H.R. 8054 — Introduced in House

I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8054 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 17, 2024Mr. Peters (for himself and Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To ensure fairness and transparency in the processes used by the Navy to award contracts for ship maintenance and repair, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Smart Ship Repair Act of 2024 or the SSRA of 2024. 2. Definition of short-term work for purposes of Navy construction of combatant and escort vessels and assignment of vessel projects Section 8669a(c)(4) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking 10 months and inserting 18 months. 3. Study on price differentials used in Navy ship repair solicitations (a) In general Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of the Navy shall seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to conduct a study to assess whether relevant price differentials used by the Navy in ship repair solicitations accurately reflect the true market value of the activity undertaken to complete the repair work involved in the absence of any such differential. (b) Elements The study under subsection (a) shall address all relevant price differentials used by the Navy in ship repair solicitations, including— (1) the use of Government-owned and operated dry docks; (2) the use of inter-port differentials; and (3) the use of pier differentials. (c) Reports (1) FFRDC report The federally funded research and development center that conducts the study under subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary of the Navy a report on the results of the study. (2) Submittal to congress Not later than September 30, 2025, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees an unaltered copy of the report received by the Secretary under paragraph (1) together with a separate statement of the views of the Secretary on the results of the study conducted under subsection (a). 4. Report on navy policy for soliciting coastwide bids for certain repair availabilities (a) In general Not later than March 30, 2025, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the policy of the Navy for soliciting coastwide bids for repair availabilities longer than 10 months. (b) Elements The report under subsection (a) shall include an explanation and assessment of each of the following: (1) The intent of the policy described in subsection (a). (2) The data the Navy uses to assess the efficacy of such policy. (3) How the Navy estimates the cost of moving vessels out of their home port to complete the availability and the actual cost of moving vessels out of their home port to complete the availability. (4) How the Navy estimates the financial, labor force, member of the Armed Forces and family well-being, berthing, and related costs associated with moving a vessel out of its home port to complete a repair availability longer than 10 months. 5. Congressional defense committees defined In this Act, the term congressional defense committees has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.