§ 2901. Work-life policies and programs

The Commandant is authorized—

• (1) to establish an office for the purpose of developing, promulgating, and coordinating policies, programs, and activities related to the families of Coast Guard members;
• (2) to implement and oversee policies, programs, and activities described in paragraph (1) as the Commandant considers necessary; and
• (3) to perform such other duties as the Commandant considers necessary.

§ 2902. Surveys of Coast Guard families

• (a) The Commandant, in order to determine the effectiveness of Federal policies, programs, and activities related to the families of Coast Guard members, may survey—
  • (1) any Coast Guard member;
  • (2) any retired Coast Guard member;
  • (3) the immediate family of any Coast Guard member or retired Coast Guard member; and
  • (4) any survivor of a deceased Coast Guard member.
• (b) Participation in any survey conducted under subsection (a) shall be voluntary.
• (c) Each person surveyed under subsection (a) shall be considered an employee of the United States for purposes of section 3502(3)(A)(i) of title 44 .

§ 2903. Reimbursement for adoption expenses

• (a) The Secretary shall carry out a program under which a member of the Coast Guard may be reimbursed, as provided in this section, for qualifying adoption expenses incurred by the member in the adoption of a child under 18 years of age.
• (b) An adoption for which expenses may be reimbursed under this section includes an adoption by a single person, an infant adoption, an intercountry adoption, and an adoption of a child with special needs (as defined in section 473(c) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 673(c) )).
• (c) Benefits paid under this section in the case of an adoption may be paid only after the adoption is final.
• (d) A benefit may not be paid under this section for any expense paid to or for a member of the Coast Guard under any other adoption benefits program administered by the Federal Government or under any such program administered by a State or local government.
• (e)
  • (1) Not more than $2,000 may be paid under this section to a member of the Coast Guard, or to two such members who are spouses of each other, for expenses incurred in the adoption of a child.
  • (2) Not more than $5,000 may be paid under this section to a member of the Coast Guard, or to two such members who are spouses of each other, for adoptions by such member (or members) in any calendar year.
• (f) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section.
• (g) In this section:
  • (1) The term “qualifying adoption expenses” means reasonable and necessary expenses that are directly related to the legal adoption of a child under 18 years of age, but only if such adoption is arranged by a qualified adoption agency. Such term does not include any expense incurred—
    • (A) by an adopting parent for travel; or
    • (B) in connection with an adoption arranged in violation of Federal, State, or local law.
  • (2) The term “reasonable and necessary expenses” includes—
    • (A) public and private agency fees, including adoption fees charged by an agency in a foreign country;
    • (B) placement fees, including fees charged adoptive parents for counseling;
    • (C) legal fees (including court costs) in connection with services that are unavailable to a member of the Coast Guard under section 1044 or 1044a of title 10; and
    • (D) medical expenses, including hospital expenses of the biological mother of the child to be adopted and of a newborn infant to be adopted.
  • (3) The term “qualified adoption agency” means any of the following:
    • (A) A State or local government agency which has responsibility under State or local law for child placement through adoption.
    • (B) A nonprofit, voluntary adoption agency which is authorized by State or local law to place children for adoption.
    • (C) Any other source authorized by a State to provide adoption placement if the adoption is supervised by a court under State or local law.

§ 2904. Education and training opportunities for Coast Guard spouses

• (a) The Commandant may provide, subject to the availability of appropriations, tuition assistance to an eligible spouse to facilitate the acquisition of—
  • (1) education and training required for a degree or credential at an accredited college, university, or technical school in the United States that expands employment and portable career opportunities for the spouse; or
  • (2) education prerequisites and a professional license or credential required, by a government or government-sanctioned licensing body, for an occupation that expands employment and portable career opportunities for the spouse.
• (b) In this section, the following definitions apply:
  • (1)
    • (A) The term “eligible spouse” means the spouse of a member of the Coast Guard who is serving on active duty and includes a spouse who receives transitional compensation under section 1059 of title 10 .
    • (B) The term “eligible spouse” does not include a person who—
      • (i) is married to, but legally separated from, a member of the Coast Guard under a court order or statute of any State or territorial possession of the United States; or
      • (ii) is eligible for tuition assistance as a member of the Armed Forces.
  • (2) The term “portable career” includes an occupation that requires education, training, or both that results in a credential that is recognized by an industry, profession, or specific type of business.

