Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2016, the Commandant, in consultation with the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy and such other individuals and organizations as the Commandant considers appropriate, shall develop a training course on the workings of the Congress and offer that training course at least once each year.

The training course required by this section shall provide an overview and introduction to the Congress and the Federal legislative process, including—

(1) the history and structure of the Congress and the committee systems of the House of Representatives and the Senate, including the functions and responsibilities of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate;

(2) the documents produced by the Congress, including bills, resolutions, committee reports, and conference reports, and the purposes and functions of those documents;

the legislative processes and rules of the House of Representatives and the Senate, including similarities and differences between the two processes and rules, including—

(A) the congressional budget process;

(B) the congressional authorization and appropriation processes;

(C) the Senate advice and consent process for Presidential nominees;

(D) the Senate advice and consent process for treaty ratification;

(4) the roles of Members of Congress and congressional staff in the legislative process; and

(5) the concept and underlying purposes of congressional oversight within our governance framework of separation of powers.

The Commandant shall ensure that not less than 60 percent of the lecturers, panelists, and other individuals providing education and instruction as part of the training course required by this section are experts on the Congress and the Federal legislative process who are not employed by the executive branch of the Federal Government.

(1) Outside experts.— The Commandant shall ensure that not less than 60 percent of the lecturers, panelists, and other individuals providing education and instruction as part of the training course required by this section are experts on the Congress and the Federal legislative process who are not employed by the executive branch of the Federal Government.

(2) Authority to accept pro bono services.— In satisfying the requirement under paragraph (1), the Commandant shall seek, and may accept, educational and instructional services of lecturers, panelists, and other individuals and organizations provided to the Coast Guard on a pro bono basis.

A Coast Guard flag officer who is newly appointed or assigned to a billet in the National Capital Region, and a Coast Guard Senior Executive Service employee who is newly employed in the National Capital Region, shall complete a training course that meets the requirements of this section not later than 60 days after reporting for duty.

(Added Pub. L. 114–120, title II, § 214(b)(1), Feb. 8, 2016, 130 Stat. 43, § 60; amended Pub. L. 114–328, div. C, title XXXV, § 3503(a), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2775; Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3532, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2321; renumbered § 315, Pub. L. 115–282, title I, § 104(b), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4196.)