[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H11567-H11569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COAST GUARD HURRICANE RELIEF ACT OF 2005

  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4508) to commend the outstanding efforts in response to 
Hurricane Katrina by members and employees of the Coast Guard, to 
provide temporary relief to certain persons affected by such hurricane 
with respect to certain laws administered by the Coast Guard, and for 
other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4508

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Coast Guard Hurricane Relief 
     Act of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. COMMENDATION, RECOGNITION, AND THANKS FOR COAST GUARD 
                   PERSONNEL.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
       (1) On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf 
     of Mexico coastal region of Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
     Alabama, causing the worst natural disaster in United States 
     history.
       (2) The Coast Guard strategically positioned its aircraft, 
     vessels, and personnel the day before Hurricane Katrina made 
     landfall and launched search and rescue teams within hours 
     after Hurricane Katrina struck.
       (3) The Coast Guard moved its operations in areas 
     threatened by Hurricane Katrina to higher ground and 
     mobilized cutters, small boats, and aircraft from all around 
     the United States to help in the response to Hurricane 
     Katrina.
       (4) The response to Hurricane Katrina by members and 
     employees of the Coast Guard has been immediate, invaluable, 
     and courageous.
       (5) The Coast Guard rescued more than 33,000 people 
     affected by Hurricane Katrina through the air and by water, 
     including evacuations of hospitals, and has been at the 
     center of efforts to restore commerce to areas affected by 
     Hurricane Katrina by clearing shipping channels, replacing 
     aids to navigation, and securing uprooted oil rigs.
       (6) The Coast Guard was at the forefront of the Federal 
     response to the numerous oil and chemical spills in the area 
     affected by Hurricane Katrina.
       (7) Members and employees of the Coast Guard--
       (A) have shown great leadership in helping to coordinate 
     relief efforts with respect to Hurricane Katrina;
       (B) have used their expertise and specialized skills to 
     provide immediate assistance to victims and survivors of the 
     hurricane; and
       (C) have set up remote assistance operations in the 
     affected areas in order to best provide service to the Gulf 
     of Mexico coastal region.
       (8) Members and employees of the Coast Guard have worked 
     together to bring clean water, food, and resources to victims 
     and survivors in need.
       (b) Commendation, Recognition, and Thanks.--The Congress--
       (1) commends the outstanding efforts in response to 
     Hurricane Katrina by members and employees of the Coast 
     Guard;
       (2) recognizes that the actions of these individuals went 
     above and beyond the call of duty; and
       (3) thanks them for their continued dedication and service.
       (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the Coast Guard should play a major role in response to any 
     future national emergency or disaster caused by a natural 
     event in the United States in a coastal or offshore area.

     SEC. 3. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF 
                   LICENSES, CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY, AND 
                   MERCHANT MARINERS' DOCUMENTS.

       (a) Licenses and Certificates of Registry.--Notwithstanding 
     section 7106 and 7107 of title 46, United States Code, the 
     Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is 
     operating may temporarily extend the duration of a license or 
     certificate of registry issued for an individual under 
     chapter 71 of that title until not later than February 28, 
     2006, if--
       (1) the individual is a resident of Alabama, Mississippi, 
     or Louisiana; or
       (2) the individual is a resident of any other State, and 
     the records of the individual--
       (A) are located at the Coast Guard facility in New Orleans 
     that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina; or
       (B) were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
       (b) Merchant Mariners' Documents.--Notwithstanding section 
     7302(g) of title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the 
     Department in which the Coast Guard is operating may 
     temporarily extend the duration of a merchant mariners' 
     document issued for an individual under chapter 73 of that 
     title until not later than February 28, 2006, if--
       (1) the individual is a resident of Alabama, Mississippi, 
     or Louisiana; or
       (2) the individual is a resident of any other State, and 
     the records of the individual--
       (A) are located at the Coast Guard facility in New Orleans 
     that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina; or
       (B) were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
       (c) Manner of Extension.--Any extensions granted under this 
     section may be granted to individual seamen or a specifically 
     identified group of seamen.

     SEC. 4. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF 
                   VESSEL CERTIFICATES OF INSPECTION.

       (a) Authority to Extend.--Notwithstanding section 3307 and 
     3711(b) of title 46, United States Code, the Secretary of the 
     department in which the Coast Guard is operating may 
     temporarily extend the duration or the validity of a 
     certificate of inspection or a certificate of compliance 
     issued under chapter 33 or 37, respectively, of title 46, 
     United States Code, for up to 3 months for a vessel inspected 
     by a Coast Guard Marine Safety Office located in Alabama, 
     Mississippi, or Louisiana.
       (b) Expiration of Authority.--The authority provided under 
     this section expires February 28, 2006.

