§ 501. Waiver of navigation and vessel-inspection laws

• (a) On request of the Secretary of Defense, the head of an agency responsible for the administration of the navigation or vessel-inspection laws shall waive compliance with those laws to the extent the Secretary considers necessary in the interest of national defense.
• (b)
  • (1) When the head of an agency responsible for the administration of the navigation or vessel-inspection laws considers it necessary in the interest of national defense, the individual, following a determination by the Maritime Administrator, acting in the Administrator’s capacity as Director, National Shipping Authority, of the non-availability of qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense requirements, may waive compliance with those laws to the extent, in the manner, and on the terms the individual, in consultation with the Administrator, acting in that capacity, prescribes.
  • (2) The Maritime Administrator shall—
    • (A) for each determination referred to in paragraph (1), identify any actions that could be taken to enable qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense requirements;
    • (B) provide notice of each such determination to the Secretary of Transportation and the head of the agency referred to in paragraph (1) for which the determination is made; and
    • (C) publish each such determination on the Internet Web site of the Department of Transportation not later than 48 hours after notice of the determination is provided to the Secretary of Transportation.
  • (3)
    • (A) The head of an agency referred to in paragraph (1) shall notify the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate—
      • (i) of any request for a waiver of the navigation or vessel-inspection laws under this section not later than 48 hours after receiving such a request; and
      • (ii) of the issuance of any such waiver not later than 48 hours after such issuance.
    • (B) Such head of an agency shall include in each notification under subparagraph (A)(ii) an explanation of—
      • (i) the reasons the waiver is necessary; and
      • (ii) the reasons actions referred to in paragraph (2)(A) are not feasible.
• (c) The authority granted by this section shall terminate at such time as the Congress by concurrent resolution or the President may designate.