Bob Filner: “It is a culmination of our work this session examining the Coast Guard mission, with particular emphasis on the funding…”

“It is a culmination of our work this session examining the Coast Guard mission, with particular emphasis on the funding for the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. This bill, H.R. 2443, authorizes $7.1 billion, and we hope that this will be sufficient funding for the Coast Guard to carry out the many missions that Congress has given the Coast Guard, including homeland security, search and rescue, marine safety, drug and migrant interdiction and law enforcement. H.R. 2443 authorizes $39 million for a squadron of what are called HITRON armed helicopters for the west coast. Since their establishment, the Jacksonville, Florida, HITRON squadron has stopped over $1.5 billion in illegal drugs from entering the United States. Deployment of the HITRON squadron on the west coast will help stem the flow of illegal narcotics through the eastern Pacific Ocean.”