§ 2905. Youth sponsorship initiatives

• (a) The Commandant is authorized to establish, within any Coast Guard unit, an initiative to help integrate into new surroundings the dependent children of members of the Coast Guard who received permanent change of station orders.
• (b) An initiative established under subsection (a) shall—
  • (1) provide for the involvement of a dependent child of a member of the Coast Guard in the dependent child’s new Coast Guard community; and
  • (2) primarily focus on preteen and teenaged children.
• (c) In carrying out an initiative under subsection (a), the Commandant may—
  • (1) provide to a dependent child of a member of the Coast Guard information on youth programs and activities available in the dependent child’s new Coast Guard community; and
  • (2) enter into agreements with nonprofit entities to provide youth programs and activities to such child.

§ 2906. Dependent school children

• (a) The Secretary may provide, out of funds appropriated to or for the use of the Coast Guard, for the primary and secondary schooling of dependents of Coast Guard personnel stationed outside the continental United States at costs for any given area not in excess of those of the Department of Defense for the same area, when it is determined by the Secretary that the schools, if any, available in the locality are unable to provide adequately for the education of those dependents.
• (b) Whenever the Secretary, under such regulations as he may prescribe, determines that schools located in the same area in which a Coast Guard facility is located are not accessible by public means of transportation on a regular basis, he may provide, out of funds appropriated to or for the use of the Coast Guard, for the transportation of dependents of Coast Guard personnel between the schools serving the area and the Coast Guard facility.

§ 2921. Definitions

In this subchapter, the following definitions apply:

• (1) The term “child abuse and neglect” has the meaning given that term in section 3 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5101 note).
• (2) The term “child development center employee” means a civilian employee of the Coast Guard who is employed to work in a Coast Guard child development center without regard to whether the employee is paid from appropriated or nonappropriated funds.
• (3) The term “Coast Guard child development center” means a facility on Coast Guard property or on property under the jurisdiction of the commander of a Coast Guard unit at which child care services are provided for members of the Coast Guard.
• (4) The term “competitive service position” means a position in the competitive service (as defined in section 2102 of title 5 ).
• (5) The term “family home daycare” means home-based child care services provided for a member of the Coast Guard by an individual who—
  • (A) is certified by the Commandant as qualified to provide home-based child care services; and
  • (B) provides home-based child care services on a regular basis in exchange for monetary compensation.

§ 2922. Child development services

• (a) The Commandant may make child development services available for members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard, and thereafter as space is available for members of the Armed Forces and Federal civilian employees. Child development service benefits provided under the authority of this section shall be in addition to benefits provided under other laws.
• (b)
  • (1) The Commandant is authorized to use appropriated funds available to the Coast Guard to provide child development services.
  • (2)
    • (A) The Commandant is authorized to establish, by regulations, fees to be charged parents for the attendance of children at Coast Guard child development centers.
    • (B) Fees to be charged, pursuant to subparagraph (A), shall be based on family income and whether a family is participating in an initiative established under section 2925(b), except that the Commandant may, on a case-by-base basis, establish fees at lower rates if such rates would not be competitive with rates at local child development centers.
    • (C) The Commandant is authorized to collect and expend fees, established pursuant to this subparagraph, and such fees shall, without further appropriation, remain available until expended for the purpose of providing services, including the compensation of employees and the purchase of consumable and disposable items, at Coast Guard child development centers.
  • (3) The Commandant is authorized to use appropriated funds available to the Coast Guard to provide assistance to family home daycare providers so that family home daycare services can be provided to uniformed service members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard at a cost comparable to the cost of services provided by Coast Guard child development centers.
• (c) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations to implement this section. The regulations shall establish fees to be charged for child development services provided under this section which take into consideration total family income.

