Sponsors (3)
The bill speeds Coast Guard ability to enter intergovernmental support agreements—improving operational responsiveness—but concentrates authority in the Commandant and can lead to earlier fiscal commitments with less departmental or congressional review.
Coast Guard personnel and state/local partners will be able to begin intergovernmental support agreements faster because the Commandant can directly exercise Secretary-level authority, improving operational response speed for missions (e.g., search-and-rescue, disaster response).
Taxpayers and congressional overseers gain more transparency because the Commandant must notify relevant House and Senate committees within 60 days of agreements, enabling legislative awareness and potential oversight.
Taxpayers and state/local governments may face earlier fiscal commitments because faster agreement-making by the Commandant can bind federal or local resources before broader departmental or congressional review.
Federal employees and military personnel could experience reduced departmental coordination and checks because shifting Secretary-level authority to the Commandant concentrates decision-making and may bypass fuller internal review.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows the Coast Guard Commandant to exercise Secretary-level authority under 10 U.S.C. § 2679 to enter intergovernmental support agreements and requires a 60‑day congressional notice.
Official title: To amend title 46, United States Code, to delegate to the Commandant of the Coast Guard authority to enter into intergovernmental support agreements relating to installation-support services, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 8, 2026 by Joe Courtney · Last progress September 8, 2026
Authorizes the Commandant of the Coast Guard to use the Secretary-level authority under 10 U.S.C. 2679 for entering intergovernmental support agreements, allowing the Coast Guard to act in place of the parent department for those agreements. Requires the Commandant to notify the relevant congressional committees in writing within 60 days after using that authority and to describe any intergovernmental support agreements entered under it.