     SEC. 5. PRESERVATION OF LEAVE LOST DUE TO HURRICANE KATRINA 
                   OPERATIONS.

       (a) Preservation of Leave.--Notwithstanding section 701(b) 
     of title 10, United States Code, any member of the Coast 
     Guard who serves on active duty for a continuous period of 30 
     days, who is assigned to duty or otherwise detailed in 
     support of units or operations in the Eighth Coast Guard 
     District area of responsibility for activities to mitigate 
     the consequences of, or assist in the recovery from, 
     Hurricane Katrina, during the period beginning on August 28, 
     2005, and ending on January 1, 2006, and who would otherwise 
     lose any accumulated leave in excess of 60 days as a 
     consequence of such assignment, is authorized to retain an 
     accumulated total of up to 90 days of leave.
       (b) Excess Leave.--Leave in excess of 60 days accumulated 
     under subsection (a) shall be lost unless used by the member 
     before the commencement of the second fiscal year following 
     the fiscal year in which the assignment commences, or in the 
     case of a Reserve members, the year in which the period of 
     active service is completed.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Davis of Kentucky). Pursuant to the 
rule, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Filner) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bill to 
address the concerns of Coast Guardsmen and the merchant mariner 
community that

[[Page H11568]]

were affected by the recent hurricanes along the gulf coast. Most of 
the provisions that are being offered in this bill are nearly identical 
to the language that was included in H.R. 889, the Coast Guard Maritime 
Transportation Act of 2005, that is currently in conference with the 
Senate. The conferees have made a great deal of progress towards 
reconciling the language in both bills. However, some issues remain 
unresolved. As a result, we are moving these temporary extensions 
today.
  This bill authorizes the Coast Guard to temporarily extend the 
validity of Merchant Mariner Document licenses and vessel certificates 
of inspection for mariners and vessel owners in the region that was 
affected by Hurricane Katrina. This extension will allow merchant 
mariners to continue working in the gulf region and will also allow the 
Coast Guard to continue its efforts to recover documents that were held 
at the Regional Examination Center in New Orleans.
  This bill also includes a provision to preserve up to 90 days of 
accumulated leave that would have been lost at the end of this year for 
Coast Guardsmen who were assigned to operations in response to 
Hurricane Katrina.
  Lastly, the bill commends the men and women of the Coast Guard for 
their heroic and extraordinary service in response to Hurricanes 
Katrina and Rita this year.
  We all watched with admiration at the skill of the Coast Guard 
helicopter and boat crews who rescued over 33,000 Americans. And while 
there were a lot of questions and still remain a lot of questions about 
the Federal response and that whole situation surrounding the gulf 
coast storms, the Coast Guard is a shining bright light of what 
dedication and extraordinary service to their country these young men 
and women have provided in response to a national disaster and 
emergency, the likes of which we have hardly ever seen before. We thank 
them for their selfless service and celebrate their bravery and 
outstanding efforts.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Coast Guard and the 
maritime community by supporting this important bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I 
thank Mr. LoBiondo for moving this legislation so rapidly given the 
emergency circumstances.
  As the chairman said, during the days and weeks after the onslaught 
of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Coast Guard showed what a Federal 
agency can do when it is prepared.
  The Coast Guard, whose motto is Semper Paratus, always ready, was 
prepared to respond to this storm. Before levees ever broke, the Coast 
Guard was flying additional helicopters and extra air crews into the 
gulf region. Once the storm hit, their air crews and boat crews were 
operating 24 hours a day to save their countrymen.
  The chairman and I visited the Coast Guard after the bulk of the work 
was done in the New Orleans area to get a briefing and to congratulate 
them on behalf of all the Members of the Congress for their work. And 
