III

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 372

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 26, 2000

Received and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and

Transportation

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the historic

significance of the 210th anniversary of the establishment of the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.

Whereas the Revenue Cutter Service was established in 1790

under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department;

Whereas the Revenue Cutter Service and the United States

Life-Saving Service were combined in 1915 to form the

Coast Guard;

Whereas in April 1967, the Coast Guard was transferred to

the Department of Transportation where it remains
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today (except when operating as a service in the Navy in

times of war);

Whereas the Coast Guard is comprised of nearly 35,000 active personnel and 28,000 reserve personnel;

Whereas the Coast Guard is supported by approximately

35,000 volunteers of the Coast Guard Auxiliary;

Whereas the Coast Guard is the Nation’s premier military,

multimission, maritime service that provides unique, nonredundant, complimentary capabilities to safeguard

United States national security interests;

Whereas the Coast Guard provides unique services and benefits to the United States through a distinctive blend of

humanitarian, law enforcement, diplomatic, and military

capabilities;

Whereas the five operating roles of the Coast Guard are maritime safety, maritime security, protection of natural resources, maritime mobility, and national defense;

Whereas each year the Coast Guard conducts on average

more than 65,000 search and rescue missions, saving

over 5,000 lives and $1,400,000,000 in property;

Whereas each year the Coast Guard, through its drug interdiction efforts, keeps more than $3,000,000,000 worth of

drugs off United States streets;

Whereas the Coast Guard safeguards ocean resources from

degradation by pollution and overuse through marine environmental protection and fisheries enforcement programs;

Whereas each year the Coast Guard responds to more than

11,600 hazardous waste spills, inspects approximately
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34,000 United States vessels and 19,400 foreign vessels,

and investigates over 7,400 marine accidents;

Whereas the Coast Guard maintains the largest system of

aids to navigation in the world, with more than 50,000

buoys, fixed markers, and lighthouses;

Whereas the Coast Guard provides critical ice breaking services for the Nation’s inland waterways and shipping

channels;

Whereas the Coast Guard is responsible for approximately

18,000 highway and railroad bridges that span navigable

waterways throughout the Nation;

Whereas the Coast Guard plays a leading role in the Nation’s

undocumented migrant interdiction activities;

Whereas the Coast Guard is a military service and a branch

of the Armed Forces, and plays a crucial role in the

President’s strategy of international engagement;

Whereas Coast Guard personnel have fought in every major

military conflict since its inception in 1790; and

Whereas the men and women serving in the Coast Guard embody a rich tradition of honor, devotion to duty, and

dedication to service during times of peace and war: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) recognizes the historic significance of the

4 210th anniversary of the establishment of the Coast

5 Guard and the indelible contributions of the Coast

6 Guard to the United States;

7 (2) commends—
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1 (A) the Coast Guard’s effectiveness in pro2 tecting the public, the environment, and United

3 States economic and security interests in the

4 Nation’s ports and inland waterways, along the

5 Nation’s coasts, on international waters, and in

6 any maritime region in which United States in7 terests may be at risk; and

8 (B) the men and women serving in the

9 Coast Guard who risk their lives to save others

10 in danger at sea, enforce the Nation’s treaties

11 and other laws, protect the marine environment,

12 ensure a safe and efficient marine transpor13 tation system, and support diplomatic and na14 tional defense interests of the United States

15 worldwide; and

16 (3) supports the Coast Guard in its efforts to

17 remain ‘‘Semper Paratus’’—Always Ready—as it

18 moves forward to meet the demands of the 21st cen19 tury.

Passed the House of Representatives July 25, 2000.

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL,

Clerk.