an operational aircraft hangar on St. Paul Island, Alaska.

Requires the Coast Guard to enter into an agreement allowing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other scientific institutions to use the cutter USCGC Storis for ocean research without paying vessel use fees.

Integrates the Coast Guard into the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund and eliminates its separate forfeiture fund.

Exempts service life extension programs from major acquisition oversight requirements, mandates consideration of vessel and aircraft life-cycle costs, and creates qualifications-based selection procedures for architectural and engineering contracts.

Prohibits the Coast Guard from leasing, chartering, or buying vessels with major hull or superstructure components built in foreign shipyards without a presidential national security exception and prior notice to Congress.

Directs the Coast Guard to submit an expedited strategy to build a new Great Lakes icebreaker, report on replacing icebreaking tugs, and carry out a five-season icebreaking performance pilot program.

Authorizes an outside entity other than the Coast Guard to contract for the acquisition and construction of Arctic Security Cutters and other vessels funded under Public Law 119-21.

Extends parental and family leave benefits to Coast Guard reserve members and members receiving children for long-term foster care, and allows extensions when military operational needs prevent taking leave within one year.

Enhances benefits for participants in the Coast Guard career flexibility program by shortening return notices to 30 days and preserving survivor death benefits, memorial travel allowances, veterans benefits, and access to sexual assault support services.

Grants direct-hire authority through September 30, 2030, to fill critical staffing shortages in Coast Guard healthcare, childcare, housing management, suicide and abuse prevention, criminal investigation, and Academy faculty positions.

Entitles Coast Guard members stationed in Unalaska, Alaska, to command sponsorship for their dependents upon request.

Authorizes a cash maternity uniform allowance for pregnant Coast Guard officers who are not furnished uniforms.

Reauthorizes and updates the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative to provide tuition, books, and fees up to $25,000 annually for eligible undergraduate students at minority-serving and rural colleges who enlist in the Reserve and commit to three years of active-duty officer service.

Establishes a pilot program deploying embedded behavioral health technicians at high-tempo Coast Guard clinics through September 2029 to provide on-site mental health care and referrals.

Directs the Coast Guard to hire and deploy at least five additional behavioral health specialists, requiring at least 35 percent to possess expertise in military sexual trauma.

Reimburses round-trip airfare for Coast Guard members stationed in Alaska to travel to anywhere in the United States while on authorized leave through at least December 31, 2029.

Creates a six-year pilot program that reduces advanced education service obligations by one year and doubles the tuition assistance cap for active-duty members who complete a tour of sea duty.

Authorizes recruitment, relocation, and retention bonuses for civilian firefighters employed at remote Coast Guard fire stations.

Requires the Commandant to notify congressional committees 10 days before funding lapses or continuing resolutions expire regarding the operational and personal impacts of government shutdowns on Coast Guard personnel.

Restructures the Coast Guard Academy Board of Visitors by expanding its congressional and presidential membership, establishing a rotating congressional chair, and requiring annual campus visits, briefings, and public reports.

Directs the Commandant to conduct a study and submit recommendations to Congress on improving the governance and oversight of the Coast Guard Academy.

Mandates the installation and regular testing of electronic locks with five-year access logs on all cadet dormitory rooms at the Coast Guard Academy.

Requires a report evaluating existing behavioral health and telehealth facilities for cadets and officer candidates at the Coast Guard Academy.

Requires visible postings in all cadet and officer candidate dormitories detailing how to report crimes, access support services, and contact criminal investigators.

Mandates constructing at least two private, fully equipped telehealth rooms at the Coast Guard Academy for cadets and officer candidates seeking confidential medical and behavioral healthcare.

Allows Coast Guard Academy cadets experiencing discomfort to request room reassignments.

Authorizes approved nonprofit foundations supporting the Coast Guard Academy to use Academy facilities and equipment, subject to ethics reviews and restrictions on cadet participation.

Authorizes the establishment of concurrent federal and state criminal jurisdiction over Coast Guard Academy property to allow Connecticut and New London authorities to investigate and prosecute state crimes committed on campus.

