Secure All Facilities to Effectively Guard the United States Against and Respond to Dangerous Spills Act of 2011

H.R. 1550-"National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal Year 2010" -Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Defense(DOD) for FY 2012, for miltary construction, and for defense activities of the Department of energy, to presecribe strenghts for such fiscal year, and for other purposese. - Title XIV -- Other Authorizations, Subtitle A -- Military Programs, SEC. 1402, and Title XXXV--Maritime Administration, all sections. Met with members of the House and Senate Armed Services committee regarding this bill. H.R.104 - "Realize America's Maritime Promise (RAMP) Act" - A bill to ensure that amounts credited to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are used for harbor maintenance. Section 2. Lobbied members and staff of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee regarding cosponsoring this bill. S.412 - "Harbor Maintenance Act of 2011" - A bill to ensure that amounts credited to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are used for harbor maintenance. Section 2. Lobbied members and staff of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. H.R.23 - "Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2011" - A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to direct the secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) during World War II. Section. 2. Payments to Individuals who served during World War II in the United States Merchant Marine, and Sec. 533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund. Lobbied House Veterans' Affairs Committee staff members regarding cosponsoring this legislation. H.R.1664 - "Safeguards Act of 2011" - Amends the Clean Water Act to require: (1) the President to issue regulations to require owners or operators of offshore facilities to have their plans for responding to a worst case discharge of oil or a hazardous substance approved by the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating; and (2) such worst case plans of owners and operators of tank vessels, nontank vessels, offshore facilities, or onshore facilities to include plans for responding to uncontrolled or uncontained discharges from wells. Section 2. Oil Spill Response Plans for Drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. Lobbied members and staff of the House Energy and Mineral Resources subcommittee. H.R. 2018 - "Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011" - A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to preserve the authority of each State to make determinations relating to the State's water quality standards, and for other purposes. Section 2. State Water Quality Standards, and Section 3. Permits for Dredged or Fill Material. Lobbied members and staff of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H.R. 1533 - "Short Sea Shipping Act of 2011" - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt certain shipping from the harbor maintenance tax. Section 2. Exemption of certain commercial cargo from the harbor maintenance tax. Lobbied members and staff of the House Committee on Ways and Means regarding cosponsoring this bill. H.R. 2112 - "Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012" - Makes FY2012 appropriations for the: (1) Department of Agriculture (USDA), (2) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (3) Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and (4) Farm Credit Administration. Title V-- Foreign Assistance and Related Programs. Lobbied members and staff of the House Appropriations committee. H.AMDT.428 - "The Chaffetz Amendment" - An amendment to reduce funding for the Economic Research Service by $43 million; reduce funding for the National Agricultural Statistics Service by $85 million; reduce funding for salaries and expenses of the Agricultural Research Service by $650 million; reduce funding for Food For Peace Title II Grants by $1,040,198.000 and to apply $1,818,198,000 to the savings reduction account. Lobbied House members to vote against this amendment. Attended a Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation hearing on "Creating Jobs and Increasing U.S. Exports by Enhancing the Marine Transportation System." Maritime Security Program: Worked with other U.S. maritime labor and industry interests to secure Democratic and Republican signatures on both House & Senate "Dear Colleague" letters in support of the Maritime Security Program (MSP) for FY 2012. Met with maritime industry coalitions on numerous occasions regarding the issues of Cargo Preference requirements, Piracy, P.L.480 (Food for Peace Program), Harbor Maintenance Tax, and Jones Act waivers. These meetings prompted break-out meetings to various House and Senate members and their staff on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, House Agriculture committee, House Foreign Affairs committee, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry committee, Senate Appropriations committee and the Senate Foreign Relations committee. Met with the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and Department of Transportation (DOT) staff members on various issues concerning the membership of American Maritime Officers, like, Cargo Preference, P.L.-480 Program, Title XI (Shipbuilding Loan Guarantees), Ship disposal and the Maritime Security Program. Met with the United States Coast Guard on various issues concerning the membership of American Maritime Officers, mariner licensing and medical documentation, mariner and vessel protection, piracy and Great Lakes ice-breaking.