S. 1129

Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017

This bill authorizes: (1) appropriations for the Coast Guard for FY2018-FY2019, and (2) a specified level of end-of-year strength for active duty personnel and military training student loads for such fiscal years.

The bill addresses: (1) training for public safety personnel, (2) service member benefits for Coast Guard personnel, (3) contracts to procure three National Security Cutters, and (4) the Coast Guard Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program.

The bill revises or sets forth policies relating to the Coast Guard, including Coast Guard advisory committees, numbering for undocumented barges, aids to navigation, requirements for personal flotation devices, the alternate safety compliance program, vessel certification, the installation and use of engine cut-off switches on recreational vessels, visual distress signals for recreational boats, auxiliary craft requirements, the Coast Guard's inland waterway and river tenders fleet, arctic planning, maritime security, acquisition workforce expedited hiring authority, drawbridges, incentive contracts for Coast Guard Yard or Coast Guard industrial establishments, Coast Guard health care professionals, land exchanges, shipyards, and waivers for certain contracts.