MARITIME EDUCATION AND TRAINING.

SEC. 3515. MARITIME EDUCATION AND TRAINING. (a) Cost of Education Defined.—Section 1302 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1295a) is amended—(1) by striking “and” after the semicolon in paragraph (3);(2) by striking “States.” in paragraph (4)(B) and inserting “States; and”; and(3) by adding at the end the following:“(5) the term ‘cost of education provided’ means the financial costs incurred by the Federal Government for providing training or financial assistance to students at the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the State maritime academies, including direct financial assistance, room, board, classroom academics, and other training activities.”.(b) Commitment Agreements.—Section 1303(e) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1295b(e)) is amended—(1) by striking “Academy, unless the individual is separated from the” in paragraph (1)(A);(2) by striking paragraph (1)(C) and inserting the following:117 STAT. 1793 “(C) to maintain a valid license as an officer in the merchant marine of the United States for at least 6 years following the date of graduation from the Academy of such individual, accompanied by the appropriate national and international endorsements and certification as required by the United States Coast Guard for service aboard vessels on domestic and international voyages;”;(3) by striking paragraph (1)(E)(iii) and inserting the following:“(iii) as a commissioned officer on active duty in an armed force of the United States, as a commissioned officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or other maritime-related employment with the Federal Government which serves the national security interests of the United States, as determined by the Secretary; or”;(4) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:“(2)(A) If the Secretary determines that any individual who has attended the Academy for not less than 2 years has failed to fulfill the part of the agreement required by paragraph (1)(A), such individual may be ordered by the Secretary of Defense to active duty in one of the armed forces of the United States to serve for a period of time not to exceed 2 years. In cases of hardship as determined by the Secretary, the Secretary may waive this provision in whole or in part.“(B) If the Secretary of Defense is unable or unwilling to order an individual to active duty under subparagraph (A), or if the Secretary of Transportation determines that reimbursement of the cost of education provided would better serve the interests of the United States, the Secretary may recover from the individual the cost of education provided by the Federal Government.”;(5) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:“(3)(A) If the Secretary determines that an individual has failed to fulfill any part of the agreement required by paragraph (1), as described in paragraph (1)(B), (C), (D), (E), or (F), such individual may be ordered to active duty to serve a period of time not less than 3 years and not more than the unexpired portion, as determined by the Secretary, of the service required by paragraph (1)(E). The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall determine in which service the individual shall be ordered to active duty to serve such period of time. In cases of hardship, as determined by the Secretary, the Secretary may waive this provision in whole or in part.“(B) If the Secretary of Defense is unable or unwilling to order an individual to active duty under subparagraph (A), or if the Secretary of Transportation determines that reimbursement of the cost of education provided would better serve the interests of the United States, the Secretary may recover from the individual the cost of education provided and may reduce the amount to be recovered from such individual to reflect partial performance of service obligations and such other factors as the Secretary determines merit such a reduction.”; and(6) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5) and inserting after paragraph (3) the following:“(4) To aid in the recovery of the cost of education provided by the Federal Government pursuant to a commitment agreement under this section, the Secretary may request the Attorney General to begin court proceedings, and the Secretary may make use of 117 STAT. 1794 the Federal debt collection procedures in chapter 176 of title 28, United States Code, or other applicable administrative remedies.”. (c) Degrees Awarded.—Section 1303(g) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1295b(g)) is amended to read as follows:“(g) Degrees Awarded.—“(1) Bachelor’s degree.—The Superintendent of the Academy may confer the degree of bachelor of science upon any individual who has met the conditions prescribed by the Secretary and who, if a citizen of the United States, has passed the examination for a merchant marine officer’s license. No individual may be denied a degree under this subsection because the individual is not permitted to take such examination solely because of physical disqualification. “(2) Master’s degree.—The Superintendent of the Academy may confer a master’s degree upon any individual who has met the conditions prescribed by the Secretary. Any master’s degree program may be funded through non-appropriated funds. In order to maintain the appropriate academic standards, the program shall be accredited by the appropriate accreditation body. The Secretary may make regulations necessary to administer such a program.”.(d) Student Incentive Payments.—Section 1304(g) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1295c(g)) is amended—(1) by striking “$3,000” in paragraph (1) and inserting “$4,000”;(2) in paragraph (3)(A) by striking “attending, unless the individual is separated by such academy;” and inserting “attending;”; (3) by striking paragraph (3)(C) and inserting the following:“(C) to maintain a valid license as an officer in the merchant marine of the United States for at least 6 years following the date of graduation from such State maritime academy of such individual, accompanied by the appropriate national and international endorsements and certification as required by the United States Coast Guard for service aboard vessels on domestic and international voyages;”;(4) by striking paragraph (3)(E)(iii) and inserting the following:“(iii) as a commissioned officer on active duty in an armed force of the United States, as a commissioned officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or in other maritime-related employment with the Federal Government which serves the national security interests of the United States, as determined by the Secretary; or”;(5) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:“(4)(A) If the Secretary determines that an individual who has accepted the payment described in paragraph (1) for a minimum of 2 academic years has failed to fulfill the part of the agreement required by paragraph (1) and described in paragraph (3)(A), such individual may be ordered by the Secretary of Defense to active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States to serve for a period of time not to exceed 2 years. In cases of hardship, as determined by the Secretary, the Secretary may waive this provision in whole or in part.“(B) If the Secretary of Defense is unable or unwilling to order an individual to active duty under subparagraph (A), or if the 117 STAT. 1795 Secretary of Transportation determines that reimbursement of the cost of education provided would better serve the interests of the United States, the Secretary—“(i) subject to clause (ii), may recover from the individual the amount of student incentive payments, plus interest and attorneys fees; and“(ii) may reduce the amount to be recovered from such individual to reflect partial performance of service obligations and such other factors as the Secretary determines merit such reduction.”;(6) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following:“(5)(A) If the Secretary determines that an individual has failed to fulfill any part of the agreement required by paragraph (1), as described in paragraph (3)(B), (C), (D), (E), or (F), such individual may be ordered to active duty to serve a period of time not less than 2 years and not more than the unexpired portion, as determined by the Secretary, of the service required by paragraph (3)(E). The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall determine in which service the individual shall be ordered to active duty to serve such period of time. In cases of hardship, as determined by the Secretary, the Secretary may waive this provision in whole or in part.“(B) If the Secretary of Defense is unable or unwilling to order an individual to active duty under subparagraph (A), or if the Secretary of Transportation determines that reimbursement of the cost of education provided would better serve the interests of the United States, the Secretary—“(i) subject to clause (ii), may recover from the individual the amount of student incentive payments, plus interest and attorneys fees; and“(ii) may reduce the amount to be recovered from such individual to reflect partial performance of service obligations and such other factors as the Secretary determines merit such reduction.”; and(7) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as paragraphs (7) and (8), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (5) the following:“(6) To aid in the recovery of student incentive payments plus interest and attorneys fees the Secretary may request the Attorney General to begin court proceedings, and the Secretary may make use of the Federal debt collection procedures in chapter 176 of title 28, United States Code, and other applicable administrative remedies.”.(e) Awards and Medals.—Section 1306 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1295e) is amended by adding at the end the following:“(d) Awards and Medals.—The Secretary may establish and maintain a medals and awards program to recognize distinguished service, superior achievement, professional performance, and other commendable achievement by personnel of the United States Maritime Service.”.