The U.S. Senate passed a bill that includes new authorities for the U.S. Coast Guard to combat maritime drug trafficking and smuggling at the border.
The Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 (S.140) includes provisions related to maritime border security. It would further interagency cooperation, combat the concealment of bulk cash, and increase the budget for investigations and the ability to use informants.
“As the Coast Guard works through hurricane season and continues drug interdiction and other critical efforts, Senate passage of this legislation is a critical step toward supporting the men and women in uniform who guard our nation,” said Sen. John Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which oversees the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Senate bill passed 94-6 and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Overall, the bill budgets $10.6 billion to reauthorize for the Coast Guard in fiscal year 2019. The previous Coast Guard authorization, enacted in 2016, authorized $9.1 billion for the service for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. Further, the bill delegates the lead role in establishing standards for discharges from a vessel to the Environmental Protection Agency and assigns the Coast Guard the lead role in monitoring and enforcing standards.