July 15, 2022

T&I’s Bipartisan Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 Passes House

Washington, DC – Yesterday, leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure applauded House passage of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. The bill was named in honor of Rep. Don Young, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 2001 to 2007, and a longtime member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation before sadly passing away in March of this year. 

 
The bill will authorize a level of funding that enhances Coast Guard operations and helps the service replace and modernize its cutters, and shoreside and cyber infrastructure. It also includes provisions from the Safer Seas Act designed to fight sexual assault and harassment in the maritime industry. 
 
“I commend the House for passing the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022) to ensure the Coast Guard can carry out their critical missions,” Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (OR-04) said. “Our bill will help the Coast Guard keep our coastal communities safe, support our ports and waterways, protect our marine environment, fight drug trafficking, and respond quickly to dangerous emergencies and disasters. Importantly, this bill also includes provisions from the Safer Seas Act, which takes necessary steps toward eliminating sexual violence in the maritime industry and better protecting survivors. Named after the late Don Young, Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and one of my oldest friends in the House of Representatives, I look forward to passing this bill in his honor.” 
 
“As Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I’m proud to see our two committees work together to get our Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 included and passed as a part of our FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act today,” said Chair of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Salud Carbajal (CA-24). “In tandem with our defense policy bill that includes critical support for our servicemembers and military families, our bipartisan measure makes sure we have the backs of the Coasties who wake up every day with a broad range of critical missions that keep our seas and shores safe. I’m proud once again to see a bipartisan majority of the House come together to approve the resources needed to keep our Coast Guard functioning, as well as the reforms that I fought for to help 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.”
 
  

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