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Garamendi Secures Wins for Make it in America Policies in Coast Guard Bill

March 2, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) continued his 13-year effort to advance Make it in America policy by successfully amending the "Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022" (H.R.6865).

Garamendi is a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and served as the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation from 2013 to 2018.

At the hearing, Garamendi added provisions to the legislation to support the Jones Act—which ensures that American goods shipped between U.S. ports are done so on American-built and staffed ships. Garamendi's proposals to strengthen Buy American requirements in U.S. shipyards were also included in the legislation.

"I'm pleased that my proposals to support the U.S. maritime industry and provide robust Make it in America standards were included in this legislation," Garamendi said.

"My provisions will strengthen Make it in America standards in shipyards, ensuring taxpayer dollars are used to support local economies and create new middle-class jobs for Americans," Garamendi continued. "I also added long-overdue language to close egregious loopholes to the Jones Act that allow foreign vessels to undercut American-flagged ships.

"Finally, I added language to this legislation that will ensure the 41,000 active-duty Coast Guard members, 6,200 reservists, and 8,500 civilian personnel will never again have to worry about going without a paycheck because of a government shutdown. The brave men and women who serve in our Coast Guard should never become casualties of a partisan fight in Washington," Garamendi concluded.

The bipartisan legislation authorizes the United States Coast Guard—our nation's fifth military service branch—for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and includes the following Garamendi bills, amendments, and priorities:

  • H.R.6882, To amend title 46, United States Code, to include certain passenger ferries as qualified vessels under Capital Construction Funds, and for other purposes. Garamendi's bill would expand current federal tax incentives for new vessel construction in U.S. shipyards under the Maritime Administration's Capital Construction Funds to also include privately operated passenger ferries, including those in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • H.R.5692, Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act.Congressmen Garamendi and Mark Amodei's (R-NV) bipartisan bill would authorize federal land management agencies to take proven, commonsense measures to prevent the proliferation of invasive species in our nation's waterways, lakes, reservoirs, and aqueducts. Garamendi represents Lake County, California, which has seen its critically important tourist economy centered around Clear Lake threatened by invasive Quagga Mussels and other aquatic invasive species exacerbating the Lake's harmful algal blooms. Garamendi has secured federal resources in recent years to help curb the presence of invasive species in Clear Lake, and the "Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act" can provide key support in this ongoing effort.
  • H.R.5114, To amend title 46, United States Code, to allow the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to finance vessel retrofit, repair, or similar work required for the vessel to be a vessel of the United States, and for other purposes. Congressman Garamendi's bill would expand the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Federal Ship Financing Program to include re-flagging, repair, or conversions of US-flagged civilian vessels for commercial and military purposes. Currently, MARAD's program only provides federal loans and loan guarantees for the construction of new civilian vessels in US-based commercial shipyards or facility and equipment upgrades at those shipyards.
  • H.R.5634, Oil Spill Response Enhancement Act, sponsored by Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and Garamendi. The bipartisan bill would provide a limited indemnification so that oil spill response contractors are not inadvertently held legally liable for the total costs of responding to the oil spill disasters to which they are contracted by the U.S. Coast Guard to respond.
  • H.R.6866, Safer Seas Act, sponsored by Congressman Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR) and Garamendi. This bill would address the problem of sexual assault and harassment in the American maritime industry.
  • H.R.6728, American Offshore Worker Fairness Act, sponsored by Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA) and Garamendi. This bipartisan bill closes an egregious Jones Act loophole so that foreign-flagged vessels are held to the same high standards as US-flagged vessels developing our nation's offshore energy resources, including for offshore wind projects.
  • H.R.509, Coast Guard Safety and Accountability Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA26) and Garamendi. This commonsense bill would require the U.S. Coast Guard to promptly respond to recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following the investigation of a transportation accident at sea such as the tragic Conception boat fire in September 2019, where 34 individuals died in an avoidable electrical fire off California's Central Coast.
  • Garamendi #143, would require the Commandant of the Coast Guard to submit a report on the Coast Guard's enforcement of the Jones Act. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Readiness, Garamendi led an effort to successfully include a provision in the FY21 NDAA which clarified that offshore wind development on the Outer Continental Shelf is undoubtedly subject to U.S. jurisdiction and all federal law. It is important that the Coast Guard completes a thorough assessment of any changes that have been made to its enforcement of the Jones Act as a result of Congress' confirmation of the U.S. jurisdiction over these waters.
  • Garamendi #144, requires the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) to complete the public interest land conveyance of decommissioned Sharpe Army Depot in Lathrop, California to the Port of Stockton. Garamendi successfully fought for Congressional approval for this conveyance when the Army was required to transfer this excess federal property to the Port of Stockton by January 1, 2022, under the FY 2021 NDAA. However, the Army instead made a temporary transfer to MARAD, which is holding the property in escrow until the agency can complete a final transfer to the Port of Stockton.
  • Garamendi #145, would make vessels enrolled in MARAD's Emergency Preparedness Program or the National Defense Reserve Fleet also eligible for federal loans and loan guarantees for repairs, retrofits, or conversions through Title XI's Federal Ship Financing Program.

The "Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022" (H.R.6865) now awaits action by the full House of Representatives. The House and Senate are expected to pass the bill this year, to then be signed into law by President Biden before January 2023.