Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3488 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a commission to enhance cultural competence and improve recruitment and outreach efforts at the Coast Guard Academy, to amend title 14, United States Code, to modify the process for congressional nomination of individuals for appointment as cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 25, 2019 Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. CORREA, and Mr. RICHMOND) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a com- mission to enhance cultural competence and improve re- cruitment and outreach efforts at the Coast Guard Acad- emy, to amend title 14, United States Code, to modify the process for congressional nomination of individuals for appointment as cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 3488 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coast Guard Academy 2 Improvement Act’’. 3 TITLE I—ENHANCING CULTURAL 4 COMPETENCE WITHIN THE 5 COAST GUARD ACADEMY 6 SEC. 101. ACTIVITIES TO FOSTER GREATER CULTURAL 7 COMPETENCE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES 8 COAST GUARD ACADEMY. 9 (a) COMMISSION; PLAN.—Subtitle H of title VIII of 10 the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) 11 is amended by adding at the end the following: 12 ‘‘SEC. 890B. COAST GUARD ACADEMY CULTURAL REFORM 13 COMMISSION. 14 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab- 15 lish within 30 days after the date of the enactment of the 16 Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act a commission to 17 assess the level of cultural competence within the Academy 18 and, as appropriate, issue recommendations to foster 19 greater cultural competence within the Academy. 20 ‘‘(b) CULTURAL COMPETENCE DEFINED.—In this 21 section, the term ‘cultural competence’ means the capacity 22 of an individual or organization to work effectively in 23 cross-cultural situations with individuals who are of a dif- 24 ferent race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, 25 or geographic origin, in a manner that values and under- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 3488 IH stands diversity and to take action to prevent and respond 1 to social injustice and inequity. 2 ‘‘(c) COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION.—The com- 3 mission shall be comprised of 11 members appointed by 4 the Secretary by not later than 60 days after the date 5 of the enactment of the Coast Guard Academy Improve- 6 ment Act, and shall include— 7 ‘‘(1) the Chief Human Capital Officer under 8 section 1303; 9 ‘‘(2) the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Lib- 10 erties under section 705; 11 ‘‘(3) three Coast Guard officials designated by 12 the Commandant of the Coast Guard who include at 13 least one civilian official; and 14 ‘‘(4) six individuals from private industry, insti- 15 tutions of higher education, or nonprofit institutions 16 with demonstrated cultural competence as selected 17 by the Secretary based on recommendations from 18 the Congress, who— 19 ‘‘(A) possess relevant expertise or experi- 20 ence in admissions at institutions of higher edu- 21 cation, organizational change management, and 22 diversity and inclusion initiatives; and 23 ‘‘(B) include— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 3488 IH ‘‘(i) at least three individuals who are 1 higher education professionals; and 2 ‘‘(ii) one individual with a background 3 in evidence-based diversity and inclusion 4 initiatives. 5 ‘‘(d) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.—The commission shall 6 elect a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. 7 ‘‘(e) QUORUM AND MEETINGS.—The commission 8 shall meet and begin the operations of the commission not 9 later than 30 days after the date on which all members 10 have been appointed or not later than 90 days after the 11 date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Academy Im- 12 provement Act, whichever is earlier. Each subsequent 13 meeting shall occur upon the call of the Chair or a major- 14 ity of its members and no less than three such meetings 15 shall be open to the public. At least one public meeting 16 should be held at the Coast Guard Academy. A majority 17 of the members of the commission shall constitute a 18 quorum, but a lesser number may hold meetings. 19 ‘‘(f) EXEMPTION.—The commission shall not be sub- 20 ject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 21 App.). 22 ‘‘(g) REPORT.—The commission shall, not later than 23 180 days after the first meeting of the commission, submit 24 to the Secretary its findings and any recommendations for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 3488 IH fostering greater cultural competence within the Academy 1 by, among other things, changing qualifications required 2 of officers, faculty, and staff assigned to the Coast Guard 3 Academy as well as modifications to institutional prac- 4 tices, policies, and structures. 5 ‘‘(h) FEEDBACK AND IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later 6 than 90 days after receiving the report required under 7 subsection (g), the Secretary, through the Commandant, 8 shall submit to the Committees on Homeland Security and 9 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep- 10 resentatives and the Committees on Homeland Security 11 and Governmental Affairs and Commerce, Science, and 12 Transportation of the Senate a copy of the report and the 13 Secretary’s feedback regarding the report’s findings and 14 recommendations together with any specific plans, includ- 15 ing projected milestones, to implement any or all of the 16 recommendations and, in the event that the Secretary de- 17 cides not to act on one or more of the recommendations, 18 the rationale for such decision. 19 ‘‘(i) DURATION.—The commission shall remain active 20 in an advisory role for an additional year after the Sec- 21 retary provides feedback in accordance with subsection (h) 22 to monitor implementation and issue additional rec- 23 ommendations as needed. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 3488 IH ‘‘SEC. 890C. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION WITHIN THE 1 COAST GUARD ACADEMY. 2 ‘‘(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—Within one year after the 3 date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Academy Im- 4 provement Act, the Secretary, acting through the Chief 5 Human Capital Officer, shall, in consultation with the 6 Commandant of the Coast Guard, issue a plan, with pro- 7 jected milestones, to— 8 ‘‘(1) improve outreach and recruitment of a 9 more diverse Coast Guard Academy cadet candidate 10 pool based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual 11 orientation, and geographic origin; 12 ‘‘(2) modify institutional structures, practices, 13 and policies to foster a more diverse cadet corps 14 body, faculty, and staff workforce based on race, 15 ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and 16 geographic origin; 17 ‘‘(3) modify and establish new safeguards to 18 foster the retention of cadets, faculty, and staff of 19 different races, ethnicities, genders, religion, sexual 20 orientation, and geographic origin at the Coast 21 Guard Academy; and 22 ‘‘(4) restructure the admissions office of the 23 Coast Guard Academy to be headed by a civilian 24 with significant relevant higher education recruit- 25 ment experience. