HR 9674

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 14, 2026

Mr. Ezell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to establish a pilot program to provide corrosion prevention and control assistance to Coast Guard field units, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “United States Coast Guard Corrosion Control Assistance Team Pilot Program Act”.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, acting through the Assistant Commandant for Acquisition, shall establish and carry out a pilot program, to be known as the “United States Coast Guard Corrosion Control Assistance Team Pilot Program”, to provide corrosion prevention and control assistance to Coast Guard field units.

(b) Scope.—In carrying out the pilot program established under subsection (a), the Commandant shall—

(1) provide on-site corrosion prevention and control technical advisory services and direct assistance to Coast Guard field units upon request;

(2) develop and maintain a repository of corrosion prevention and control best practices and lessons learned applicable to Coast Guard maritime assets;

(3) assess corrosion conditions and recommend corrective and preventive maintenance actions at Coast Guard units;

(4) support training and education of Coast Guard personnel in corrosion prevention and control techniques;

(5) coordinate with the Department of Defense Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight and other relevant Federal agencies to leverage existing expertise, technical standards, and program data; and

(6) collect data and metrics necessary to assess the effectiveness of the pilot program and inform future programmatic decisions.

(c) Pilot Program Objectives.—In carrying out the pilot program established under subsection (a), the Commandant shall specifically seek to—

(1) demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of a Coast Guard-specific corrosion control assistance capability;

(2) apply lessons learned from the Navy’s Corrosion Control Assistance Team program and other Department of Defense corrosion programs to the unique operational environment of the Coast Guard;

(3) quantify the impact of corrosion prevention and control interventions on Coast Guard asset readiness and service life; and

(4) develop recommendations related Coast Guard anti- corrosion prevention and control initiatives.

SEC. 3. ACTIVITIES.

In carrying out the pilot program established under section 2, the Commandant may—

(1) procure equipment, tools, and materials necessary for corrosion assessment and control activities;

(2) train program personnel;

(3) contract with non-Federal entities for technical expertise and advisory services; and

(4) develop data systems and information management tools to support program operations.

SEC. 4. ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING.

(a) Corrosion Control Assistance Teams.—

(1) In general.—In carrying out the pilot program established under section 2, the Commandant shall establish not fewer than 2 Corrosion Control Assistance Teams consisting of qualified corrosion prevention and control specialists.

(2) Team composition.—Each Corrosion Control Assistance Team shall consist of personnel with technical expertise in—

(A) marine coatings and surface preparation;

(B) cathodic protection systems;

(C) coatings and corrosion control training;

(D) corrosion control of C5I (Command and Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, and Intelligence) systems;

(E) corrosion engineering and failure analysis; and

(F) preventive maintenance program development.

(3) Qualifications.—

(A) In general.—Members of the Corrosion Control Assistance Team shall possess relevant technical certifications, including corrosion control credentials from AMPP (including certified Coating Inspectors, Protective Coatings Specialists, Cathodic Protection Specialists, and Corrosion Specialists) and commensurate demonstrated expertise, as determined by the Commandant.

(B) Accreditation.—Firms performing the work should be AMPP QP 5 Accredited.

(b) Interagency Coordination.—In establishing and staffing the pilot program, the Commandant may—

(1) enter into memoranda of understanding with the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Army, or the Secretary of the Air Force to detail military or civilian personnel with corrosion prevention and control expertise to the pilot program;

(2) contract with private sector entities possessing relevant technical expertise; and

(3) request technical support and subject matter expertise from the Department of Defense Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight.

SEC. 5. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

(a) Interim Report.—Not later than 18 months after the date on which the pilot program commences operations, the Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives an interim report on the pilot program that includes—

(1) a summary of field unit visits conducted and services provided;

(2) preliminary data on the impact of program activities on asset readiness and maintenance costs; and

(3) any significant challenges encountered in program implementation and proposed corrective actions.

(b) Final Report.—Not later than 90 days before the date on which the pilot program is scheduled to terminate under section 6, the Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a final report on the pilot program that includes—

(1) a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot program in achieving the objectives described in section 4(c);

(2) quantified metrics on improvements in asset service life and operational readiness attributable to pilot program activities;

(3) lessons learned from the pilot program and from coordination with Department of Defense corrosion programs;

(4) a detailed assessment of the feasibility and projected cost of a permanent, full-scale Coast Guard corrosion prevention and control program; and

(5) a recommendation from the Commandant on whether to establish such a permanent program, and if so, a proposed program structure, staffing plan, and funding requirements.

(c) Publication.—The Commandant shall make each report required under this section publicly available on a publicly accessible website of the Coast Guard.

SEC. 6. DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) In General.—The pilot program shall terminate on the date that is 3 years after the date on which the pilot program commences operations.

(b) Extension.—The Commandant may extend the pilot program for a period of not more than 2 additional years if the Commandant determines, and notifies the committees specified in section 5 not later than 180 days before the termination date, that—

(1) the pilot program has demonstrated sufficient effectiveness to warrant continuation; and

(2) additional time is needed to collect data necessary to make a final determination on the establishment of a permanent program.

SEC. 7. CONSULTATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

(a) In General.—In carrying out the pilot program, the Commandant shall—

(1) establish formal consultation mechanisms with the Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight of the Department of Defense to access technical expertise, standards, and program data;

(2) seek to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, existing Department of Defense corrosion prevention and control tools, processes, and best practices; and

(3) where appropriate, develop Coast Guard-specific adaptations of Department of Defense corrosion prevention and control standards and processes.

(b) Navy CCAT Consultation.—The Commandant shall specifically seek to—

(1) conduct a formal review of the structure, operations, and outcomes of the Navy’s Corrosion Control Assistance Team program prior to standing up the first Coast Guard Corrosion Control Assistance Team under this Act;

(2) wherever practicable, adopt Navy Corrosion Control Assistance Team operational procedures and technical standards that are applicable to Coast Guard assets; and

(3) establish a formal information sharing mechanism with the Navy Corrosion Control Assistance Team program to facilitate ongoing exchange of lessons learned and best practices.

SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives an implementation plan for the pilot program that includes—

(1) identification of the Coast Guard districts or units to be served during the initial phase of the pilot program;

(2) a proposed schedule for commencing pilot program operations;

(3) a framework for measuring and reporting pilot program outcomes, including specific performance metrics; and

(4) a description of planned consultation activities with the Department of Defense. <all>