On the recordDecember 10, 2015
I thank my friend from California (Mr. Hunter), the chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, for yielding me time. I also want to thank both him and the Transportation Committee chairman himself, Bill Shuster, for their work on this legislation. This bill ensures the safety and security of our maritime borders and maritime interests around the globe. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology shares jurisdiction with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee over important research and development programs carried out by the Coast Guard. These programs improve search and rescue, navigation, marine safety, marine environmental protection enforcement of laws and treaties, ice operations, oceanographic research, and defense readiness. The bill also authorizes funding to help acquire a new Polar icebreaker and requires a study of alternatives for conducting icebreaking operations. The Coast Guard's icebreakers are critical to the United States missions in the polar regions, which include important research supported by the National Science Foundation. I look forward to the results of the study this bill calls for on cost-effective alternatives for icebreaking. This will help us ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Again, I thank Chairman Hunter and Chairman Shuster for taking the initiative with this critical legislation.
