49 U.S.C. § 109 — Maritime Administration

(a) Organization and mission. The Maritime Administration is part of the Department of Transportation. Its job is to foster, promote, and develop the United States' merchant maritime industry. (b) Maritime Administrator. The agency's head is the Maritime Administrator, appointed by the President with Senate approval. The Administrator reports to the Secretary of Transportation and carries out whatever duties the Secretary assigns. (c) Deputy Maritime Administrator. There's also a Deputy Administrator, appointed by the Secretary after talking with the Administrator. The Deputy carries out duties the Administrator assigns, and becomes Acting Administrator whenever the Administrator is absent, disabled, or the position is vacant — unless the Secretary names someone else instead. (d) Duties and powers vested in Secretary. Legally, all of the Maritime Administration's duties and powers actually belong to the Secretary of Transportation. (e) Regional offices. The Administration must have regional offices for the Atlantic, Gulf, Great Lakes, and Pacific port areas, and may open others as needed. The Secretary appoints a qualified Director for each region and carries out the Administration's programs through them. (f) Interagency and industry relations. The Secretary must stay in contact with other agencies and trade groups involved in shipping goods by water in foreign trade, to help U.S.-flagged ships get preference for carrying that cargo. (g) Detailing officers from armed forces. Up to five armed-forces officers can be assigned to help the Secretary with Maritime Administration work at any one time. While detailed, an officer's total pay (military pay plus this extra pay) must match what someone doing similarly important, difficult, and responsible work would earn. (h) Contracts, cooperative agreements, and audits. (1) The Secretary can sign contracts and cooperative agreements, and spend government money, the way a private company could under its charter — to carry out duties under this section and title 46, and to protect and improve property held as collateral for debts. (2) The Comptroller General must audit these financial dealings each year, can approve necessary business expenses, and must report to Congress at least once a year about any departures from the law. (i) Grant administrative expenses. Unless another law says otherwise, the Maritime Administrator can't spend more than 3 percent of grant funds on administering those grant programs. (j) Authorization of appropriations. (1) Congress can appropriate whatever money is needed to run the Maritime Administration, except as limited below. (2) Money can only be spent on certain listed things if a law specifically authorizes it — for example: building, buying, or fixing up vessels; construction subsidies; national-defense features; operating subsidies; research and development (including the Vessel Operations Revolving Fund); that Fund itself; the National Defense Reserve Fleet; carrying out part B of subtitle V of title 46; and other operations and training tied to waterborne transportation.