This legislation proposes to establish a new, distinct position: the Secretary of the Coast Guard . This role would be filled by a presidential appointee, confirmed by the Senate, with the primary responsibility of directing the Coast Guard's operations. The new Secretary would exercise the powers of the departmental Secretary in overseeing the Coast Guard. A significant change in the command structure is that the Commandant of the Coast Guard would report directly to the new Secretary of the Coast Guard, who in turn would report directly to the Secretary of the overarching department, ensuring a streamlined reporting line.