Volume 72 · 622
Public Law 85–672
To provide certain assistance to State and Territorial maritime academies or colleges.
Approved August 18, 1958
Statutory text
AN ACT
To provide certain assistance to State and Territorial maritime academies or colleges.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That this Act may be cited as the “Maritime Academy Act of 1958”.
Sec. 2. declaration of policy
It is hereby declared to be the policy of this Act to promote the national policy with respect to the United States Merchant Marine,
as set out in section 101 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, by assisting and cooperating with the States and Territories in the operation and maintenance of maritime academies or colleges for the training of merchant marine officers.
Sec. 3. vessels for maritime academies
In order to carry out the policy set out in section 2 of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce (hereinafter referred to as the “Secretary”) may furnish any suitable vessel under his jurisdiction, or obtained under the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, or construct and furnish a suitable vessel if such a vessel is not available, to the State of Maine, the State of Massachusetts, the State of New York, the State of California, and to any other State or Territory of the United States, for use as a training vessel for a maritime academy or college meeting the requirements of this Act. Any such vessel (1) shall be repaired, reconditioned, equipped (including all apparel, charts, books, and instruments of navigation) as necessary for use as a training ship, (2) shall be furnished only upon application therefor in writing by the Governor of such State or Territory, (3) shall be furnished only if a suitable port for the safe mooring of such vessel is available while it is being used by such academy or college, (4) shall be maintained in good repair by the Secretary, and (5) shall remain the property of the United States.
Any department or agency of the United States may provide to the Secretary for disposition under the provisions of this Act any vessel (including equipment) which is suitable for the purposes of this Act and can be spared without detriment to the service to which such vessel has been assigned.
Sec. 4. contracts for assistance
The Secretary may enter into agreements with not more than one maritime academy or college, which meets the requirements of this Act, in each State or Territory, to make annual payments to such academy or college for not in excess of four years in the case of each such agreement, to be used for the maintenance and support of such academy or college. Such payments for any year to any maritime academy or college shall be an amount equal to the amount furnished to such academy or college for its maintenance and support by the State or Territory in which such academy or college is located, except that such payments to any academy or college for any year shall not exceed $75,000, or $25,000 if such academy or college does not meet the requirement of section 5 (b) of this Act.
Sec. 5. requirements
As a condition to receiving any payments or the use of any vessel under the provisions of this Act an academy or college shall—
provide courses of instruction to youths in navigation and marine engineering, including steam and diesel propulsion, and courses in atomic or nuclear propulsion as soon as practical and possible; and
shall agree in writing to conform to such standards in such course, in training facilities, in entrance requirements, and in instructors, as are established by the Secretary after consultation with superintendents of maritime academies and colleges in the United States.
As a condition to receiving payment of any amount in excess of $25,000 for any year under the provisions of section 4 of this Act, a maritime academy or college shall agree to admit to such academy or college students resident in other States in such numbers as the Secretary shall prescribe, except that the number of such students prescribed for any academy or college shall not at any time exceed one-third of the student capacity of such academy or college.
Sec. 6. subsistence payments
The Secretary may enter into agreements, with each academy or college with which he contracts under section 4 to make payments, at a rate not in excess of $600 per academic year per student, to such academy or college, with respect to each student attending such academy or college. Such payments (1) shall be used to assist in defraying the cost of uniforms, books, and subsistence for such student, (2) shall commence to accrue on the day such student begins his first term of work at such academy or college, and (3) shall be paid to such academy or college in such installments as the Secretary shall prescribe, while such student is in attendance and until the completion of his course of instruction, but in no event for more than four academic years for any one student.
If the Secretary deems it advisable in the case of any such academy or college, he may, in lieu of entering into agreements with such academy or college for payments under this section, enter into such agreements directly with each student at such academy or college and make such payments directly to each such student.
Sec. 7. detailing of certain officers
When requested by the governor of any State or Territory, the President of the United States is authorized to detail, when in his opinion such detailing can be done without detriment to the public service, proper officers of the Navy or Coast Guard or United States Maritime Service instructors employed under the provisions of section 216 (a) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as superintendents or instructors,
or both, at maritime academies or colleges meeting the requirements of this Act. Officers or instructors so detailed shall be compensated by the Federal agency ordinarily compensating them for service as such an officer or instructor.
Sec. 8. rules and regulations
The Secretary may establish such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 9. acts repealed
The Act entitled “An Act for the establishment of marine
schools, and for other purposes”, approved March 4, 1911 (36 Stat. 1353), as amended, and the joint resolution entitled “Joint resolution to provide suitable vessels for the use of certain State nautical schools,
and for other purposes”, approved July 29, 1941 (55 Stat. 607), are repealed.
Sec. 10. appropriations authorized
There are authorized to be appropriated such amounts as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
Approved August 18, 1958.