INTERNATIONAL SEAFARER IDENTIFICATION.

SEC. 103. INTERNATIONAL SEAFARER IDENTIFICATION. (a) Treaty Initiative.—The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating is encouraged to negotiate an international agreement, or an amendment to an international agreement, that provides for a uniform, comprehensive, international system of identification for seafarers that will enable the United States and another country to establish authoritatively the identity of any seafarer aboard a vessel within the jurisdiction, including the territorial waters, of the United States or such other country. 116 STAT. 2085 (b) Legislative Alternative.—If the Secretary fails to complete a negotiation process undertaken under subsection (a) within 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a draft of legislation that, if enacted, would establish a uniform, comprehensive system of identification for seafarers.