Joe Barton: “We have a fleet of privately owned ships that are normally in private commercial operation and that are owned by the…”

“We have a fleet of privately owned ships that are normally in private commercial operation and that are owned by the companies that operate here in the ports of the United States. We pay a small fee each year from the Department of Defense so that, if these ships ever need to be used to transport military supplies overseas, they have to cease commercial operation and carry the military cargo. They are only used when it is--I won't say an emergency, but a special situation. In this bill, we have some funding that increases the per-ship reimbursement rate slightly so that it makes it feasible for these ships to be on standby for our military to use. It was offered by the chairman of the full committee--I think Chairman Fred Upton--when our bill was on the floor, and it was included in the manager's amendment. It was made part of the bill then and is in the bill that is before us that we are going to vote on on Friday. It is a way to help in a cost-effective way our military when they need lift capacity to get military supplies overseas in a tense situation.”