Vessel Navigation and Safety Improvement Act

Vessel Navigation and Safety Improvement Act - Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to authorize the Coast Guard's Commandant to issue regulations requiring: (1) any pilot serving on a covered vessel operating in regulated waters to carry and use a portable electronic navigation device capable of being connected to an Automatic Identification System; and (2) related pilot training.

Defines "covered vessel" as a self-propelled, commercial vessel of at least 300 gross tons without a prescribed electronic chart.

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1100 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1100

  To authorize the Commandant of the Coast Guard to issue regulations 
 that require certain pilots on vessels operating in designated waters 
    to carry and utilize a portable electronic device equipped for 
             navigational purposes, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2009

Mrs. Tauscher introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Commandant of the Coast Guard to issue regulations 
 that require certain pilots on vessels operating in designated waters 
    to carry and utilize a portable electronic device equipped for 
             navigational purposes, 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 ``Vessel Navigation and Safety 
Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR PILOTS TO CARRY AND UTILIZE PORTABLE ELECTRONIC 
              NAVIGATIONAL DEVICE.

    The Ports and Waterways Safety Act (33 U.S.C. 1221 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 4A the following:

``SEC. 4B. PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR NAVIGATION PURPOSES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Commandant of the Coast Guard may issue 
regulations that--
            ``(1) require that any pilot licensed under subtitle II of 
        title 46, United States Code, while serving under the authority 
        of that license as pilot on a covered vessel operating in 
        waters designated in the regulation shall carry and utilize a 
        portable electronic device that is--
                    ``(A) equipped for navigational purposes; and
                    ``(B) capable of being connected to an Automatic 
                Identification System; and
            ``(2) require such pilots to obtain training in the use of 
        such electronic devices, and prescribe requirements for such 
        training after consultation with State or local pilotage 
        authorities on specific equipment and practices in the waters 
        designated in the regulation.
    ``(b) Determination of Need.--The Commandant shall consult with 
State or local pilotage authorities for the waters covered by the 
regulations to determine if the carriage and use of such portable 
electronic devices would improve safe navigation under local conditions 
and whether there is a need for mandatory carriage requirements.
    ``(c) Covered Vessel Defined.--In this section the term `covered 
vessel' means a self-propelled commercial vessel of 300 gross tons or 
more that does not have an electronic chart prescribed under section 
4A.''.
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