John Joseph Moakley: “Mr. Speaker, like every other Member of this House, I am a big fan of the Federal Maritime Commission. It protects…”

“Mr. Speaker, like every other Member of this House, I am a big fan of the Federal Maritime Commission. It protects United States shippers from the restrictive rules of foreign governments and from the unfair practices of foreign flagged carriers. It investigates complaints and helps keep shippers in compliance with the Shipping Act of 1984. It also monitors tariffs to make sure they are reasonable. In short, Mr. Speaker, the Federal Maritime Commission keeps order on the high seas, especially when it comes to commerce. The commissioners do very good work, and their work should continue. I support this open rule and the bill to fund the Federal Maritime Commission in fiscal years 2000 and 2001. However, Mr. Speaker, let me note that I do not think that this bill even needs a rule at all. The Federal Maritime Commission has such widespread support that, once upon a time, this bill was on the suspension calendar.”