§ 4901. Requirement for prior authorization of appropriations

Amounts may be appropriated to or for the use of the Coast Guard for the following matters only if the amounts have been authorized by law after December 31, 1976 :

• (1) For the operation and maintenance of the Coast Guard, not otherwise provided for.
• (2) For the acquisition, construction, renovation, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore facilities, vessels, aircraft, and systems, including equipment related thereto, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, lease, and operation of facilities and equipment.
• (3) For the Coast Guard Reserve program, including operations and maintenance of the program, personnel and training costs, equipment, and services.
• (4) For the environmental compliance and restoration functions of the Coast Guard under section 318 of this title .
• (5) For research, development, test, and evaluation of technologies, materials, and human factors directly related to improving the performance of the Coast Guard.
• (6) For alteration or removal of bridges over navigable waters of the United States constituting obstructions to navigation, and for personnel and administrative costs associated with the Alteration of Bridges Program.

§ 4902. Authorizations of appropriations

Funds are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2019 for necessary expenses of the Coast Guard as follows:

• (1)
  • (A) For the operation and maintenance of the Coast Guard, not otherwise provided for, $7,914,195,000 for fiscal year 2019.
  • (B) Of the amount authorized under subparagraph (A)—
    • (i) $16,701,000 shall be for environmental compliance and restoration; and
    • (ii) $199,360,000 shall be for the Coast Guard’s Medicare-eligible retiree health care fund contribution to the Department of Defense.
• (2) For the procurement, construction, renovation, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore facilities, vessels, aircraft, and systems, including equipment related thereto, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, lease, and operation of facilities and equipment, $2,694,745,000 for fiscal year 2019.
• (3) To the Commandant for research, development, test, and evaluation of technologies, materials, and human factors directly related to improving the performance of the Coast Guard’s mission with respect to search and rescue, aids to navigation, marine safety, marine environmental protection, enforcement of laws and treaties, ice operations, oceanographic research, and defense readiness, and for maintenance, rehabilitation, lease, and operation of facilities and equipment, $29,141,000 for fiscal year 2019.

§ 4903. Authorization of personnel end strengths

• (a) For each fiscal year, Congress shall authorize the strength for active duty personnel of the Coast Guard as of the end of that fiscal year. Amounts may be appropriated for a fiscal year to or for the use of active duty personnel of the Coast Guard only if the end strength for active duty personnel for that fiscal year has been authorized by law. If at the end of any fiscal year there is in effect a declaration of war or national emergency, the President may defer the effectiveness of any end-strength limitation with respect to that fiscal year prescribed by law for any military or civilian component of the Coast Guard, for a period not to exceed 6 months after the end of the war or termination of the national emergency.
• (b)
  • (1) Congress shall authorize the average military training student loads for the Coast Guard for each fiscal year. That authorization is required for student loads for the following individual training categories:
    • (A) Recruit and specialized training.
    • (B) Flight training.
    • (C) Professional training in military and civilian institutions.
    • (D) Officer acquisition training.
  • (2) Amounts may be appropriated for a fiscal year for use in training military personnel of the Coast Guard in the categories referred to in paragraph (1) only if the average student loads for the Coast Guard for that fiscal year have been authorized by law.

§ 4904. Authorized levels of military strength and training

• (a) The Coast Guard is authorized an end-of-year strength for active duty personnel of 43,000 for fiscal year 2018 and 44,500 for fiscal year 2019.
• (b) The Coast Guard is authorized average military training student loads for each of fiscal years 2018 and 2019 as follows:
  • (1) For recruit and special training, 2,500 student years.
  • (2) For flight training, 165 student years.
  • (3) For professional training in military and civilian institutions, 350 student years.
  • (4) For officer acquisition, 1,200 student years.