(a) Proposals
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees proposals to implement the recommendations set forth in the Maritime Action Plan issued by the White House and dated February, 2026, with respect to—
maximizing the credits for military training and sea service eligible to count toward merchant mariner credential endorsements and expanding associated fee exemptions to all members of the Armed Forces;
in consultation with the National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee established under section 15103 of title 46, United States Code, formalizing equivalency guidance with respect to such credits and credentials;
continuing to approve reciprocity for military courses to meet training requirements for such credentials;
strengthening outreach and counseling to enable members of the Armed Forces eligible for preseparation counseling under section 1142 of title 10, United States Code, to efficiently convert relevant skills of such members to qualifications necessary for such credentials;
streamlining and clarifying the processes for merchant mariner credentialing;
streamlining training approvals for such credentials, including with respect to the approval of training involving simulators and other modern innovations, to safely accelerate the acquisition of skills and qualifications necessary for such credentials; and
streamlining training requirements and provider accreditation to accelerate merchant mariner credentialing.
(b) Definitions
In this section:
The term appropriate congressional committees means—
the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
The term merchant mariner credential has the meaning given such term in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code.