USC Chapter 39

USC Chapter 39
in effect

14 U.S.C. § 3901 Administration of the Coast Guard Auxiliary

(a) The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a nonmilitary organization administered by the Commandant under the direction of the Secretary. For command, control, and administrative purposes, the Auxiliary shall include such organizational elements and units as are approved by the Commandant, including but not limited to, a national board and staff (to be known as the “Auxiliary headquarters unit”), districts, regions, divisions, flotillas, and other organizational elements and units. The Auxiliary organization and its officers shall have such rights, privileges, powers, and duties as may be granted to them by the Commandant, consistent with this title and other applicable provisions of law. The Commandant may delegate to officers of the Auxiliary the authority vested in the Commandant by this section, in the manner and to the extent the Commandant considers necessary or appropriate for the functioning, organization, and internal administration of the Auxiliary. (b) Each organizational element or unit of the Coast Guard Auxiliary organization (but excluding any corporation formed by an organizational element or unit of the Auxiliary under subsection (c) of this section), shall, except when acting outside the scope of section 3902, at all times be deemed to be an instrumentality of the United States, for purposes of the following:(1) Chapter 171 of title 28 (popularly known as the Federal Tort Claims Act). (2) Section 2733 of title 10 (popularly known as the Military Claims Act). (3) Section 30101 of title 46 (popularly known as the Admiralty Extension Act). (4) Chapter 309 of title 46 (known as the Suits in Admiralty Act). (5) Chapter 311 of title 46 (known as the Public Vessels Act). (6) Other matters related to noncontractual civil liability. (c) The national board of the Auxiliary, and any Auxiliary district or region, may form a corporation under State law in accordance with policies established by the Commandant. (d)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), personal property of the auxiliary shall not be considered property of the United States. (2) The Secretary may treat personal property of the auxiliary as property of the United States—(A) for the purposes of—(i) the statutes and matters referred to in paragraphs (1) through (6) of subsection (b); and (ii) section 901 of this title; and (B) as otherwise provided in this chapter. (3) The Secretary may reimburse the Auxiliary, and each organizational element and unit of the Auxiliary, for necessary expenses of operation, maintenance, and repair or replacement of personal property of the Auxiliary. (4) In this subsection, the term “personal property of the Auxiliary” means motor boats, yachts, aircraft, radio stations, motorized vehicles, trailers, or other equipment that is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Coast Guard Auxiliary or an organizational element or unit of the Auxiliary and that is used solely for the purposes described in this subsection.

14 U.S.C. § 3902 Purpose of the Coast Guard Auxiliary

(a) In General.—The purpose of the Auxiliary is to assist the Coast Guard as authorized by the Commandant, in performing any Coast Guard function, power, duty, role, mission, or operation authorized by law. (b) Limitation.—The Auxiliary may conduct a patrol of a waterway, or a portion thereof, only if—(1) the Commandant has determined such waterway, or portion thereof, is navigable for purposes of the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard; or (2) a State or other proper authority has requested such patrol pursuant to section 701 of this title or section 13109 of title 46.

14 U.S.C. § 3903 Eligibility; enrollments

The Auxiliary shall be composed of nationals of the United States, as defined in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22)), and aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined in section 101(a)(20) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20))— (1) who—(A) are owners, sole or part, of motorboats, yachts, aircraft, or radio stations; or (B) by reason of their special training or experience are deemed by the Commandant to be qualified for duty in the Auxiliary; and (2) who may be enrolled therein pursuant to applicable regulations.

14 U.S.C. § 3904 Members of the Auxiliary; status

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary shall not be considered to be a Federal employee and shall not be subject to the provisions of law relating to Federal employment, including those relating to hours of work, rates of compensation, leave, unemployment compensation, Federal employee benefits, ethics, conflicts of interest, and other similar criminal or civil statutes and regulations governing the conduct of Federal employees. However, nothing in this subsection shall constrain the Commandant from prescribing standards for the conduct and behavior of members of the Auxiliary. (b) A member of the Auxiliary while assigned to duty shall be deemed to be a Federal employee only for the purposes of the following:(1) Chapter 171 of title 28 (popularly known as the Federal Tort Claims Act). (2) Section 2733 of title 10 (popularly known as the Military Claims Act). (3) Section 30101 of title 46 (popularly known as the Admiralty Extension Act). (4) Chapter 309 of title 46 (known as the Suits in Admiralty Act). (5) Chapter 311 of title 46 (known as the Public Vessels Act). (6) Other matters related to noncontractual civil liability. (7) Compensation for work injuries under chapter 81 of title 5. (8) The resolution of claims relating to damage to or loss of personal property of the member incident to service under the Military Personnel and Civilian Employees’ Claims Act of 1964 (31 U.S.C. 3721).11 See References in Text note below. (9) Section 651 of Public Law 104–208. (c) A member of the Auxiliary, while assigned to duty, shall be deemed to be a person acting under an officer of the United States or an agency thereof for purposes of section 1442(a)(1) of title 28.

14 U.S.C. § 3905 Disenrollment

Members of the Auxiliary may be disenrolled pursuant to applicable regulations.