Requires the Coast Guard to stock naloxone or similar overdose-reversal medications across all installations and operational settings, and integrate with the Department of Defense overdose tracking system.

Directs the Commandant to establish a policy to seize or dispose of vessels engaged in trafficking chemical precursors used to produce illicit synthetic drugs.

Bars removing navigation buoys and dayboards on the Missouri River and in the Northeast and Northwest Districts pending a study on mariner reliance on physical aids to navigation.

Requires a feasibility study on supporting additional port visits and homeporting Fast Response Cutters in the Northern Mariana Islands for Operation Blue Pacific.

Directs a study and gap analysis regarding hangar storage and aircraft capacity at Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi.

Requires a study on how military travel regulations impact Coast Guard members traveling or relocating in remote areas served by ferry systems.

Requires a comprehensive report on the operations, resources, demographics, and potential expansion of the Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.

Requires congressional briefings on Coast Guard expenditures and costs under 14 U.S.C. 564.

Directs the Department of Defense to report on the projected long-term role of the Coast Guard in the Indo-Pacific, polar regions, and high-seas law enforcement over the next 20 years.

Directs a report and outreach plan to transition separating and retiring Coast Guard personnel into commercial dredging industry jobs and apprenticeships.

Requires annual reports detailing search and rescue operations, staffing levels, response times, and fatalities at stations affected by recent force alignment cuts or schedule changes.

Directs a study and cost estimate on alternative sites to relocate Coast Guard Station St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Requires a report evaluating navigation hazards, channel conditions, and navigational markers in the East Rockaway Inlet in New York.

Requires renewed merchant mariner credentials to begin the day after the previous credential expires and establishes an industry working group to review and modernize the credentialing exam.

Authorizes suspending or revoking merchant mariner credentials when probable cause shows an individual violated company policy and poses a security threat to other people on the vessel.

Extends through 2029 an authorization allowing certain nonoperating individuals on offshore facilities.

Increases penalties for operating a vessel in a grossly negligent manner that causes serious bodily injury, classifying it as a class E felony punishable by a civil penalty of up to $35,000.

Authorizes a risk-based safety inspection schedule for foreign vessels and authorizes assignment and special duty pay for Coast Guard marine inspectors in hard-to-fill positions.

Authorizes $6,000,000 annually through fiscal year 2029 to provide commercial fisherman safety training and research grants addressing mental health, substance use disorder, and worker fatigue.

Designates the Straits of Mackinac as waters where foreign vessels must navigate under the direction of a registered United States or Canadian commercial pilot.

Directs a study evaluating safety gaps and regulatory requirements for commercial amphibious passenger vessels.

Requires an independent boat traffic study on the St. Lucie River before the Coast Guard can issue a final rule on railroad drawbridge operations.

Extends the applicability deadline for safety regulations governing large recreational vessels.

Expands federal port and waterfront safety authority to address cyber incidents, transnational crime, and foreign state threats, and authorizes barring representatives of state sponsors of terrorism from visiting secure maritime facilities.

Directs regulations to implement cooperative vessel traffic management and data sharing with the Canadian Coast Guard across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Commissions an independent study by the National Academies examining Arctic commercial vessel traffic growth through the Bering Strait and emergency response infrastructure at Port of Point Spencer, Alaska.

Requires the Coast Guard to implement the San Pedro Bay anchorage restructuring plan, study buffer zones separating anchorages from underwater pipelines, and integrate automatic pipeline encroachment alarms into vessel traffic systems.

Expands criminal prohibitions against placing, manufacturing, or distributing controlled substances on board covered vessels.

Authorizes the Coast Guard to conduct unannounced security exercises on commercial vessels and waterfront facilities required to maintain security plans.

Directs a study comparing allied nations' advanced low-visibility navigation protocols and tracking technologies for operating ports and vessels in dense fog.

Suspends establishing new commercial anchorage grounds on the Hudson River between Palisades and Germantown, New York, and maintains existing Port of New York boundaries for 20 years.

Establishes a 15-member National Advisory Committee on Autonomous Maritime Systems representing industry, labor, pilots, and safety experts.