we saw their work. We saw that being prepared to respond to a disaster 
is not just a paper exercise to sit on the shelf when the big one 
occurs. Being prepared is something they do every day. They develop 
relationships with State and local government officials. They know who 
in the private sector can help provide resources to respond. They make 
decisions quickly so that they can implement an effective response. And 
as the chairman said, they saved over 33,000 lives during their 
response to the hurricanes.
  So this bill addresses a number of Coast Guard related issues that 
need to be addressed very quickly. They were in H.R. 889, the Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2005, when we passed the bill 
in the House in September. However, the conferees on this bill have 
been unable so far to come to a resolution on all the issues, and there 
are a few time-sensitive provisions that cannot wait. For example, 
section 3 of this bill allows the Coast Guard to temporarily extend the 
license and Merchant Mariner Documents for individuals whose personnel 
records were damaged or destroyed in the 8 feet of water that flooded 
the Coast Guard Record Center in New Orleans. It also allows the Coast 
Guard to extend the license and documents of individuals who are 
residents of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi since their own 
personal records may have been destroyed in their home or office.
  Current law states that a license or Merchant Mariner Document is 
only valid for 5 years. Some of those documents are expiring, and the 
Coast Guard feels they cannot extend them without the paperwork that is 
in their flooded building or in the mariner's home. So this bill allows 
these licenses and documents to be extended to the end of February 
2006.
  The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd) has raised this issue with me 
over the past week when it became apparent that the conferees were not 
going to complete the work on H.R. 889. And I want to thank the 
chairman and his staff for allowing us to work this out so quickly and 
to be able to assure the gentleman that his concerns have been 
addressed in this bill. Any mariner who is a resident of Florida may 
have his or her license or Merchant Mariner Document renewed if their 
records were in the Coast Guard's Records Office in New Orleans that 
was flooded.
  Similarly, section 4 allows the Coast Guard to temporarily extend the 
certificate of inspection or certificate of compliance if the vessel is 
normally inspected by a Coast Guard Marine Safety Office located in 
Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana.
  Several hundred men and women in the Coast Guard spent so much time 
responding to Hurricane Katrina that they themselves were not able to 
use their accumulated leave before the end of the fiscal year. So this 
bill in section 5 allows Coast Guard personnel who were involved in 
this hurricane response to carry over for 90 days instead of the normal 
60 days that they were allowed.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4508 expresses a sense of Congress that 
the men and women serving in the Coast Guard went above and beyond the 
call of duty when they responded to Hurricane Katrina and thanks them 
for their continued dedication and service to our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank Chairman LoBiondo and his staff 
for working so closely with our staff to get this out quickly. I urge 
my colleagues to voice their support for H.R. 4508.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Souder).
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank and praise Chairman LoBiondo 
for his steadfast, consistent, constant advocacy of the Coast Guard 
because that has been very important here in Congress and very 
important to the Coast Guard.
  I rise to commend the Coast Guard's outstanding response to Hurricane 
Katrina and support the Coast Guard Hurricane Relief Act of 2005. 
Recently, more than ever, the Coast Guard has demonstrated its unique 
multi-mission role as the world's premiere maritime service.
  The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina along our gulf coast had 
been well documented. One of the best stories to emerge from this 
disaster has been the heroic work of our Coast Guard. Hurricane Katrina 
ravaged Coast Guard stations in Gulfport and Pascagoula, Mississippi, 
and looters wrecked part of its New Orleans base.

