SHIPS for America Act of 2025

(a) Short title. This Act may be cited as the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security for America Act of 2025 or the SHIPS for America Act of 2025.

(b) Table of contents. The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.Sec. 2. Findings.Sec. 3. Sense of Congress.Sec. 4. Definitions.TITLE I—Oversight and accountabilitySec. 101. Maritime Security Advisor; Maritime Security Board.Sec. 102. Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee.Sec. 103. Direct hire authority; Authorization for administrative expenses.Sec. 104. Implementation plan.Sec. 105. Federal Maritime Commission report on vessels of the United States.TITLE II—Maritime Security Trust FundSec. 201. Maritime Security Trust Fund established.Sec. 202. Regular tonnage taxes.Sec. 203. Presidential suspension of tonnage taxes and light money.TITLE III—Sealift capabilitySec. 301. Sealift capability.Sec. 302. National Freight Strategic Plan.Sec. 303. Foreign shipping practices; controlled carriers.TITLE IV—Vessels of the United States in international commerceSubtitle A—Strategic sealift programsSec. 401. Strategic Commercial Fleet.Sec. 402. Fleet testing and briefing requirement.Sec. 403. Assessment of undersea cable repair contingencies.Sec. 404. Modification to duties relating to equipment and repair of vessels.Subtitle B—Cargo preferenceSec. 411. United States Government cargo.Sec. 412. Cargo preference implementation regulations.Sec. 413. Cargo preference oversight and audit.Sec. 414. Financing the transportation of agricultural products and other cargo.Sec. 415. Importation from China on American ships.Sec. 416. Priority for vessels of the United States.Sec. 417. Moving cargo on vessels of the United States.Sec. 418. Transportation requirements for certain exports sponsored by the Secretary of Agriculture.Sec. 419. Clarifying amendments.Sec. 420. Energizing American shipbuilding.Sec. 421. Goods imported on vessels of the United States.Sec. 422. Ship America Office.Subtitle C—Regulatory reformSec. 431. Alternate standards.Sec. 432. Rulemaking committee on commercial maritime regulations and standards.Sec. 433. Amendments to Shipowners' Limitation of Liability Act of 1851.TITLE V—ShipbuildingSubtitle A—Shipbuilding financial incentivesSec. 501. Shipbuilding financial incentives.Sec. 502. Assistance for small shipyards.Sec. 503. Federal Ship Financing (title XI) Program.Sec. 504. Construction Reserve Fund.Sec. 505. Capital Construction Fund.Sec. 506. Anticipated commercial vessel construction survey.Sec. 507. Streamlined environmental review.Sec. 508. Eligibility for loan guarantees.Sec. 509. Reports.Sec. 510. Export control report.Subtitle B—Department of Defense ProgramsSec. 511. Assessment of the use of commercial best practices for Navy shipbuilding.Sec. 512. Plan of action for use of Defense Production Act of 1950 authorities.Sec. 513. Military Sealift Command.Subtitle C—Shipbuilding innovation and infrastructureSec. 521. United States Center for Maritime Innovation.Sec. 522. National Shipbuilding Research Program.Sec. 523. Assessment on maritime infrastructure readiness.TITLE VI—Workforce DevelopmentSubtitle A—Workforce IncentivesSec. 601. Public service loan forgiveness for Merchant Marines.Sec. 602. Eligibility for educational assistance.Sec. 603. Eligibility of mariners to attend Naval Postgraduate School.Sec. 604. Reimbursement of qualifying spouse relicensing costs and business costs.Sec. 605. Noncompetitive eligibility for Federal employment.Sec. 606. United States Merchant Marine Career Retention Program.Subtitle B—Workforce pipelineSec. 611. Maritime workforce promotion and recruitment.Sec. 612. Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education.Sec. 613. Maritime Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee.Sec. 614. Military candidates to Mariner Careers Recruitment Exchange.Sec. 615. Maritime worker data collection.Sec. 616. Military to maritime transition.Sec. 617. Early maritime education and youth involvement.Sec. 618. International scholarship for mariner and naval architecture exchanges.Subtitle C—United States Merchant Marine Academy and State maritime academiesSec. 621. Authorization of appropriations for United States Merchant Marine Academy infrastructure and facilities modernization.Sec. 622. United States Merchant Marine Academy.Sec. 623. Retirement service credit for service as a midshipman at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.Sec. 624. State maritime academies.Sec. 625. Enforcement of service obligation requirements.Sec. 626. Fuel funding for training ships operated by State maritime academies.Sec. 627. State Maritime Academy Sea Term Scholarship Programs.Sec. 628. Naval joint exercise involvement for training ships operated by State maritime academies.Subtitle D—Maritime Credentialing ModernizationSec. 631. Merchant mariner credentialing modernization.Sec. 632. Revising merchant mariner deck training requirements.Sec. 633. Inspections for transportation security.Sec. 634. Renewal of merchant mariner licenses and documents.Sec. 635. Merchant seamen licenses, certificates, and documents; manning of vessels.Sec. 636. Reactivation of expired license.TITLE VII—Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986Sec. 701. United States Vessel Investment credit.Sec. 702. Certain payments for maritime security excluded from gross income.Sec. 703. Elimination of 30-day limitation on domestic operations.Sec. 704. Qualifying shipping activities.Sec. 705. Qualifying vessel.Sec. 706. Credit for construction of shipyard facilities.Sec. 707. Tax incentives relating to merchant marine capital construction funds.Sec. 708. Exemption of student incentive payment agreements from gross income.Sec. 709. Maritime fuel tax parity.Sec. 710. Treatment of maritime prosperity zones as opportunity zones.