Window on Washington: Summer Lovin’ in the Capitol

This article originally appeared in the Third Quarter 2015 issue of Benedict's Maritime Bulletin. Reprinted with permission. Any opinions in this article are not those of Winston & Strawn or its clients. The opinions in this article are the authors’ opinions only.

As Congress prepares to pack-up and go home for the long, hot D.C. summer, both the House and Senate have put forward their respective drafts of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015, including a host of important provisions impacting the Coast Guard, Federal Maritime Commission, and the U.S. maritime industry writ large. Consistent with the Republican domination of Congress, the proposals reflect an interest in promoting greater efficiency of operations, reduced regulatory burden, smaller government, and greater reliance upon private industry. However, in other areas, the proposals seek to bolster significantly Coast Guard infrastructure and assets. Although the House and Senate proposals overlap in many ways, they differ on important points. Thus far, the legislation has been relatively non-controversial, although it remains to be seen whether more controversial provisions will be ‘‘air-dropped’’ into the provisions at conference or during eleventh-hour negotiations prior to enactment.