Sec. 11325. LOAD LINES

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## SEC. 11325 LOAD LINES ###

(a)Application to Certain Vessels During the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on the date that is 5 years after the date on which the report required under subsection

(b)is submitted, the load line requirements of chapter 51 of title 46, United States Code, shall not apply to covered fishing vessels. ###

(b)GAO Report ####

(1)In general Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 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)a report on the safety and seaworthiness of vessels described in section 5102(b)(5) of title 46, United States Code; and #####

(B)recommendations for exempting certain vessels from the load line requirements under chapter 51 of title 46 of such Code. ####

(2)Elements The report required under paragraph

(1)shall include the following: #####

(A)An assessment of stability requirements of vessels referenced in section 5102(b)(5) of title 46, United States Code. #####

(B)An analysis of vessel casualties, mishaps, or other safety information relevant to load line requirements when a vessel is operating part-time as a fish tender vessel. #####

(C)An assessment of any other safety information as the Comptroller General determines appropriate. #####

(D)A list of all vessels that, as of the date of the report— ######

(i)are covered under section 5102(b)(5) of title 46, United States Code; ######

(ii)are acting as part-time fish tender vessels; and ######

(iii)are subject to any captain of the port zone subject to the oversight of the Commandant. ####

(3)Consultation In preparing the report required under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall consider consultation with, at a minimum, the maritime industry, including— #####

(A)relevant Federal, State, and Tribal maritime associations and groups; and #####

(B)relevant federally funded research institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and academia. ###

(c)Savings Clause Nothing in this section shall limit any authority available, as of the date of enactment of this Act, to the captain of a port with respect to safety measures or any other authority as necessary for the safety of covered fishing vessels. ###

(d)Definition of Covered Fishing Vessel In this section, the term “covered fishing vessel” means a vessel that operates exclusively in one, or both, of the Thirteenth and Seventeenth Coast Guard Districts and that— ####

(1)was constructed, under construction, or under contract to be constructed as a fish tender vessel before January 1, 1980; ####

(2)was converted for use as a fish tender vessel before January 1, 2022, and— #####

(A)has a valid stability letter issued in accordance with regulations prescribed under chapter 51 of title 46, United States Code; and #####

(B)the hull and internal structure of the vessel has been verified as suitable for intended service as examined by a marine surveyor of an organization accepted by the Secretary two times in the past five years with no interval of more than three years between such examinations; or ####

(3)operates part-time as a fish tender vessel for a period of less than 180 days.