Washington, DC - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6865, the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, which the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved on a bipartisan basis earlier this month. The bill was named for Rep. Don Young, who served as the Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 2001 to 2007, was a member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation for many years, and passed away late last week. This legislation authorizes funding that will enhance Coast Guard operations and help the service replace and modernize its cutters, and shoreside and cyber infrastructure.
“Today, the House fulfilled an important duty by passing the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022,” Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) said. “The passage of this bipartisan legislation will ensure the Coast Guard can continue to carry out their critical missions including keeping our coastal communities safe, protecting our ports and waterways, supporting our marine environment, fighting drug trafficking, and responding quickly to dangerous emergencies and disasters. I am particularly proud that the legislation includes key provisions of my ‘Safer Seas Act,’ which will help prevent sexual violence in the maritime industry and better protect survivors. This bipartisan legislation will honor the legacy of Rep. Don Young, who was a strong defender of the Coast Guard, an impactful leader in the world of transportation, and one of my oldest friends in the House of Representatives.”
“The Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act–named in honor of the late Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and longtime champion of the Coast Guard–will ensure that the Service has the resources needed to protect our borders, intercept illegal drugs and migrants, support navigation and commerce, and safeguard those at sea,” Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) said. “This bill will help provide the Coast Guard with vital assets to support their mission, such as an additional National Security Cutter and six more Fast Response Cutters, and it includes a provision championed by Don Young to allow the Coast Guard to keep Russian vessels out of U.S. waters during the ongoing Ukraine crisis–all of which will help ensure our Coast Guard is prepared for its current and future role in securing our Nation.”
“I’m sincerely proud that a bipartisan majority of the House came together today to not only continue the bipartisan legacy of support for our Coast Guard in their broad and critical missions, but also to honor the legacy of our colleague Congressman Don Young while doing so. As Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee and Representative for multiple Coast Guard installations in the Central Coast of California, I’m committed to ensuring that all members of the Coast Guard have the resources they need to respond to emergencies from sea to shining sea. I’m especially pleased to see reforms that I have fought for passed today in our bill–including those that will root out and prevent sexual violence and harassment in our maritime industry, promote increased diversity in the ranks of our Coast Guard, and help families of future maritime accident victims get the compensation and justice they deserve,” Chair of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Salud Carbajal (D-CA) said.
“At a time when national security readiness is of the utmost importance, the passage of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act ensures our nation’s coasts, waterways, and ports remain safe,” Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Gibbs (R-OH) said. “Given the unique missions of the Coast Guard, ranging from national security to drug interdiction to icebreaking and search-and-rescue operations, Congress must provide the funding and direction to the Coast Guard to keep them agile and ready to pivot on a moment’s notice. This bill helps the Coast Guard take a giant technological leap forward, addressing cyber and IT infrastructure deficiencies. I’m glad we also were able to secure authorization for a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes region. Thank you to Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, and Subcommittee Chair Carbajal for working in a bipartisan fashion to give the Coast Guard the resources it needs to accomplish its missions.”
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