[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now, on to the work that is currently 
before us: We voted yesterday to advance important legislation that 
will preserve our national security, ensure our readiness, and expand 
economic opportunity. The bill before us to reauthorize the Coast Guard 
funding will ensure that the brave men and women who put themselves in 
harm's way every single day have access to the resources they need.
  America calls on our Coast Guard to protect our ports, to protect our 
coasts, to safeguard the shipping lanes that enable American commerce, 
to stem the tide of illegal drugs before they reach our shores, and to 
brave even the fiercest natural disasters that save American lives. 
They always answer the call. They are always ready. So it is our 
obligation as a Congress to keep the Coast Guard authorized and 
adequately resourced to do the job.
  When we pass the legislation before us, we will do just that, and we 
will do even more because this bill also includes important reforms 
that will streamline needlessly complicated government regulations and 
help communities and small businesses harness the great resource that 
is America's waterways.
  In my home State of Kentucky alone, we have 1,900-plus miles of 
navigable waterways. They support 13,000 jobs. This bill includes a 
major victory for those Kentuckians and for Americans in a number of 
other States.
  The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act will unwind the confusing, 
redundant tangle of rules and regulations that States, the EPA, and the 
Coast Guard have all piled on to vessel owners and barge operators who 
are, frankly, just trying to make a living. With this legislation, that 
tangled mess will go away. It will be replaced by a single, efficient, 
and uniform standard, which the Coast Guard will enforce. It is a 
commonsense step, and it is something that has been thoroughly 
bipartisan.
  This legislation passed the Commerce Committee on a voice vote. It 
has actually been reported out several different times, including when 
the Senate was controlled by Democrats. So I look forward to delivering 
these important measures for the Coast Guard, for Kentuckians, and for 
many more Americans when we pass this legislation later today.

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