[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 47 (Friday, March 17, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SUPPORTING VT HALTER MARINE, INC. OF PASCAGOULA, MS

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN M. PALAZZO

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 17, 2017

  Mr. PALAZZO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of 
the House an injustice served upon a Mississippi shipbuilding company 
in my district by a number of Democratic senators on March 7, 2017 
during the Senate debate over H.J. Res. 37, the Congressional Review 
Act repeal of OSHA's rule implementing the Obama Administration's Fair 
Play and Safe Workplaces executive order. During the debate, these 
senators accused VT Halter Marine, Inc. of Pascagoula, MS of 
disregarding the safety of its workers, citing examples of long-past 
accidents. I know for a fact that this couldn't be further from the 
truth.
  The company has enlisted the services of safety experts to develop a 
new safety management system to improve upon its culture of safety. 
Since 2011, VT Halter has been guided by its 5-Year Safety Strategic 
Plan. The plan promotes a comprehensive, all hazards management 
approach to every aspect of the shipbuilding process. Activities 
include a safety stand-down at all facilities for a full day of re-
training; Safety Leadership Training and an OSHA 30-Hour Maritime 
Course for all key personnel; specific training for new employees; 
weekly safety meetings; tool tracking systems to ensure proper safety 
equipment is issued to employees; Confined Space rescue training; 
safety teams which conduct daily inspection of production areas; and 
Safety Director attendance at the OSHA 2090 Shipyard Employment, Fall 
Prevention, and Competent Person Training program. The company has 
complied with all OSHA safety directives and reporting requirements, 
and is in good standing with the agency.
  V. Halter has worked diligently to obtain both government and 
commercial shipbuilding and repair work to maintain jobs for more than 
900 working class families in my district. The economic impact of 
Halter's work ripples throughout the local economy through suppliers 
and other small businesses, and the company is considered a key player 
is the shipbuilding industrial base.
  The accusations made on the Senate floor appear to be motivated by 
the desire to embarrass Senate Republicans and the President over the 
decision to repeal the Obama Administration OSHA regulations. In 
singling out VT Halter as political cannon fodder, the senators making 
the accusations have unfairly damaged the reputation of the company and 
have put its Mississippi workers in a state of confusion and anxiety 
over their future. The commercial shipbuilding market is in a major 
down cycle, and the Gulf Coast shipbuilding industry is struggling to 
find enough work to keep their people employed. By professing to speak 
on behalf of the workers, these senators have in fact jeopardized the 
company's ability to sustain these good, high-paying jobs. I've been 
told that the workers have actually approached Halter's CEO to see if 
they should circulate a petition to correct the record about Halter's 
treatment of its workforce. Unlike the Senators in question, I have 
been to VT Halter Marine and have spoken to these Mississippi workers. 
VT Halter takes excellent care of its people, striving both to keep 
them safe and employed, and I am extremely disappointed that certain 
liberal senators would attempt to construe their safety record just to 
fit their political aims.

                          ____________________