Smart Ship Repair Act of 2023

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4526 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4526

 To ensure fairness and transparency in the processes used by the Navy 
   to award contracts for ship maintenance and repair, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2023

  Mr. Peters introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To ensure fairness and transparency in the processes used by the Navy 
   to award contracts for ship maintenance and repair, 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 ``Smart Ship Repair Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USE OF GOVERNMENT-OPERATED DRYDOCKS.

    The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that no Government-operated 
drydock is eligible to compete for the award of a contract for private 
sector non-nuclear surface ship maintenance unless the Secretary 
determines, in accordance with section 2466 of title 10, United States 
Code, that there is not sufficient private sector dock competition.

SEC. 3. STUDY ON PRICE DIFFERENTIALS USED IN NAVY SHIP REPAIR 
              SOLICITATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
Secretary of the Navy shall seek to enter into an agreement with a 
federally funded research and development center to conduct a study to 
assess whether relevant price differentials used by the Navy in ship 
repair solicitations accurately reflect the true market value of the 
activity undertaken to complete the repair work involved in the absence 
of any such differential.
    (b) Elements.--The study under subsection (a) shall address all 
relevant price differentials used by the Navy in ship repair 
solicitations, including--
            (1) the use of government owned and operated dry docks;
            (2) the use of inter-port differentials; and
            (3) the use of pier differentials.
    (c) Reports.--
            (1) FFRDC report.--The federally funded research and 
        development center that conducts the study under subsection (a) 
        shall submit to the Secretary of the Navy a report on the 
        results of the study.
            (2) Submittal to congress.--Not later than September 30, 
        2024, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the 
        congressional defense committees an unaltered copy of the 
        report received by the Secretary under paragraph (1) together 
        with a separate statement of the views of the Secretary on the 
        results of the study conducted under subsection (a).

SEC. 4. REPORT ON NAVY POLICY FOR SOLICITING COASTWIDE BIDS FOR CERTAIN 
              REPAIR AVAILABILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than March 30, 2024, the Secretary of 
the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
on the policy of the Navy for soliciting coastwide bids for repair 
availabilities longer than 10 months.
    (b) Elements.--The report under subsection (a) shall explain and 
assess each of the following:
            (1) The intent of the policy described in subsection (a).
            (2) The data the Navy uses to assess the efficacy of such 
        policy.
            (3) How the Navy estimates the cost of moving vessels out 
        of their home port to complete the availability and the actual 
        cost of moving vessels out of their home port to complete the 
        availability.
            (4) How the Navy estimates the financial, labor force, 
        servicemember and family well-being, berthing, and related 
        costs associated with moving a vessel out of its home port to 
        complete a repair availability longer than 10 months.

SEC. 5. REPORT ON USE OF GOVERNMENT DOCKS FOR SHIP REPAIR AND 
              MAINTENANCE.

    On an annual basis, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the 
congressional defense committees a report that--
            (1) identifies each instance in the year preceding the date 
        of the report in which the Navy used a Government dock for a 
        ship repair and maintenance availability when sufficient 
        capacity was available in private docks during the period in 
        which such repairs and maintenance were expected to be 
        performed; and
            (2) for each such instance, provides an explanation of the 
        reasons the Navy used a Government dock rather than a private 
        dock.

SEC. 6. CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``congressional defense committees'' has the 
meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United 
States Code.
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