HR889SEP16

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending September 16, 2005

H.R.889 To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2006, to make technical corrections to various laws administered by the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.

BRIEF

The bill is the first step towards funding the operations of the US Coast Guard. This bill authorizes programs and policies and spending limits. The next bill will determine the actual appropriations for those programs and provisions.

Funds will be provided for oil spill cleanup, maintaining aids to navigation, facilities, vessels, aircraft and related equipment. Research development and testing and evaluation of technology, material and humans are also authorized and funded.

The USCG is involved in overseeing navigation and regulations on all of America’s waterways including the Great Lakes.

The bill would authorize and end-strength of 45,500 active duty personnel through fiscal year 2006. Officer count is 5,000. A reserve officer training program will begin at Camden County High School in North Carolina. Promotion procedures for qualified officers would be simplified. During times of terrorist attack the Coast Guard ready Reserve can be called up for no more than 60 days (current law says 30 days) in any four month period and for no longer that 120 days in a two year period (Up from 60 days). The Coast Guard is authorized to use and pay for any motorized vehicle made available by government of private sources.

One provision would allow for one-price contracts with bonus incentives for new USCG facilities.

Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), soon to be imported to US waters in greater amounts is to be studied and the Secretary of Transportation is directed to develop and implement a program to promote transportation of LNG on US-flag vessels. The Secretary is ordered to give priority to processing a license for LNG facilities at a deepwater US port.

The CG Cutter PLANETREE will be conveyed to Indiana and the CG Cutter MACKINAW will be conveyed to Cheboygan, Michigan to be used as a museum.

The USCG is directed to study and report on public health and safety concerns related to the pollution of Newtown Creek in New York City.

Sponsor: Representative Don Young (R-AK)

Vote: Passed House 415 to 0 (RC 474) (September 15, 2005)

Cost to the taxpayers: “CBO estimates that appropriation of the authorized amounts would result in outlays of $4.8 billion in fiscal year 2006 and $7.5 billion over the 2006-2010 period. (About $200 million would be spent after 2010.) CBO expects that enacting H.R. 889 would increase offsetting receipts collected from Coast Guard inspection and certification fees by less than $500,000 a year. (Such collections are a credit against direct spending.) Enacting this legislation would not affect revenues.

MORE INFORMATION

AMENDMENTS

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION (From the committee report)

The United States Coast Guard was established on January 28, 1915, through the consolidation of the Revenue Cutter Service (established in 1790) and the Lifesaving Service (established in 1848). The Coast Guard later assumed the duties of three other agencies: the Lighthouse Service (established in 1789), the Steamboat Inspection Service (established in 1838), and the Bureau of Navigation (established in 1884).

Under section 2 of title 14, United States Code, the Coast Guard has primary responsibility to enforce or assist in the enforcement of all applicable Federal laws on, under, and over the high seas and waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States; to ensure safety to life and property at sea; to protect the marine environment; to carry out domestic and international icebreaking activities; and to ensure the safety and security of vessels, ports, waterways, and related facilities.

As the fifth armed force of the United States, the Coast Guard also maintain defense readiness to operate as a specialized service in the Navy upon the declaration of war on when the President directs. The Coast Guard is composed of approximately 40,000 active duty military personnel, 8,100 reservists, 6,100 civilian employees, and 37,000 volunteers of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Coast Guard has defended the Nation in every war since 1790.

In recent years, the Coast Guard has experienced significant increases in its budget and in the Service's scope of missions to preserve maritime safety and security. Following the events of September 11th, the Coast Guard has been designated as the lead Federal agency with responsibilities for maritime homeland security. The Coast Guard has quickly incorporated these new missions with the Service's many traditional missions of search and rescue, illegal drug and migrant interdiction, icebreaking operations, oil spill response and prevention, maritime safety, marine environmental protection, and fisheries law enforcement. However, the addition of these new mission demands in combination with the Service's rapidly deteriorating fleet of vessels and aircraft is severely testing the Coast Guard's capabilities to carry out its many important missions.

The Coast Guard has embarked on an ambitious recapitalization program to replace the Service's legacy fleet of vessels, aircraft and support systems. The Integrated Deepwater Systems program (Deepwater) will replace or modernize more than 90 ships and 200 aircraft used in the Coast Guard's deepwater missions, with generally occur more than 50 miles offshore. The Cost Guard submitted a revised Deepwater implementation plan in response to a Congressional mandate in March of this year. The re-baselined plan includes modifications to the original asset mixture and schedule that was developed well before September 11th and the Coast Guard's increased emphasis on homeland security missions.

