Ensuring Naval Readiness Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 4951 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4951 To authorize an exception to the prohibition on the construction of naval vessels in foreign shipyards, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES August 12, 2025 Mr. Kennedy of Utah introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To authorize an exception to the prohibition on the construction of naval vessels in foreign shipyards, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Naval Readiness Act''. SEC. 2. EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION ON CONSTRUCTION OF NAVAL VESSELS IN FOREIGN SHIPYARDS. Section 8679 of title 10, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``subsection (b)'' and inserting ``subsections (b) and (c)''; and (2) in subsection (b)-- (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``to do so.'' and inserting the following: ``to do so, if-- ``(A) the foreign shipyard concerned is located in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member country or a country in the Indo-Pacific Region that is party to a mutual defense treaty with the United States; and ``(B) the cost of the construction concerned is less than the cost would be if such construction occurred in a domestic shipyard.''; and (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ``(3) Before the construction of a naval vessel, or a major component of the hull or superstructure of a naval vessel, may commence at a foreign shipyard pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to Congress a certification that the foreign shipyard is not owned or operated by a Chi