PUBLIC LAW 97-35—AUG. 13, 1981
95 STAT. 751
TITLE XVI—MARITIME AND RELATED PROGRAMS SEC. 1601. Funds are authorized to be appropriated without fiscal Appropriation year limitation as the appropriation Act may provide for the use of authorization. the Department of Commerce of fiscal year 1982, as follows: (1) for payment of obligations incurred for operating differential subsidy, $417,148,000; (2) for research and development, $10,491,000; (3) for operations and training, $74,898,000 including— (A) $8,005,000 for reserve fleet expenses; (B) $33,684,000 for maritime education and training expenses, including $19,205,000 for maritime training at the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, $12,599,000 for financial assistance to State maritime academies and $1,880,000 for expenses necessary for additiongd training; and (C) $33,209,000 for other operating and training expenses. SEC. 1602. There are authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal Appropriation year 1982, in addition to the amounts authorized by section 1601, such authorization. supplemental amounts for the activities for which appropriations are authorized under section 1601, as may be necessary for increases in salary, pay, retirement, or other employee benefits authorized by law. SEC. 1603. The Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended (46 tJ.S.C. 1101-1294), is further amended by adding a new section 614 to read as follows: "SEC. 614. (a) Any operator receiving operating differential subsidy Operating funds may elect, for all or a portion of its ships, to suspend its differential operating differential subsidy contract with all attendant statutory subsidy contract. 46 USC 1184. and contractual restrictions, except as to those pertaining to the domestic intercoastal or coastwise service, including any agreement providing for the replacement of vessels, if— "(1) the vessel is less than ten years of age; "(2) the suspension period is not less than twelve months; "(3) the operator's financial condition is maintained at a level acceptable to the Secretary of Commerce; and "(4) the owner agrees to pay to the Secretary, upon such terms and conditions as he may prescribe, an amount which bears the same proportion to the construction differential subsidy paid by the Secretary as the portion of the suspension period during which the vessel is operated in any preference trade from which a subsidized vessel would otherwise be excluded by law or contract bears to the entire economic life of the vessel. "(b) Any operator making an election under this section is entitled to full reinstatement of the suspended contract on request. The Secretary of Commerce may prescribe rules and regulations consistent with the purpose of this section.". SEC. 1604. Section 809(a) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. 1213(a)) is amended by inserting after the second sentence the following: "For the purposes of this section and section 211(a), the 46 USC 1121 Secretary shall establish trade routes, services, or lines that take into account the seasonal closure of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and provide for alternate routing of ships via a diffferent range of ports during that closure so as to maintain continuity of service on a yearround basis. For the purposes of section 605(c), such an alternate 46 USC 1175 routing via a different range of ports shall be deemed to be service from Great Lakes ports, provided such alternative routing is based
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