§ 2923. Child development center standards and inspections

• (a) The Commandant shall require each Coast Guard child development center to meet standards that the Commandant considers appropriate to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the children and employees at the center.
• (b) The Commandant shall provide for regular and unannounced inspections of each Coast Guard child development center to ensure compliance with this section.
• (c)
  • (1) The Commandant shall maintain and publicize a means by which an individual can report, with respect to a Coast Guard child development center or a family home daycare—
    • (A) any suspected violation of—
      • (i) standards established under subsection (a); or
      • (ii) any other applicable law or standard;
    • (B) suspected child abuse or neglect; or
    • (C) any other deficiency.
  • (2) The Commandant shall ensure that an individual making a report pursuant to paragraph (1) may do so anonymously if so desired by the individual.
  • (3) The Commandant shall establish procedures for investigating reports made pursuant to paragraph (1).

§ 2924. Child development center employees

• (a)
  • (1) The Commandant shall establish a training program for Coast Guard child development center employees and satisfactory completion of the training program shall be a condition of employment for each employee of a Coast Guard child development center.
  • (2) The Commandant shall require each employee of a Coast Guard child development center to complete the training program established under paragraph (1) not later than 6 months after the date on which the employee is hired.
  • (3) The training program established under paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, instruction with respect to—
    • (A) early childhood development;
    • (B) activities and disciplinary techniques appropriate to children of different ages;
    • (C) child abuse and neglect prevention and detection; and
    • (D) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency medical procedures.
  • (4) The Commandant may use Department of Defense training programs, on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, for purposes of this subsection.
• (b)
  • (1) The Commandant shall require that at least 1 employee at each Coast Guard child development center be a specialist in training and curriculum development with appropriate credentials and experience.
  • (2) The duties of the specialist described in paragraph (1) shall include—
    • (A) special teaching activities;
    • (B) daily oversight and instruction of other child care employees;
    • (C) daily assistance in the preparation of lesson plans;
    • (D) assisting with child abuse and neglect prevention and detection; and
    • (E) advising the director of the center on the performance of the other child care employees.
  • (3) Each specialist described in paragraph (1) shall be an employee in a competitive service position.

§ 2925. Parent partnerships with child development centers

• (a)
  • (1) The Commandant shall require that there be formed at each Coast Guard child development center a board of parents, to be composed of parents of children attending the center.
  • (2) Each board of parents formed under paragraph (1) shall—
    • (A) meet periodically with the staff of the center at which the board is formed and the commander of the unit served by the center, for the purpose of discussing problems and concerns; and
    • (B) be responsible, together with the staff of the center, for coordinating any parent participation initiative established under subsection (b).
  • (3) The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) does not apply to a board of parents formed under paragraph (1).
• (b) The Commandant is authorized to establish a parent participation initiative at each Coast Guard child development center to encourage and facilitate parent participation in educational and related activities at the center.

§ 2941. Definitions

In this chapter:

• (1) The term “construct” means to build, renovate, or improve military family housing and military unaccompanied housing.
• (2) The term “construction” means building, renovating, or improving military family housing and military unaccompanied housing.
• (3) The term “military unaccompanied housing” means military housing intended to be occupied by members of the armed forces serving a tour of duty unaccompanied by dependents.
• (4) The term “United States” includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

§ 2942. General authority

• (a) In addition to any other authority providing for the acquisition or construction of military family housing or military unaccompanied housing, the Secretary may acquire or construct the following:
  • (1) Military family housing on or near Coast Guard installations within the United States and its territories and possessions.
  • (2) Military unaccompanied housing on or near such Coast Guard installations.
• (b) No appropriation shall be made to acquire or construct military family housing or military unaccompanied housing under this chapter if that acquisition or construction has not been approved by resolutions adopted by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