Temporarily exempts small uncrewed maritime systems performing ocean research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from commercial vessel inspection, design, and crewing rules for two years.

Directs the Coast Guard to develop an annual training course on small uncrewed maritime systems for personnel who regulate or work with autonomous craft.

Adds a permanent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration representative to the Coast Guard Automated and Autonomous Vessel Policy Council.

Increases the maximum number of authorized technology pilot programs from 2 to 4.

Requires a plan to establish an Uncrewed Systems Capabilities Office within the Coast Guard to oversee the development, procurement, and deployment of drone and counter-drone systems.

Directs a feasibility study on equipping Medium Endurance Cutters and Offshore Patrol Cutters with medium unmanned aircraft systems.

Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate the Coast Guard’s inventory, acquisition strategy, and operational deployment of unmanned systems.

Directs the Coast Guard to commission an independent assessment by the National Academy of Sciences on deploying autonomous and unmanned systems to enhance maritime domain awareness.

Requires that all unmanned aircraft systems procured by the Coast Guard directly support its statutory primary missions.

Directs the Coast Guard to disclose test water and biological organism data for approved ballast water management systems upon request to states, territories, and tribes.

Designates the Maritime Administration as the lead agency for environmental reviews under the Deepwater Port Act and transfers deepwater port licensing authorities from the Coast Guard to the Secretary of Transportation while keeping design and safety oversight with the Coast Guard.

Requires passenger vessels to stock medical supplies to prevent sexually transmitted diseases after a sexual assault and install electronic locks logging all crew access to passenger staterooms.

Extends a pilot program establishing a Puget Sound cetacean desk to report whale sightings and reduce vessel strikes from four to six years.

Suspends enforcement of prohibitions against using Automatic Identification System devices to mark fishing gear through December 31, 2029.

Prohibits delegating Coast Guard vessel inspection or classification authority to classification societies headquartered in the People's Republic of China.

Authorizes offshore support vessels to transfer fuel directly from their own tanks to offshore drilling and renewable energy facilities.

Removes the five percent statutory cap on administrative costs under the Marine Debris Act.

Directs a briefing on the acquisition and deployment timeline of second-generation heavy weather rescue craft to Pacific Northwest stations.

Authorizes federal authorities to conduct surprise inspections and drills of vessel salvage and firefighting equipment and requires vessels to carry modern marine casualty response equipment.

Requires a Comptroller General study assessing marine firefighting coordination and the risks of lithium-ion battery fires on vessels and waterfront facilities.

Clarifies that marine casualty investigation records may be used in federal administrative proceedings, including Oil Pollution Act claim adjudications and credential revocations.

Prohibits legal challenges against oil spill removal decisions made by federal on-scene coordinators until clean-up operations are completed.

Directs the National Response Center to develop an online web application for reporting oil spills and hazardous chemical releases while maintaining alternative reporting options.

Authorizes Exxon Valdez oil spill settlement funds to be invested in high-yield non-Treasury accounts and prioritizes grants for habitat protection and restoration.

Exempts commercial vessels assisting in oil spill cleanups and emergency drills in Western Alaska and Prince William Sound from routine commercial vessel inspection rules.

Directs an update of the Canada-U.S. Joint Maritime Pollution Contingency Plan and mandates annual joint oil spill response exercises.

Directs a Comptroller General report and Coast Guard implementation plan on efforts to eliminate sexual assault and sexual harassment and improve accountability across the service.

Authorizes the Secretary to designate specialized Coast Guard officers in military justice or healthcare outside the standard promotion list.

Requires annual reports and biennial climate surveys on sexual assault, harassment, domestic abuse, and retaliation incidents, investigations, and punishments across the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Academy.

Streamlines the involuntary officer separation process by replacing boards of review with direct recommendations from boards of inquiry to the Secretary.

Authorizes discharge review boards to downgrade a former Coast Guard member's honorable discharge to a general discharge if clear and convincing evidence demonstrates they committed sexual assault or harassment while on active duty.

