[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 372 Referred in Senate (RFS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session


H. CON. RES. 372_______________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 26, 2000

   Received and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
      Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the historic 
significance of the 210th anniversary of the establishment of the Coast 
                     Guard, and for other purposes.

Whereas the Revenue Cutter Service was established in 1790 under the 
        jurisdiction of the Treasury Department;
Whereas the Revenue Cutter Service and the United States Life-Saving Service 
        were combined in 1915 to form the Coast Guard;
Whereas in April 1967, the Coast Guard was transferred to the Department of 
        Transportation where it remainstoday (except when operating as a service 
        in the Navy in times of war);
Whereas the Coast Guard is comprised of nearly 35,000 active personnel and 
        28,000 reserve personnel;
Whereas the Coast Guard is supported by approximately 35,000 volunteers of the 
        Coast Guard Auxiliary;
Whereas the Coast Guard is the Nation's premier military, multimission, maritime 
        service that provides unique, nonredundant, complimentary capabilities 
        to safeguard United States national security interests;
Whereas the Coast Guard provides unique services and benefits to the United 
        States through a distinctive blend of humanitarian, law enforcement, 
        diplomatic, and military capabilities;
Whereas the five operating roles of the Coast Guard are maritime safety, 
        maritime security, protection of natural resources, maritime mobility, 
        and national defense;
Whereas each year the Coast Guard conducts on average more than 65,000 search 
        and rescue missions, saving over 5,000 lives and $1,400,000,000 in 
        property;
Whereas each year the Coast Guard, through its drug interdiction efforts, keeps 
        more than $3,000,000,000 worth of drugs off United States streets;
Whereas the Coast Guard safeguards ocean resources from degradation by pollution 
        and overuse through marine environmental protection and fisheries 
        enforcement programs;
Whereas each year the Coast Guard responds to more than 11,600 hazardous waste 
        spills, inspects approximately 34,000 United States vessels and 19,400 
        foreign vessels, and investigates over 7,400 marine accidents;
Whereas the Coast Guard maintains the largest system of aids to navigation in 
        the world, with more than 50,000 buoys, fixed markers, and lighthouses;
Whereas the Coast Guard provides critical ice breaking services for the Nation's 
        inland waterways and shipping channels;
Whereas the Coast Guard is responsible for approximately 18,000 highway and 
        railroad bridges that span navigable waterways throughout the Nation;
Whereas the Coast Guard plays a leading role in the Nation's undocumented 
        migrant interdiction activities;
Whereas the Coast Guard is a military service and a branch of the Armed Forces, 
        and plays a crucial role in the President's strategy of international 
        engagement;
Whereas Coast Guard personnel have fought in every major military conflict since 
        its inception in 1790; and
Whereas the men and women serving in the Coast Guard embody a rich tradition of 
        honor, devotion to duty, and dedication to service during times of peace 
        and war: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) recognizes the historic significance of the 210th 
        anniversary of the establishment of the Coast Guard and the 
        indelible contributions of the Coast Guard to the United 
        States;
            (2) commends--
                    (A) the Coast Guard's effectiveness in protecting 
                the public, the environment, and United States economic 
                and security interests in the Nation's ports and inland 
                waterways, along the Nation's coasts, on international 
                waters, and in any maritime region in which United 
                States interests may be at risk; and
                    (B) the men and women serving in the Coast Guard 
                who risk their lives to save others in danger at sea, 
                enforce the Nation's treaties and other laws, protect 
                the marine environment, ensure a safe and efficient 
                marine transportation system, and support diplomatic 
                and national defense interests of the United States 
                worldwide; and
            (3) supports the Coast Guard in its efforts to remain 
        ``Semper Paratus''--Always Ready--as it moves forward to meet 
        the demands of the 21st century.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 25, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.