The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) applauds Congress for its passage of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 (HR 889), which contains a number of key provisions designed to help the offshore maritime sector address licensing concerns and potential threats to the Jones Act, the series of laws that require vessels that operate between ports in the United States be owned, built and operated by Americans. The final conference report on the bill was passed by the House of Representatives on June 27 and by the Senate on June 28. The bill contains a provision that would allow the Coast Guard to extend mariner licenses that are set to expire.