MERCHANT MARINER ASSISTANCE REPORT.

SEC. 616. MERCHANT MARINER ASSISTANCE REPORT. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report regarding the feasibility of—(1) expanding the streamlined evaluation process program that was affiliated with the Houston Regional Examination Center of the Coast Guard to all processing centers of the Coast Guard nationwide;(2) including proposals to simplify the application process for a license as an officer, staff officer, or operator and for a merchant mariner’s document to help eliminate errors by merchant mariners when completing the application form (CG–719B), including instructions attached to the application form and a modified application form for renewals with questions pertaining only to the period of time since the previous application;(3) providing notice to an applicant of the status of the pending application, including a process to allow the applicant to check on the status of the application by electronic means; and(4) ensuring that all information collected with respect to applications for new or renewed licenses, merchant mariner documents, and certificates of registry is retained in a secure electronic format.