Hearing

Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA)

Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

Hearing on  “Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Authorization Issues”

October 29, 2013

Opening Statement

(Remarks as Prepared)

The Subcommittee is meeting today to examine issues impacting the maritime transportation sector that the Subcommittee may need to address in legislation. 

The Subcommittee has already held several hearings this year to review the budgets and programs of the Coast Guard, the Federal Maritime Commission, and the Maritime Administration.  We have also heard from nearly 20 experts from industry, labor, and academia with innovative ideas to improve these programs, reduce regulatory burdens, and grow jobs in the maritime sector.  I look forward to combining these ideas with information presented by our witnesses today to form the basis of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Coast Guard and FMC and make improvements to the maritime transportation system.

I have several goals for this legislation: reauthorize the activities of the Coast Guard and the FMC in a fiscally responsible manner that reflects the current budget environment while ensuring these agencies have the resources they need to successfully conduct their missions; improve the effectiveness of Coast Guard missions by reducing inefficient operations and enhancing oversight; place the Coast Guard’s major systems acquisition program on a sustainable track that will ensure the delivery of critically needed assets in a timely and cost effective manner; and encourage job growth in the maritime sector by cutting regulatory burdens on job creation and improving federal programs intended to promote and develop a strong maritime industry in the United States.

I look forward to writing legislation that accomplishes these goals and to working with Ranking Member Garamendi and other members of the Subcommittee on this effort. 

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Updated October 28, 2013

Witnesses

• Honorable Andy Barr (KY-06), Member of Congress, U.S. House of Representatives
• Rear Admiral Frederick J. Kenney, Judge Advocate General, United States Coast Guard | Written Testimony
• The Honorable Mario Cordero, Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission | Written Testimony
• The Honorable Paul “Chip” Jaenichen, Acting Administrator, Maritime Administration (invited)
• The Honorable Michael Shapiro, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water,  Environmental Protection Agency | Written Testimony
• The Honorable Mark R. Rosekind, Board Member, National Transportation Safety Board | Written Testimony