This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT) to award maritime career training grants to institutions of higher education and postsecondary vocational institutions for the purpose of developing, offering, or improving educational or career training programs for American workers related to the maritime workforce.

Each awarded grant may not exceed $20 million.

DOT must award grants based on

• a determination of the merits of the grant proposal submitted by the institution of higher education or postsecondary vocational institution to develop, offer, or improve maritime educational or career training programs to be made available to workers;
• an evaluation of the likely employment opportunities available to workers who complete a maritime educational or career training program that the institution proposes to develop, offer, or improve;
• an evaluation of prior demand for training programs by workers in the community served by the institution, as well as the availability and capacity of existing maritime training programs to meet future demand for training programs; and
• any prior designation of the institution as a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education.