Press Releases

Last week, President Biden signed into law S. 467, the CADETS Act, the House companion bill of which was introduced by Representative Jack Bergman (MI-01), who represents the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan.

The CADETS Act was introduced earlier this year by a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senator Peters of Michigan, and companion legislation was led by Rep. Bergman in the House. S. 467 passed with bipartisan support and was then sent to the desk of President Biden to be signed into law.

Formerly, cadets who attend one of the six State Maritime Academies were prohibited from receiving financial assistance under the Student Incentive Payment Program if they are over the age of 25. The financial incentive extends up to $32,000 in payments over four years to help offset the cost of tuition and other education expenses for those who qualify. This bill that is now the law of the land, S. 467, will encourage Americans to serve in critical defense roles by making those older than 25 eligible for the program.

After the bill was signed into law, Rep. Bergman stated, “The CADETS Act will help solve a problem our nation faces in recruiting qualified mariners to serve in the Navy Reserve and crew our strategic sealift vessels. This is a good bipartisan step in the right direction, which will help our Veterans transition to well-paying jobs, support the great work done by our state maritime academies, and fill critical national security vacancies.”

Superintendent of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, RADM Jerry Achenbach stated, "The Great Lakes Maritime Academy, a division of Northwestern Michigan College greatly appreciates General Bergman's efforts to ensure passage of the CADETS Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. His leadership ensures our non-traditional students, including many military veterans, will be eligible to receive $32,000 while enrolled at the Academy in exchange for a commitment to serve their nation as seagoing officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine and as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy's Strategic Sealift Program. The General's work will not only benefit these students, it also addresses the current mariner shortage."

Read the full text of the bill here.