A bill to provide for the transfer of naval vessels to certain foreign recipients, and for other purposes.
Public Law 113-276 · S. 1683 · 113th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 18, 2014 · International Affairs
Sponsor: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. Bob Corker, Sen. Daniel Coats
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Title I: Transfer of Excess United States Naval Vessels - Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2013 - (Sec. 102) Authorizes the President to transfer on a grant basis to Mexico, the OLIVER HAZARD PERRY class guided missile frigates CURTS and MCCLUSKY.
Authorizes the President to transfer on a sale basis the OLIVER HAZARD PERRY class guided missile frigates TAYLOR, GARY, CARR, and ELROD to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office of the United States (which is the Taiwan instrumentality designated pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act).
Authorizes the President to transfer any vessel named in this Act to any country named in this Act such that the total number of vessels transferred to such country does not exceed the total number of vessels authorized for transfer to such country by this Act.
States that:
• the value of such vessels transferred on a grant basis shall not be counted against the aggregate value of excess defense articles transferred to countries in any fiscal year under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961;
• transfer costs shall be charged to the recipient; and
• to the maximum extent practicable, the country to which a vessel is transferred shall have necessary vessel repair and refurbishment carried out at U.S. shipyards.
Terminates transfer authority three years after enactment of this Act.
Title II: Additional Provisions - (Sec. 201) Amends the Arms Export Control Act to direct the President to notify Congress at least 30 days prior to a shipment of certain defense articles.
(Sec. 202) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act to increase annual funds limits for transfers of excess defense articles.
(Sec. 203) Directs the President to report to Congress annually regarding cooperative arrangements providing for the participation of foreign and U.S. military and civilian defense personnel in post-undergraduate flying training and tactical leadership programs and integrated air and missile defense programs at training locations in Southwest Asia.
(Sec. 204) Declares that:
• a defense-related license or other approval from the Department of State may also authorize the export of items subject to the Export Administration Regulations if such items are to be used in or with defense articles controlled on the United States Munitions List; and
• separate Department of Commerce approval shall not be required, but such items shall remain under Department of Commerce jurisdiction with respect to any subsequent transactions.
(Sec. 205) Directs the President to require that at the time of export or reexport of certain major defense equipment such equipment will not be subsequently modified so as to transform it into a defense article.
Authorizes the President to permit the transformation of any major defense equipment into a defense article if in U.S. national interests, and with congressional notification.
(Sec. 206) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to revise the definition of "security assistance."
(Sec. 207) Amends the Arms Export Control Act to revise the definitions of "defense article" and "defense service."
(Sec. 208) Makes specified technical amendments to the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
(Sec. 209) States that certain confidentiality of information requirements of the Export Administration Act of 1979 have been in effect from August 20, 2001, and shall remain in effect for four years after enactment of this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 12Related bill
Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2013
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Dec 18, 2014Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-276.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 12, 2014FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 10, 2014FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1683.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Royce moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Dec 8, 2014FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 4, 2014FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Nov 14, 2013CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 247.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez without amendment. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Nov 12, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 3973SenateSen. Bob MenendezD-NJ· offered Dec 4, 2014Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Dec 4, 2014: Amendment SA 3973 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.