§70122 Waterway Watch Program

Summary

The Coast Guard must run America's Waterway Watch Program to encourage people to report behavior that might show someone is planning or doing illegal acts related to threats or terrorist acts (as defined in 18 U.S.C. 3077). The Secretary can set up a network of volunteers and local groups to help watch ports and waterways, work with Federal, State, and local law enforcement when possible, and offer training on spotting and reporting suspicious activity and on sharing reports and coordinating responses. Joining the program is completely voluntary. It cannot be required to get other services or programs, and people are not forced to give information about who reported or, for business privacy, the reporter’s location. The Secretary must coordinate with similar watch programs and send a report each year with the President’s budget to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Homeland Security. Congress authorized $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2016, and those funds remain available until spent.