Missouri River: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
REPORT ON CONDITION OF AIDS TO NAVIGATION.
July 23, 2025: House approves Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 4275)
Remember the path of a bill – Subcommittee approval, Committee approval, House approval while parallel bills in the Senate – they conference to agree on the two versions then vote on the bill and if passed, it becomes law.
Further, in Congress: There are typically two types of legislation: Authorization and Appropriations. The below is authorization language for the Coast Guard as it pertains specifically to the Missouri River.
TITLE II—ORGANIZATION, AUTHORITIES, ACQUISITION, AND PERSONNEL OF THE COAST GUARD
Subtitle A—Organization
SEC. 201. SECRETARY OF THE COAST GUARD.
‘‘§ 102. Primary duties
‘‘(C) AIDS TO NAVIGATION.—Develop, establish, maintain and operate aids to maritime navigation to promote the safe operation of the Marine Transportation System, pursuant to subchapter III of chapter 5, on, under, and over the high seas and waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
Subtitle F—Reports and Policies
Section 273. REPORT ON CONDITION OF AIDS TO NAVIGATION.
- PROVISION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the condition of dayboards and the placement of buoys on the Missouri River and within Northeast and Northwest Coast Guard Districts. It also prevents the Commandant from removing current aids to navigation unless there is an imminent threat to life or safety.
- ELEMENTS.—The report under paragraph (1) shall include—
- a list of the most recent date on which each dayboard and buoy was serviced by the Coast Guard;
- an overview of the plan of the Coast Guard to systematically service each dayboard and buoy on the Missouri River;
- an overview of the plan of the Coast Guard 12 to systematically service each buoy located in the 13 Coast Guard Northeast District;
- an overview of the plan of the Coast Guard to systematically service each buoy located in the Coast Guard Northwest District; and
(5) assigned points of contact.
(c) LIMITATION.—Beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant may not remove the aids to navigation covered in subsection (a), unless there is an imminent threat to life or safety, until a period of 180 days has elapsed following the date on which the Commandant submits the report required under subsection (a).
Section by section Summary of H.R. 4275