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Friday, March 29th, 2024

U.S. Sens. Cantwell, Wicker, Baldwin unveil reauthorization legislation for Coast Guard

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New legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) last week – the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 – would reauthorize the Coast Guard service throughout fiscal years 2022 and 2023. 

“The Coast Guard keeps our maritime economy moving and our ports and waterways secure,” Cantwell said. “This bill makes the investments needed to support that core mission, and will also help the Coast Guard crack down on illegal fishing, improve oil spill response, and bolster our nation’s presence in the Arctic. The bill also invests in the Coast Guard’s most valuable resource: its people. We must expand training and education opportunities for Coasties and improve housing, childcare, and medical services so that the Coast Guard can recruit and retain a cutting edge and diverse workforce.”

The legislation would do several things, among them the authorization of funding for specific purposes, including $841 million for the third Polar Security Cutter vessel and $20 million to create the Arctic Security Cutter program office, bolstering the Coast Guard’s overall presence in the arctic even as it undergoes the effects of climate change. Investments in infrastructure would also push $3 billion to repair and replacement efforts, tied to increased transparency requirements through annual submissions to Congress. Another $25 million would be authorized for the Coast Guard’s childcare subsidy program, to expand eligibility for families and help members pay for childcare services.

“Inadequate icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes costs us thousands of American jobs and millions in business revenue, and this bipartisan legislation invests in the icebreaking resources needed to support our maritime industry and our Made in America economy,” Baldwin said. “This critical legislation will help mitigate devastating climate-related events, invest in climate-resilient Coast Guard infrastructure at places like Sturgeon Bay and will increase support for childcare, housing, and education needed to do right by our service members and veterans.”

Other provisions in the bill include efforts to crack down on illegal fishing and forced labor on the high seas, strengthening the ability for the Coast Guard to punish those responsible. Oversight and investigations of sexual assault and harassment within the maritime industry would undergo mandated improvements – including giving the Coast Guard the authority to remove mariner credentials for those who have committed certain sex crimes – and access to medical care, education and training would be improved through greater research authorization into expanding telemedicine access, as well as creation of a behavioral health policy and raised limits on Coast Guard members allowed to enroll in post-gradudate programs.

Other notable inclusions include increased access to affordable housing for Coast Guard units, a pilot program to help their families undergo fertility treatments, as well as promotion of diversity efforts within the branch.