Merchant Marine Subcommittee News

James E. Caponiti, Acting Deputy Maritime Administrator, U.S. Department of Transportation, will deliver a keynote opening address at the 6th Annual North America's Marine Highways Conference, taking place April 1 and 2 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, Jacksonville, Florida. "Are We There Yet?" is the theme of the event, produced by The Journal of Commerce Conferences (www.joc.com/conferences). Caponiti's speech will begin at 9 a.m. on April 1. James Caponiti began his Federal career in 1973 at the Cost of Living Council. He joined the Maritime Administration in 1974 -- when it was under the Department of Commerce -- as an Economist in the Office of Subsidy Administration.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and transportation approved by voice vote, a bill to authorize appropriations for the Maritime Administration for FY 00. A subsititute to S.937, the Maritime Administration Authorization Act for FY 00, was offered by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), chair of the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee. Sen. Hutchison introduced the original bill, which authorized appropriations for FY 00 and FY 01. Codify existing regulations regarding Title XI, by permitting the secretary of transportation to accept the hold in escrow a portion of the proceeds of guaranteed funds during the construction period of a vessel.

The Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will conduct a Nomination Hearing for Rebecca Dye to be a Commissioner for the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on July 31, 2002.

The Federal Maritime Commission announced today that Harold J. Creel, Jr., has been sworn in as a Commissioner for a term to expire on June 30, 2009. Mr. Creel was nominated to his third term by President George W. Bush on November 16, 2004, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 20, 2004. He served as Chairman of the Commission from February 1996 to August 2002. Prior to his appointment to the Commission he was the Senior Counsel of the Merchant Marine Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He held that position from October 1989 to October 1994. As Senior Counsel of the Subcommittee, he advised the Committee Chairman, the Subcommittee Chairman, and all Democratic Senators on issues pertaining to commercial shipping.

The Senate Commerce Committee released testimony of various witnesses who spoke at the hearing conducted by the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee on July 7, 2003. Maritime Administrator William G. Schubert

A bipartisan group of 38 Senators have written to Senators Judd Gregg and Ernest Hollings, chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary, requesting $100 million for the Title XI maritime loan guarantee program in Fiscal Year 2002. The Senators noted that "far from an unnecessary corporate subsidy, but rather a stabilizing force to the defense industrial base as it has grappled with major defense reductions over the past decade. "It is incomprehensible that anyone could define a program as a subsidy when the program generates more direct revenues to the U.S. Treasury than it expends," added Cynthia Brown, president of the American Shipbuilding Association. "For the past nine years … the U.S.

Imagine having your picture taken as soon as you board any cruise vessel. While cruise lines have been observing this practice for many years for entertainment purposes, a new kind of photo has since come into play – the high speed interactive photo I.D. Developed by Security Identification Systems Corporation (SISCO), A-Pass (Automated Personnel Assisted Security Screening), provides a picture of each guest – even before boarding the ship – via a kiosk that stores each passengers photo upon insertion of their boarding card. Everyone who boards, even ships’ officers are required to observe this practice, which was presented before a Senate Subcommittee on Capitol Hill on January 9.