                              {time}  1715

  But that did not stop the Coast Guard from sending out rescue 
helicopters, cutters, and small boats on dangerous and exhausting 
missions to save lives and clear waterways after the hurricane ravaged 
the gulf coast.
  By August 30, the Coast Guard had rescued some 1,200 people even 
though continued gale force winds made air and sea operations extremely 
hazardous.
  In the first 5 days after Katrina hit, the Coast Guard surged 30 
cutters, 38 helicopters and over 5,000 personnel into the affected 
areas. In addition to search-and-rescue operations, these assets also 
provided vital security, logistics, and communications support to the 
areas hardest hit by the storm. At the height of Katrina rescue 
operations, over 33 percent of the Coast Guard aircraft were deployed 
to the affected region.
  As a military, multimission maritime service, the Coast Guard 
performs

[[Page H11569]]

a unique blend of humanitarian, law enforcement, regulatory, and 
military missions. The service plays a critical role in providing 
maritime security, maritime safety, protection of natural resources, 
and national defense services.
  As chairman of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and 
Human Resources and a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I 
am very aware of the critical role performed by the Coast Guard in drug 
interdiction and homeland security.
  In this past week alone, the Coast Guard, in partnership with the 
Federal law enforcement agencies in the Department of Homeland Security 
and Justice, and the Department of Defense, seized over 10 tons of 
cocaine bound for our shores. In fiscal year 2005, the Coast Guard 
seized over 300,000 pounds of cocaine, worth approximately $9.7 
billion. This was another record year of drug seizures, and the Coast 
Guard plays a critical role in interdicting these enormous loads before 
they reach our cities.
  As Hurricane Katrina has made abundantly clear, our country needs a 
strong and robust Coast Guard, and Congress needs to ensure that we are 
putting the right tools and equipment into the very capable hands of 
Coast Guard men and women so that they may continue to deliver the 
robust maritime safety and security America expects and deserves.
  The Coast Guard's Deepwater recapitalization project plays an 
absolutely critical role in building a more ready and capable 21st-
century Coast Guard equal to the challenges we face today and 
anticipate tomorrow.
  It is vitally important to our national drug control strategy and our 
national security, as well as protecting our Nation's citizens from 
natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, that the Deepwater project 
be accelerated and that there be more Coast Guard ships and aircraft to 
respond to the many critical missions of the Coast Guard.
  The Coast Guard's motto, ``Semper Paratus,'' Always Ready, has been 
earned through the courage and actions of each member of the Coast 
Guard. I am very eager to support the Coast Guard Hurricane Relief Act 
of 2005 and urge this vital legislation be hopefully unanimously 
adopted.
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Boyd).
  Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Filner) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) for their work 
and for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, as has been said here earlier, the Coast Guard facility 
in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina that handles vessel 
licensing for those of us on the gulf coast, and with that, many of the 
records that handle the relicensing for those vessels.
  I want to thank Chairman Young and Ranking Member Oberstar and these 
gentlemen for having the foresight to try to fix this problem. They 
were working on it in the Coast Guard reauthorization bill, obviously; 
and this piece of legislation will do that.
  I also want to particularly thank them for resolving the issue as it 
relates to Florida boat owners; and so, Mr. Speaker, I just came to say 
to them, thanks.
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I will close briefly and thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Filner) for joining me, and the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and 
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for their strong support. I 
thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd).
  This is a great example of how we can recognize a problem, put our 
shoulders to the same wheel, and move forward with an issue.
  I will just use the opportunity, in addition to urging my colleagues 
to support this legislation, to remind them that over the year we have 
continued to give the Coast Guard many more missions, but not any more 
resources. Katrina and Rita were a great example of the dedication and 
the training and the patriotism of our men and women in the Coast 
Guard, and it should be a great example for all of us as to why we must 
continue to focus on getting these men and women the key resources they 
need for additional personnel, for men and for assets.
  There is not a mission that we could give the Coast Guard that they 
could not do unless we deny them the ability through the resources to 
be able to do that.
  We have made some great strides this year. The Coast Guard continues 
to do an outstanding job in relation to their domestic priorities, but 
especially for their number one mission now, which is homeland security 
and maritime antiterrorism.
  So, Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank my colleagues and urge everyone 
to support this legislation.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my full 
support for H.R. 4508, commending the Coast Guard for its outstanding 
response to Hurricane Katrina.
  On August, 2005 we saw one of the worst natural disasters in our 
nation's history ravage the gulf coast along Alabama, Louisiana, and 
Mississippi. While many of our government agencies were unprepared to 
deal with such a disaster, the Coast Guard responded immediately and 
courageously.
  The Coast Guard was responsible for saving over 33,000 lives--six 
times the number of lives the Coast Guard saved in 2004--after Katrina 
hit, coordinating pollution response with the Environmental Protection 
Agency, the state of Louisiana and local industries, and managing the 
mega-shelters in my hometown of Houston, Texas, where tens of thousands 
of the evacuees found relief following the storm. They have also been 
at the center of efforts to restore commerce to areas affected by 
Katrina by clearing shipping channels, replacing aids to navigation, 
and securing uprooted oil rigs.
  Coast Guard Lieutenant Joe Leonard and the units in Houston did a 
remarkable job in managing these shelters that received thousands of 
people in the days and weeks following Katrina. Many of these people 
were left with nothing, but these shelters provided them food, water, 
and a place to stay until FEMA and other government agencies could find 
more suitable housing.
  Mr. Speaker, I would again like to commend the Coast Guard for their 
remarkable job responding to Hurricane Katrina, and would urge all my 
colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4508.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
bill.
  As this body's only licensed mariner, I understand the lengths to 
which our Nation's mariners and vessel owners go, to obtain or renew 
their required licenses and documents.
  This bill will allow merchant mariners and vessel owners in the gulf 
region to continue normal operations under existing merchant mariner 
documents, licenses and certificates of vessel inspection.
  The bill will also allow the Coast Guard to continue its recovery of 
documents that were damaged by flood waters at the Regional Examination 
Center in New Orleans necessary to issue renewed licenses and documents 
in the future.
  The Coast Guard has done a remarkable job to restore most services in 
the gulf region despite suffering significant damage to Coast Guard 
facilities.
  However, as a result of coastguardsmen's tireless effort to protect 
the safety and security of our coasts many servicemen were called to 
duty when otherwise they would have been on leave.
  This bill assures that any member of the Coast Guard that was 
involved in the response efforts along the gulf coast will retain 
accumulated leave up to 90 days that would otherwise be lost.
  Lastly, this bill commends the men and women of the Coast Guard for 
their heroic and selfless service in response to hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita this year.
  I urge all members to join me in supporting the Coast Guard and the 
Merchant Mariner community for their continued efforts to restore 
normal and safe operations along our gulf coast.
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Davis of Kentucky). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4508.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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