UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY GRADUATES: SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.

SEC. 3505. UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY GRADUATES: SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.(a) Alternate Service.—Section 1303(e) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1295b(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:“(6)(A) An individual who for the 5-year period following graduation from the Academy, serves as a commissioned officer on active duty in an armed force of the United States or as a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Public Health Service shall be excused from the requirements of subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E) of paragraph (1).“(B) The Secretary may modify or waive any of the terms and conditions set forth in paragraph (1) through the imposition of alternative service requirements.”.120 STAT. 2517(b) Application.—Paragraph (6) of section 1303(e) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 1295b(e)), as added by this section, applies only to an individual who enrolls as a cadet at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and signs an agreement under paragraph (1) of that section, after the date of the enactment of this Act.