Recognizing the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and other boating safety organizations for their efforts to promote National Safe Boating Week.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 386) recognizing the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the National Safe Boating Council for their efforts to promote National Safe Boating Week, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 386.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I rise today in support of H. Res. 386, as amended.

This resolution recognizes the goals of National Safe Boating Week and recognizes the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary for the outstanding work that they do to keep boaters safe and to rescue those in distress at sea.

Like so many other of the critical safety awareness campaigns in the transportation field, National Safe Boating Week came about through the dedication of a concerned voluntary group. The North American Safe Boating Campaign began some 50 years ago this year. In 1958, a year after the campaign began, Congress passed a joint resolution that authorized and requested the President to designate the week prior to Memorial Day weekend as National Safe Boating Week.

In keeping with this tradition, this year, on May 10, President Bush again

designated the week before Memorial Day as National Safe Boating Week. According to the Coast Guard, as of 2005, there were just under 13 million registered recreational boats in the United States. In 2005 a total of 4,969 recreational boating accidents were reported to the Coast Guard, although it is likely that there were many more accidents that were never reported.

According to the Coast Guard, the leading types of recreational boating accidents were collisions and falls overboard. Careless inattention on the part of a boat's operator was the largest single cause of recreational boating accidents in 2005.

However, the use of alcohol was the largest cause of accidents that resulted in fatalities. Simply put, mixing boats and alcohol can yield the same fatal results that mixing cars and alcohol can yield. In 2005, recreational boating accidents caused nearly 3,500 injuries and nearly 700 deaths. Total deaths in 2005 were down approximately 25 percent below the total of 924 fatalities experienced in 1991. Unfortunately, however, recreational boating deaths in 2005 increased after 3 straight years of steady decline.

The Coast Guard reports that of the nearly 700 people who died in recreational boating accidents in 2005, 491 died as a result of drowning and 426 of those who drowned were not wearing a life jacket. In my own State of Maryland, 13 of the 15 people who died in recreational boating accidents drowned.

In response to the prevalence of drowning as the cause of death among recreational boaters, the theme of this year's National Safe Boating Week is simply ``Wear It.'' This imperative emphasizes the singular importance of the use of personal flotation devices during recreational boating.

Importantly, however, it is not enough merely to have a personal flotational device on board a boat. Recreational boaters must familiarize themselves with the use of life jackets and should also take the time to experience swimming while wearing the device.

I commend all those in our Nation's boating clubs who work year round to train recreational boaters on safe boating practices and to maintain awareness of safe boating practices.

In closing, I want to recognize the outstanding work that the Coast Guard performs preserving life at sea. I have often said they are our thin blue line at sea, and that they are. Last year the Coast Guard saved more than 4,400 lives in the course of its search and rescue operations, many of which were performed under very difficult and dangerous circumstances.

Just yesterday, we were again reminded of the incredible dedication and skill that the Coast Guard brings to their work when they coordinated the successful evacuation of a reported 281 passengers and crew members from the Empress of the North cruise ship off the coast of Alaska.

Finally, I want to remember the Coast Guardsmen who have been lost this year, and all who have died in our Nation's service. I thank all of the members of the Coast Guard for their outstanding work. I also thank them for their work in the gulf coast during the Hurricane Katrina storm.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we have no additional speakers, so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Very briefly, we want to again congratulate Mrs. Drake on the sponsorship of this legislation. It is very important.

One of the things our Subcommittee on the Coast Guard just recently had, we had a hearing with regard to fishing safety. One of the interesting things that came forth during that discussion and during that hearing was how the industry was so very much interested in making sure that there was boating safety, and they wanted to make sure that their industry was regulated.

That was very pleasing to our ears. So it is with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very strong support of H. Res. 386, commending the efforts of the United States Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the National Safe Boating Council for their efforts to promote National Safe Boating Week.

I actually grew up in the boating industry. My family was in the marine business and still today our family hobby is boating. As well, I serve as cochair of the Congressional Boating Caucus, and I know firsthand the benefits and enjoyment to be had from boating, but also the serious risks associated with irresponsible boating practices.

While my home State of Michigan actually has the third most registered boats of any State in the Nation, unfortunately that great enjoyment of our nautical culture goes hand in hand with the many stories each year of boating accidents. We hear about persons lost overboard, or collisions or just reckless boating which results in accidents each year, many of them sadly ending in death that occurred while individuals were enjoying their favorite activity out on the water.

The Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the National Safe Boating Council have taken it upon themselves to promote safe boating practices every day of the year, but especially they emphasize these goals during National Safe Boating Week. House Resolution 386 commends these groups for their service in this field.

Mr. Speaker, some of the principles that are espoused by the National Safe Boating Week include the proper use of personal flotation devices or observing the rules of the road like who has the right-of-way, just understanding port from starboard, attending a boating education course, and avoiding the use of alcohol while operating a boat. All of these things can significantly cut down on the number of on-the-water accidents and help everybody enjoy their time on the lakes, rivers, bays, and oceans we are absolutely so very blessed to have in our great country.

It is my pleasure to support this resolution, as well as all of the groups that it commends. In fact, I want to make note that my congressional district is a shoreline district and I also want to say thanks as well to all of the sheriff's marine divisions that operate not only in my counties but all around the Great Lakes basin and throughout our great Nation as well. They play a critical role in keeping our waterways safe. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I introduced House Resolution 386 last week which recognizes the important work of the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and National Safe Boating Council in promoting boating safety.

I represent a district in which recreational boating plays an extremely important role in the lives of many constituents. Sailors, water sports enthusiasts, and fishermen are active recreational boaters in the Chesapeake Bay and in Virginia's coastal waters.

Recreational boating is one of the Nation's most popular pastimes, and while the number of recreational boating fatalities has declined by more than half since 1970, many lives are still lost each year. And, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, there are far too many of us who have lost friends or family members.

More than half of these lives could be saved with the proper use of boating safety equipment. The Coast Guard and States continue to work closely together to promote boating safety and to decrease the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities on U.S. waters, and they should be commended for their efforts.

Congress took action in 2005 to support State and Federal boating safety programs by establishing the Sport Fishing and Recreational Boating Safety trust fund. In fiscal year 2006, more than $92 million in recreational boating safety State grants were provided to the States and U.S. territories from revenues that were wholly derived from Federal taxes on marine fuels and fishing equipment. This funding supports programs that encourage the use of personal flotation devices and other safe boating practices and are critical in safeguarding the recreational boating public.

This resolution highlights the importance of safe recreational boating, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 386, recognizing the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and other boating safety organizations for their efforts to promote National Safe Boating Week.

National Safe Boating Week is really about educating boaters. In 2005, there were 697 boating fatalities in the United States. The leading cause of death in a boating accident is drowning. Of the 491 people that drowned in 2003, almost 90 percent were not wearing a lifejacket. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of these deaths could have been prevent by proper use of a Personal Flotation Device.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary, and its 27,000 members, are on our Nation's waterways every day conducting voluntary safe boating examinations and educating the public about safe boating practices. In addition, the Auxiliary conducts harbor patrols, assists in search and rescue and marine environmental protection, and conducts boating safety courses; volunteering more than 2 million hours annually to benefit their fellow boaters.

Boating safety organizations, such as the National Safe Boating Council, educate recreational boaters about safety issues. As the summer boating season begins, they have some simple recommendations for boaters:

Do wear a Life Jacket. They Float. You Don't.

Don't mix alcohol and boating.

Do observe the nautical rules-of-the-road.

Don't stand in a small boat.

Do check the weather forecast before getting underway.

Don't overload your boat.

Do keep a good lookout.

Mr. Speaker, this House should help educate the boating public about prudent safety measures that can help save their lives.

I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 386 and help bring more attention to the importance of boating safety.

I thank the gentlelady for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I think that the introduction of this legislation is very important, because it honors our Coast Guard, our Coast Guard Auxiliary and the National Safe Boating Council.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the brave men and women of our Coast Guard and our Coast Guard Auxiliary, including those that work at Coast Guard Sector Key West in my congressional district. They work night and day to keep our

Nation's waterways safe. Without their tireless dedication and outstanding service, we would not have such a superb safety record on our oceans, on our lakes and on our rivers.

Recreational and commercial boating is also a big part of life for my district, Congressional District 18 in Florida, and our citizens truly appreciate the hard work and the dedication of the Coast Guard patrolling our Nation's waters.

I will also once again express my deep appreciation for the remarkable work that our Coast Guard and Auxiliary does on behalf of the public as we celebrate the upcoming National Safe Boating Week, and I thank the gentlelady for introducing this legislation.