Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2001
Key claim: This Senate bill would have authorized Coast Guard funding, personnel levels, surplus patrol boats for drug interdiction, a Caribbean training ship, and several personnel and housing-management changes.
Abstract
(S951 · 107th Congress) Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2001 - Title I: Authorization - Authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard for: (1) operation and maintenance; (2) acquisition and construction; (3) research and development; (4) retired pay; (5) environmental compliance; and (6) bridge alteration or removal. (Sec. 102) Authorizes: (1) the Coast Guard end-of-year strength for active duty personnel and its average military training student loads; (2) appropriations for Coast Guard operation of the LORAN-C system; and (3) the Secretary of Transportation to accept for Coast Guard drug interdiction activities up to seven PC-170 patrol craft from the Department of Defense. (Sec. 105) Authorizes: (1) the Coast Guard to operate and maintain a Caribbean Support Tender to provide technical assistance, including law enforcement training, for foreign coast guards, navies, and other maritime service; and (2) the Commandant to provide medical and dental care to foreign military Caribbean Support Tender personnel and their dependents accompanying them in the United States. Title II: Personnel Management - Limits the rank of the director of the United States Coast Guard Band to the rank of captain (currently, commander). (Sec. 202) Authorizes compensatory absence from duty to military personnel of the Coast Guard serving at isolated duty stations of the Coast Guard when conditions of duty result in confinement because of isolation or in long periods of continuous duty. (Sec. 203) Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 to provide for the suspension of retired pay of coast guard members who are absent from the United States to avoid prosecution. (Sec. 204) Extends Coast Guard housing authorities for an additional five years. (Sec. 205) Allows a promotion selection board to recommend officers of particular merit for placement at the top of the list of selectees. (Sec. 206) Authorizes the Coast Guard to continue, through board action, Commanders and Lieutenant Commanders Latest action (2001-10-31): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 209.
Why this matters
Annual Coast Guard authorization bills set funding ceilings, personnel end-strengths, and asset-transfer authorities that shape the service’s ability to perform drug interdiction, maritime safety, and training missions. The 2001 bill is a routine example of this recurring vehicle — it did not become law, but tracking these introductions helps map how Congress iterates on Coast Guard structure and asset management over time.