Adds court-martial convictions for rape and sexual assault as mandatory grounds for denying merchant mariner credentials.

Requires annual notification to Congress regarding any amendments to sex offense provisions in the Uniform Code of Military Justice or Manual for Courts-Martial.

Directs the Commandant to establish procedures for handling complaints of retaliation by victims of sexual assault or sexual harassment within the Coast Guard.

Directs the Coast Guard to require written explanations forwarded to a flag officer when military protective orders are denied and mandates recusing conflicted commanders from protective order decisions.

Requires a strategy and action plan to implement recommendations of the Department of Defense Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military across the Coast Guard.

Directs standard care, in-person support handoffs, and specialized training for all Coast Guard personnel providing assistance to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Directs the Coast Guard to evaluate and implement recommendations to strengthen its Special Victims’ Counsel program for sexual assault survivors.

Expands the right of Coast Guard members facing involuntary separation to request a medical examination to evaluate mental health conditions if they experienced sexual assault within the preceding five years.

Requires the Coast Guard to participate in the Department of Defense Catch a Serial Offender program to identify repeat sexual offenders.

Establishes a senior leader misconduct policy requiring all allegations against flag officers and Senior Executive Service members to be reported within 72 hours to the DHS Inspector General, who receives priority investigative authority.

Expands confidential reporting protections for Coast Guard members reporting sexual harassment and requires biennial reporting to Congress on complaint data.

Directs a comprehensive report assessing Coast Guard whistleblower protections, anti-reprisal enforcement, and mental health support for whistleblowers.

Directs the Coast Guard Academy to update its sexual assault policy, hire a Primary Prevention Specialist, establish anti-retaliation rules for reporting cadets, and allow medical leaves of absence.

Mandates linking the Coast Guard criminal case database with the Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database.

Establishes the Director of the Coast Guard Investigative Service reporting directly to the Commandant through the Vice Commandant.

Authorizes the Coast Guard to reopen retired grade determinations and reduce the retirement rank and pay of commissioned officers if evidence reveals they committed, concealed, or failed to report sexual assault during their service.

Requires notations in military personnel records whenever a Coast Guard member is convicted or punished for sexual offenses, mandates commander reviews upon assignment, and requires reviewing military records before hiring individuals into civilian Coast Guard jobs.

Establishes mandatory recusal rules and requires flag officer approval for any proposed involuntary separation of a member who reported sexual assault or harassment within the past two years.

Updates expedited transfer policies for victims of sexual assault or domestic abuse and allows moving alleged perpetrators to other units to maintain order while preserving due process.

Establishes eligibility for temporary career separations for members who survived sexual offenses within the past five years without requiring repayment of bonuses or incentive pay.

Directs the Coast Guard to issue a comprehensive policy and program to reinvigorate the prevention of sexual harassment and related misconduct.

Mandates continuous vetting and security clearance reviews by the Department of Homeland Security for Coast Guard flag officers and senior executives.

Mandates annual and recurring sexual assault prevention and response training tailored for recruits, first responders, prospective commanding officers, and general personnel.

Clarifies mandatory reporting rules for sexual offenses occurring on commercial vessels and establishes a statutory definition for workplace harassment in maritime law.

Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate the Coast Guard's research, development, and technology transition programs.

Directs a Comptroller General review of the quality and availability of behavioral health resources and crisis management at Training Center Cape May, the Coast Guard Academy, and other training locations.

Directs a Comptroller General study examining missing or incomplete Coast Guard medical records and evaluating electronic health record sharing with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Directs a Comptroller General study assessing facility conditions, equipment backlogs, and environmental toxic hazards like mold, lead, and asbestos across 15 Coast Guard training facilities.

Directs a Comptroller General study and Coast Guard implementation plan on military housing calculations and disparities between the basic allowance for housing and actual local housing costs.

Directs a Comptroller General study and Coast Guard action plan on physical security infrastructure, surveillance, and visitor access restrictions at the Coast Guard Academy.

Directs a Comptroller General study evaluating the permanent change of station relocation process, including mover delays, damaged household goods, and moving costs.