14 U.S.C. § 3906 Membership in other organizations

Members of the Auxiliary may be appointed or enlisted in the Reserve, pursuant to applicable regulations, and membership in the Auxiliary shall not be a bar to membership in any other naval or military organization.

14 U.S.C. § 3907 Use of member’s facilities

(a) Motor Boats, Yachts, Aircraft, and Radio Stations.—The Coast Guard may utilize for any purpose incident to carrying out its functions and duties as authorized by the Secretary any motorboat, yacht, aircraft, or radio station placed at its disposition for any of such purposes by any member of the Auxiliary, by any corporation, partnership, or association, or by any State or political subdivision thereof. (b) Motor Vehicles.—The Coast Guard may utilize to carry out its functions and duties as authorized by the Secretary any motor vehicle (as defined in section 30102 of title 49) placed at its disposition by any member of the Auxiliary, by any corporation, partnership, or association, or by any State or political subdivision thereof, to tow Federal Government property.

14 U.S.C. § 3908 Vessel deemed public vessel

While assigned to authorized Coast Guard duty, any motorboat or yacht shall be deemed to be a public vessel of the United States and a vessel of the Coast Guard within the meaning of sections 937 and 938 of this title and other applicable provisions of law.

14 U.S.C. § 3909 Aircraft deemed public aircraft

While assigned to authorized Coast Guard duty, any aircraft shall be deemed to be a Coast Guard aircraft, a public vessel of the United States, and a vessel of the Coast Guard within the meaning of sections 937 and 938 of this title and other applicable provisions of law. Subject to the provisions of sections 3904 and 3912 of this title, while assigned to duty, qualified Auxiliary pilots shall be deemed to be Coast Guard pilots.

14 U.S.C. § 3910 Radio station deemed government station

Any radio station, while assigned to authorized Coast Guard duty shall be deemed to be a radio station of the Coast Guard and a “government station” within the meaning of section 305 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 305).

14 U.S.C. § 3911 Availability of appropriations

(a) Appropriations of the Coast Guard shall be available for the payment of actual necessary traveling expense and subsistence, or commutation of ration allowance in lieu of subsistence, of members of the Auxiliary assigned to authorized duties and for actual necessary expenses of operation of any motorboat, yacht, aircraft, radio station, or motorized vehicle utilized under section 3907(b) when assigned to Coast Guard duty, but shall not be available for the payment of compensation for personal services, incident to such operation, other than to personnel of the Coast Guard or the Reserve. The term “actual necessary expenses of operation,” as used in this section, shall include payment for fuel, oil, power, water, supplies, provisions, replacement or repair of equipment, repair of any damaged motorboat, yacht, aircraft, radio station, or motorized vehicle utilized under section 3907(b) and for the constructive or actual loss of any motorboat, yacht, aircraft, radio station, or motorized vehicle utilized under section 3907(b) where it is determined, under applicable regulations, that responsibility for the loss or damage necessitating such replacement or repair of equipment, or for the damage or loss, constructive or actual, of such motorboat, yacht, aircraft, radio station, or motorized vehicle utilized under section 3907(b) rests with the Coast Guard. (b) The Secretary may pay interest on a claim under this section in any case in which a payment authorized under this section is not made within 60 days after the submission of the claim in a manner prescribed by the Secretary. The rate of interest for purposes of this section shall be the annual rate established under section 6621 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

14 U.S.C. § 3912 Assignment and performance of duties

No member of the Auxiliary, solely by reason of such membership, shall be vested with, or exercise, any right, privilege, power, or duty vested in or imposed upon the personnel of the Coast Guard or the Reserve, except that any such member may, under applicable regulations, be assigned duties, which, after appropriate training and examination, he has been found competent to perform, to effectuate the purposes of the Auxiliary. No member of the Auxiliary shall be placed in charge of a motorboat, yacht, aircraft, or radio station assigned to Coast Guard duty unless he has been specifically designated by authority of the Commandant to perform such duty. Members of the Auxiliary, when assigned to duties as herein authorized shall, unless otherwise limited by the Commandant, be vested with the same power and authority, in the execution of such duties, as members of the regular Coast Guard assigned to similar duty. When any member of the Auxiliary is assigned to such duty he may, pursuant to regulations issued by the Secretary, be paid actual necessary traveling expenses, including a per diem allowance in conformity with standardized Government travel regulations in lieu of subsistence, while traveling and while on duty away from his home. No per diem shall be paid for any period during which quarters and subsistence in kind are furnished by the Government, and no per diem shall be paid for any period while such member is performing duty on a vessel.

14 U.S.C. § 3913 Injury or death in line of duty

When any member of the Auxiliary is physically injured or dies as a result of physical injury incurred while performing any duty to which he has been assigned by competent Coast Guard authority, such member or his beneficiary shall be entitled to the same benefits provided for temporary members of the Reserve who suffer physical injury or death resulting from physical injury incurred incident to service. Members of the Auxiliary who incur physical injury or contract sickness or disease while performing any duty to which they have been assigned by competent Coast Guard authority shall be entitled to the same hospital treatment afforded members of the Coast Guard. The performance of a duty as the term is used in this section includes time engaged in traveling back and forth between the place of assigned duty and the permanent residence of a member of the Auxiliary.

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