(a) Designation.—The Secretary of Transportation may designate as a center of excellence for domestic maritime workforce training and education a covered training entity located in a State that borders on the—

(1) Gulf of Mexico;

(2) Atlantic Ocean;

(3) Long Island Sound;

(4) Pacific Ocean;

(5) Great Lakes;

(6) Mississippi River System;

(7) Arctic; or

(8) Gulf of Alaska.

(b) Assistance.—The Secretary may enter into a cooperative agreement (as that term is used in section 6305 of title 31) with a center of excellence designated under subsection (a) to support maritime workforce training and education at the center of excellence, including efforts of the center of excellence to—

(1) admit additional students;

(2) recruit and train faculty;

(3) expand facilities;

(4) create new maritime career pathways; or

(5) award students credit for prior experience, including military service.

(c) Definitions.—In this section,

(1) Covered training entity.—the term "covered training entity" means an entity that is—

(A) a community or technical college; or

(B) a maritime training center—

(i) operated by, or under the supervision of, a State; and

(ii) with a maritime training program in operation on the date of enactment of this section.

(2) Arctic.—The term "Arctic" has the meaning that term has under section 112 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111).