§ 2943. Leasing and hiring of quarters; rental of in­adequate housing

• (a) The Secretary is authorized to lease hous­ing facilities at or near Coast Guard installations, wherever located, for assignment as public quarters to military personnel and their dependents, if any, without rental charge upon a determination by the Secretary, or his designee, that there is a lack of adequate housing facilities at or near such Coast Guard installations. The Secretary is also authorized to lease housing facilities for assignment as public quarters, without rental charge, to military personnel who are on sea duty or duty at remote offshore Coast Guard stations and who do not have dependents. Such authority shall be effective in any fiscal year only to such extent or in such amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts. When any such lease involves housing facilities in a foreign country, the lease may be made on a multiyear basis for a period not to exceed five years, and, in accordance with local custom and practice, advance payment may be made for the lease. Such public housing facilities may be leased on an individual or multiple-unit basis. Expenditures for the rental of such housing facilities may not exceed the average authorized for the Department of Defense in any year except where the Secretary finds that the average is so low as to prevent rental of necessary housing facilities in some areas, in which event he is authorized to reallocate existing funds to high-cost areas so that rental expenditures in such areas exceed the average authorized for the Department of Defense.
• (b) The Secretary is authorized, subject to regulations approved by the President—
  • (1) to designate as rental housing such housing as he may determine to be inadequate as public quarters; and
  • (2) to lease inadequate housing to members of the Coast Guard for occupancy by them and their dependents.
• (c) Where sufficient quarters are not possessed by the United States, the Commandant may hire quarters for personnel, including personnel on sea duty at such times as they may be deprived of their quarters on board ship due to repairs or other conditions which may render them uninhabitable. Such accommodations shall not be available for occupancy by the dependents of such personnel.

§ 2944. Retired service members and dependents serving on advisory committees

A committee that—

• (1) advises or assists the Coast Guard with respect to a function that affects a member of the Coast Guard or a dependent of such a member; and
• (2) includes in its membership a retired Coast Guard member or a dependent of such a retired member;

§ 2945. Conveyance of real property

• (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may convey, at fair market value, real property, owned or under the administrative control of the Coast Guard, for the purpose of expending the proceeds from such conveyance to acquire and construct military family housing and military unaccompanied housing.
• (b)
  • (1) The conveyance of real property under this section shall be by sale, for cash. The Secretary shall deposit the proceeds from the sale in the Coast Guard Housing Fund established under section 2946 of this title , for the purpose of expending such proceeds to acquire and construct military family housing and military unaccompanied housing.
  • (2) The conveyance of real property under this section shall not diminish the mission capacity of the Coast Guard, but further the mission support capability of the Coast Guard with regard to military family housing or military unaccompanied housing.
• (c) This section does not affect or limit the application of or obligation to comply with any environmental law, including section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 ( 42 U.S.C. 9620(h) ).

§ 2946. Coast Guard Housing Fund

• (a) There is hereby established on the books of the Treasury an account to be known as the Coast Guard Housing Fund (in this section referred to as the “Fund”).
• (b) There shall be credited to the Fund the following:
  • (1) Amounts authorized for and appropriated to that Fund.
  • (2) Subject to subsection (e), any amounts that the Secretary transfers, in such amounts as provided in appropriation Acts, to that Fund from amounts authorized and appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security or Coast Guard for the acquisition or construction of military family housing or military unaccompanied housing.
  • (3) Proceeds from the conveyance of property under section 2945 of this title for the purpose of carrying out activities under this chapter with respect to military family housing and military unaccompanied housing.
  • (4) Monies received under section 504(a)(13).
  • (5) Amounts received under section 908(b).
• (c)
  • (1) In such amounts as provided in appropriations Acts, and except as provided in subsection (d), the Secretary may use amounts in the Coast Guard Housing Fund to carry out activities under this chapter with respect to military family housing and military unaccompanied housing, including—
    • (A) the planning, execution, and administration of the conveyance of real property;
    • (B) all necessary expenses, including expenses for environmental compliance and restoration, to prepare real property for conveyance; and
    • (C) the conveyance of real property.
  • (2) Amounts made available under this subsection shall remain available until expended.
• (d) The Secretary may not incur an obligation under a contract or other agreements entered into under this chapter in excess of the unobligated balance, at the time the contract is entered into, of the Fund required to be used to satisfy the obligation.
• (e) A transfer of appropriated amounts to the Fund under subsection (b)(2) of this section may be made only after the end of a 30-day period beginning on the date the Secretary submits written notice of, and justification for, the transfer to the appropriate committees of Congress.

§ 2947. Reports

The Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress, concurrent with the budget submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 31 , a report identifying the contracts or agreements for the conveyance of properties pursuant to this chapter executed during the prior calendar year.