House panel boosts Coast Guard acquisition funds

The Coast Guard will get $702 million next year for its Deepwater acquisition program, under an authorization bill approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee Thursday. That's $202 million more than the administration requested.

Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., said he would like to restore the money needed to get Deepwater back on track, and even accelerate it. "It's cost-effective. It's the right thing for the Coast Guard," LoBiondo said. "More importantly, it's the right thing for the nation. It's the right thing for homeland security."

Deepwater is a 20-year, $17 billion plan to build new ships and planes to replace the Coast Guard's aging fleet. The money authorized Thursday would help prevent slippage in the original timeline.

The panel also added $70 million to the Coast Guard budget to review vessel and port facility security plans. These and other additions would boost the Coast Guard authorization to $7.4 billion. The administration requested $6.7 billion for the Coast Guard in fiscal 2004, about 10 percent more than what was appropriated for 2003.

The bipartisan Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2003 was quickly approved on a voice vote.

In addition to the Deepwater provisions, the bill would:

• Eliminate the need to fire a warning shot before using disabling fire, when use of a warning shot is not practical.
• Authorize $39 million for an additional Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, $80 million for avionics on an already delivered C130-J, and $18 million for altering or removing bridges that are obstructions to navigation.
• Change the mandatory retirement age for Coast Guard officers from 62 to 60, bringing the retirement age in line with other services.
• Increase penalties for the wrongful manufacture, sale or labeling of recreational boats and for failure to notify of a recall regarding recreational boats.
• Allow the Homeland Security Secretary to ban electronic devices from the bridges of vessels that interfere with communication and navigation. Certain marine television antennas can interfere with the performance of Global Positioning System receivers.
• Convey the Coast Guard Cutter Sundew, upon its decommissioning, to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center Authority.