Chairman Thompson Hails Passage of Coast Guard Authorization Act
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement regarding the passage of H.R. 2830 the “Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007”, which cleared the House by a vote of 395 to 7 (Roll No. 223).
“The Coast Guard Authorization Act gets the Deepwater program back on course. As someone who cares about the Coast Guard, it has been disturbing to see the mismanagement of this program.
"This 25-year, $24 billion dollar effort to modernize the Coast Guard’s fleet has suffered delays, cost increases, and design flaws that ultimately culminated in the idling of eight patrol boats. By the time that these problems were discovered, $88 million had been wasted due to the excessive leeway given to the program’s contractors.
"H.R. 2830 for the first time requires the Coast Guard to manage this contract. Regrettably, the Administration denounced the Deepwater provision, which, incidentally, was approved by the House unanimously on July 31, 2007 by a vote of 426 to zero. This bill will finally steer the Deepwater procurement process in the right direction.
"The Coast Guard Authorization Act also provides guidance for the Coast Guard Academy, which in recent months has been plagued by allegations of racial insensitivity amongst its Cadet Corps.
“I am pleased that the bill includes language I authored with Chairman Cummings to address cultural problems at the Coast Guard Academy and create more opportunities for people of color to make careers in the Coast Guard. The bill:
• Creates a Congressional nomination process to the Coast Guard Academy modeled after the programs associated with the other military academies; and
• Establishes a robust group of programs to identify and cultivate young adults from Minority Serving Institutions to put them on a path to becoming Coast Guard officers.
“Creating opportunities for small businesses that are ready and willing to work with the Coast Guard has also been a major priority for me. H.R. 2830 provides economic opportunities to small and disadvantaged businesses by demanding accountability from prime contractors and allowing small businesses to join forces and step in the shoes of a prime contract when they can do the job.”
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact Dena Graziano or Todd Levett at (202) 225-9978.