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 3488 IH ‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—At the direction of the 1 Commandant of the Coast Guard, the Superintendent of 2 the Academy, under section 1922 of title 14, United 3 States Code, in coordination with the Chief Human Cap- 4 ital Officer, and in consultation with the Chairman of the 5 commission authorized by section 890B, shall implement 6 the plan issued under subsection (a). 7 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Beginning in 2021 and an- 8 nually thereafter through 2031, the Commandant of the 9 Coast Guard, in consultation with the Chief Human Cap- 10 ital Officer, shall provide a report to the Committees on 11 Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastruc- 12 ture of the House of Representatives and the Committees 13 on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and 14 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate that 15 includes— 16 ‘‘(1) general information on implementation of 17 the plan required by this section; 18 ‘‘(2) specific information on outreach and re- 19 cruitment activities for the preceding year, including 20 the use of the volunteer-based program under sec- 21 tion 890D; 22 ‘‘(3) enrollment information about the incoming 23 class, including gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and 24 State of residence of Coast Guard Academy cadets; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 3488 IH ‘‘(4) information on class retention, outcomes, 1 and graduation rates, including gender, race, eth- 2 nicity, religion, and State of residence of Coast 3 Guard Academy cadets; and 4 ‘‘(5) information on professional development 5 and professional advancement opportunities for staff 6 and faculty as it pertains to retention and advancing 7 cultural competence. 8 ‘‘SEC. 890D. COAST GUARD ACADEMY MINORITY OUTREACH 9 TEAM PROGRAM. 10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established within the 11 Coast Guard Academy a minority outreach team program 12 (in this section referred to as ‘AMOT’) under which mi- 13 nority officers who are Academy graduates may volunteer 14 their time to recruit minority students and strengthen 15 cadet retention through mentorship of cadets. 16 ‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATION.—Within 90 days after the 17 date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Academy Im- 18 provement Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, in 19 consultation with the Superintendent of the Coast Guard 20 Academy and the majority of AMOT volunteers and Acad- 21 emy alumni that participated in the AMOT, shall appoint 22 a permanent civilian position at the Coast Guard to ad- 23 minister the AMOT by, among other things— 24 ‘‘(1) overseeing administration of the program; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 3488 IH ‘‘(2) serving as a resource to volunteers and 1 outside stakeholders; 2 ‘‘(3) advising Academy leadership on recruit- 3 ment and retention efforts based on recommenda- 4 tions from volunteers and outside stakeholders; 5 ‘‘(4) establishing strategic goals and perform- 6 ance metrics for the AMOT with input from active 7 volunteers and Academy leadership; and 8 ‘‘(5) reporting annually to the Commandant on 9 goals for the AMOT before the beginning of each 10 academic year and performance outcomes of the 11 AMOT at the end of each academic year. 12 ‘‘(c) INCLUSION IN REPORT.—The Commandant 13 shall include a section on AMOT goals and outcomes in 14 the annual report required under subsection (c) of section 15 890C.’’. 16 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 17 in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by adding at the 18 end of the items relating to such subtitle the following: 19 ‘‘Sec. 890B. Coast Guard Academy cultural reform commission. ‘‘Sec. 890C. Recruitment and retention within the Coast Guard Academy. ‘‘Sec. 890D. Coast Guard Academy minority outreach team program.’’. (c) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW.—Not later 20 than one year after the date of the issuance of the plan 21 required by subsection (a) of section 890C of the Home- 22 land Security Act of 2002, as amended by this Act, the 23 Comptroller General of the United States shall submit a 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 3488 IH review to the Committees on Homeland Security and 1 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep- 2 resentatives and the Committees on Homeland Security 3 and Governmental Affairs and Commerce, Science, and 4 Transportation of the Senate— 5 (1) of the degree to which the plan is informed 6 by the Commission authorized by section 890B of 7 the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended by 8 this Act; 9 (2) of the degree to which the plan, as de- 10 signed, is likely to be effective; 11 (3) of the degree to which the plan, as imple- 12 mented, is likely to be effective; 13 (4) of the degree to which the minority out- 14 reach team program authorized by section 890D of 15 the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended by 16 this Act, is administered effectively; and 17 (5) that includes any recommendations to en- 18 hance recruitment, retention, and outcomes. 19 TITLE II—ENHANCING OPPOR- 20 TUNITIES AT THE COAST 21 GUARD ACADEMY 22 SEC. 201. ACADEMY NOMINATIONS. 23 (a) APPOINTMENT.—Section 1922 of title 14, United 24 States Code, is amended— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Jul 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3488.IH H3488 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 3488 IH (1) by inserting before the text the following: 1 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’; and 2 (2) by adding at the end the following: 3 ‘‘(b) NOMINATIONS.— 4 ‘‘(1) CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATIONS.— 5 ‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT REQUIREMENT.—Half 6 of each incoming class of the Academy shall be 7 composed of cadets nominated by the following: 8 ‘‘(i) The Vice President or, if there is 9 no Vice President, by the President pro 10 tempore of the Senate. 11 ‘‘(ii) A Senator. 12 ‘‘(iii) A Member of the House of Rep- 13 resentatives. 14 ‘‘(iv) The Delegate to the Congress 15 from the District of Columbia, the Dele- 16 gate to the Congress from the United 17 States Virgin Islands, the Resident Com- 18 missioner from Puerto Rico, the Delegate 19 to the Congress from Guam, the Delegate 20 to the Congress from American Samoa, or 21 the Delegate to the Congress from the 22 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 23 Isla [Text truncated for display. 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