I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2693 To amend title 14, United States Code, to make appropriations for Coast Guard pay in the event an appropriations Act expires before the enact- ment of a new appropriations Act, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 18, 2023 Ms. SCHOLTEN (for herself and Mrs. GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend title 14, United States Code, to make appropria- tions for Coast Guard pay in the event an appropriations Act expires before the enactment of a new appropriations Act, 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 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pay Our Coast Guard 4 Parity Act of 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:14 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2693.IH H2693 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2693 IH (1) The Coast Guard is a military service and 1 a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States 2 at all times regardless of whether it operates as a 3 service in the Department of Homeland Security or 4 as a service in the Navy. 5 (2) Notwithstanding respective appropriations 6 and except as otherwise provided in law, members of 7 the Coast Guard should receive treatment equitable 8 to that of other members of the Armed Forces with 9 regard to pay and benefits. 10 SEC. 3. COAST GUARD PAY; CONTINUATION. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 27 of title 14, United 12 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 13 lowing: 14 ‘‘§ 2780. Pay; continuation during lapse in appropria- 15 tions 16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any period in 17 which there is a Coast Guard-specific funding lapse, there 18 are appropriated such sums as may be necessary— 19 ‘‘(1) to provide pay and allowances to military 20 members of the Coast Guard, including the reserve 21 component thereof, who perform active service or in- 22 active-duty training during such period; 23 ‘‘(2) to provide pay and benefits to qualified ci- 24 vilian employees of the Coast Guard; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:14 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2693.IH H2693 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2693 IH ‘‘(3) to provide pay and benefits to qualified 1 contract employees of the Coast Guard; and 2 ‘‘(4) to provide for— 3 ‘‘(A) the payment of a death gratuity 4 under sections 1475 through 1477 and 1489 of 5 title 10, with respect to members of the Coast 6 Guard; 7 ‘‘(B) the payment or reimbursement of au- 8 thorized funeral travel and travel related to the 9 dignified transfer of remains and unit memorial 10 services under section 481f of title 37, with re- 11 spect to members of the Coast Guard; and 12 ‘‘(C) the temporary continuation of a basic 13 allowance of housing for dependents of mem- 14 bers of the Coast Guard dying on active duty, 15 as authorized by section 403(l) of title 37. 16 ‘‘(b) COAST GUARD-SPECIFIC FUNDING LAPSE.— 17 For purposes of this section, a Coast Guard-specific fund- 18 ing lapse occurs in any case in which— 19 ‘‘(1) a general appropriation bill providing ap- 20 propriations for the Coast Guard for a fiscal year is 21 not enacted before the beginning of such fiscal year 22 (and no joint resolution making continuing appro- 23 priations for the Coast Guard is in effect); and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:14 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2693.IH H2693 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2693 IH ‘‘(2) a general appropriation bill providing ap- 1 propriations for the Department of Defense for such 2 fiscal year is enacted before the beginning of such 3 fiscal year (or a joint resolution making continuing 4 appropriations for the Department of Defense is in 5 effect. 6 ‘‘(c) TERMINATION.—Appropriations and funds made 7 available and authority granted for any fiscal year for any 8 purpose under subsection (a) shall be available until 9 whichever of the following first occurs: 10 ‘‘(1) The enactment into law of an appropria- 11 tion (including a continuing appropriation) for such 12 purpose. 13 ‘‘(2) The enactment into law of the applicable 14 regular or continuing appropriations resolution or 15 other Act without any appropriation for such pur- 16 pose. 17 ‘‘(3) The termination of availability of appro- 18 priations for the Department of Defense. 19 ‘‘(4) The date that is 2 weeks after the begin- 20 ning of the Coast Guard-specific funding lapse. 21 ‘‘(d) RATE FOR OPERATIONS; APPLICABILITY TO AP- 22 PROPRIATIONS ACTS.—Appropriations made pursuant to 23 this section shall be at a rate for operations and to the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:14 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2693.IH H2693 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2693 IH extent and manner that would be provided by the perti- 1 nent appropriations Act. 2 ‘‘(e) CHARGE TO FUTURE APPROPRIATIONS.—Ex- 3 penditures made pursuant to this section shall be charged 4 to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization 5 whenever a bill in which such applicable appropriation, 6 fund, or authorization is enacted into law. 7 ‘‘(f) APPORTIONMENT.—Appropriations and funds 8 made available by or authority granted under this section 9 may be used without regard to the time limitations for 10 submission and approval of apportionments set forth in 11 section 1513 of title 31, but nothing in this section may 12 be construed to waive any other provision of law governing 13 the apportionment of funds. 14 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 15 ‘‘(1) QUALIFIED CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE.—The 16 term ‘qualified civilian employee’ means a civilian 17 employee of the Coast Guard whom the Com- 18 mandant determines is— 19 ‘‘(A) providing support to members of the 20 Coast Guard or another Armed Force; or 21 ‘‘(B) performing work as an excepted em- 22 ployee or an employee performing emergency 23 work, as such terms are defined by the Office 24 of Personnel Management. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:14 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2693.IH H2693 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2693 IH ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED CONTRACT EMPLOYEE OF THE 1 COAST GUARD.—The term ‘qualified contract em- 2 ployee of the Coast Guard’ means an individual per- 3 forming work under a contract whom the Com- 4 mandant determines is— 5 ‘‘(A) providing support to military mem- 6 bers or qualified civilian employees of the Coast 7 Guard or another Armed Force; or 8 ‘‘(B) required to perform work during a 9 lapse in appropriations.’’. 10 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap- 11 ter 27 of title 14, United States Code, is amended by add- 12 ing at the end the following: 13 ‘‘2780. Pay; continuation during lapse in appropriations.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:14 Apr 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2693.IH H2693 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS