§51707 Merchant mariner recruitment, training, and retention strategic plan

Summary

The Secretary of Transportation must publish in the Federal Register a plan to recruit, train, and keep merchant mariners. The first plan is due within one year after this law is passed, and a new plan must be published at least once every five years. Each plan covers the next five years. Each plan must include a strategy for recruitment, training, and retention and set priorities for demonstrations and research. The Secretary must use existing research available when the plan is published and aim for results that apply broadly to the U.S. merchant marine workforce. The Secretary must consult maritime industry and labor groups, including the Commander of the Transportation Command and the Commander of the Military Sealift Command, plus other government entities and stakeholders. Copies of each plan must be sent to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The rule to publish plans ends when the head of the Maritime Administration says there are enough U.S. mariners for sustained strategic sealift.