Under the revised implementation plan, the Deepwater program is scheduled to be completed on a 20-25 year schedule and is projected to cost approximately $19-24 billion (in 2002 dollars). Both of these figures are increases over the original Deepwater timeline, and the uncertainty expressed in the ranges in estimated funding and projected years to completion is of particular concern to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The Committee has exercised close oversight over the progression of the Deepwater program; however the Committee has been extremely frustrated with recent difficulties to obtain detailed information on the projected delivery dates for assets acquired under the Deepwater plan and on the strategies that the Coast Guard will employ to sustain legacy assets until such deliveries. The Committee requires such information in the future to make authorizations necessary to successfully complete this extremely important recapitalization program.

The Committee will continue to oversee the Coast Guard to ensure that the Service is achieving a balance between its traditional and homeland security missions. Despite the particular attention placed on the Coast Guard's homeland security related missions in recent years, the Service performs a much broader range of missions to protect lives and property at sea. It is imperative that the Service's non-homeland security functions remain priorities for the Coast Guard. The strength of America's commerce relies on waterborne trade, and the Coast Guard protects that trade not only from terrorism, but also from other threats.

The Committee continues to oppose the Administration's request to transfer Research, Development, Training and Evaluation funds from the Coast Guard to the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security. Under Section 888 of the Homeland Security Act, the Coast Guard is to remain intact with all authorities, functions, and capabilities remaining under the authority of the Service. The Committee will continue to take steps to maintain the integrity of the Coast Guard as an independent entity within the Department.

AMENDMENTS

1. H.AMDT.545 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 11 printed in the Congressional Record to authorize $60 million in additional funds for operation and maintenance of the Coast Guard as a result of Hurricane Katrina and to add certain other sundry provisions.
Sponsor: Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. [NJ-2] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the LoBiondo amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote.

2. H.AMDT.546 to H.R.889
Sponsor: Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 By unanimous consent, the Oberstar amendment was withdrawn.

3. H.AMDT.547 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 13 printed in the Congressional Record to provide that Title IV of the bill does not apply to individuals transported on international voyages who are not part of the crew complement or a member of the Stewards department and do not perform watch-standing functions. Such individuals must, however, possess a transportation security card when requirements apply.
Sponsor: Rep Young, Don [AK] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Young (AK) amendment (A003) Agreed to by voice vote.

4. H.AMDT.548 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 15 printed in the Congressional Record to include provisions regarding eligibility to participate in the Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program.
Sponsor: Rep Young, Don [AK] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Young (AK) amendment (A004) Agreed to by voice vote.

5. H.AMDT.549 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 14 printed in the Congressional Record to include provisions regarding quota share allocations.
Sponsor: Rep Young, Don [AK] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Young (AK) amendment (A005) Agreed to by voice vote.

6. H.AMDT.550 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 10 printed in the Congressional Record to authorize $25 million in FY 2006 and $25 million for FY 2007 for acquisition of a maritime refueling support vessel for United States drug interdiction efforts in the eastern Pacific maritime transit zone.
Sponsor: Rep Souder, Mark E. [IN-3] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Souder amendment (A006) Agreed to by voice vote.

7. H.AMDT.551 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 6 printed in the Congressional Record to direct the Coast Guard to conduct a comprehensive security and safety review of liquefied natural gas facilities.
Sponsor: Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Markey amendment (A007) Failed by recorded vote: 163 - 254 (Roll no. 473).

8. H.AMDT.552 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 4 printed in the Congressional Record to allow certain passenger vessels to be outfitted with Voyage Date Recorders (VDR's).
Sponsor: Rep Fossella, Vito [NY-13] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Fossella amendment (A008) Agreed to by voice vote.

9. H.AMDT.553 to H.R.889 An amendment numbered 2 printed in the Congressional Record to include a reporting requirEment regarding adequacy of active duty strength.
Sponsor: Rep Sanchez, Loretta [CA-47] (introduced 9/15/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Sanchez, Loretta amendment (A009) as modified Agreed to by voice vote.

No reproduction or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.