Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI)
Great Lakes Icebreaker Act of 2025
A Democratic bill with 3 Republican cosponsors · See all 3 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Great Lakes Icebreaker Act of 2025," directs the Coast Guard Commandant to create a specific plan for designing and building a new Great Lakes icebreaker. The required strategy must detail how to complete the project as quickly as possible once funding is available, including cost estimates and delivery timelines. Additionally, the Commandant is tasked with running a five-year pilot program to test the capability of the current fleet to keep waterways open. The Act also updates reporting requirements to ensure that the costs of meeting icebreaking standards are made public and shared with relevant Congressional committees.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Icebreaker Strategy: The Commandant must submit a strategy for a new icebreaker that is at least as capable as the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw (WLBB-30), which includes providing a cost estimate and an estimated delivery timeline (Section 2(a)(1)).
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Pilot Program for Waterways: The bill establishes a pilot program to determine if the Coast Guard fleet can keep tier one and tier two waterways open 95 percent of the time during an ice season (Section 2(a)(2)(A)).
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Increased Transparency: The bill modifies reporting requirements so that the Coast Guard must publish a report on a publicly accessible website regarding the cost of meeting proposed icebreaking standards (Section 2(b)(1)).
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Congressional Oversight of Costs: The Commandant is required to brief specific House and Senate committees on the costs associated with meeting icebreaking requirements for various fiscal years (Section 2(b)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
- 7/15/2025
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/14/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Max MillerRepublican · Ohio
Claudia TenneyRepublican · New York
Tony WiedRepublican · Wisconsin