<p>$8.7 Billion Coast Guard Budget Cleared</p>
<p>By TARA FEHR
Published on 9/16/2005</p>
<p>Washington The House of Representatives unanimously voted Thursday afternoon to authorize a budget of $8.7 billion for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2006.</p>
<p>The Coast Guard Academy in New London would receive $39.7 million for renovations of its cadet barracks.</p>
<p>The rest of the New London budget will be decided after Congress appropriates the money, the next step in the budget process, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Jolie Schifflet. </p>
<p>The Coast Guard is happy with Congress' effort, Schifflet said. Congress has been very supportive over the past years for the Coast Guard, as has the administration, she said. I hope that will continue.</p>
<p>Before the authorization vote Thursday, certain amendments stirred some controversy among the members.</p>
<p>Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., proposed an amendment that would ensure the safety of liquefied natural gas facilities, though the amendment failed 163-254. Connecticut Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, a member of the Transportation Committee's Coast Guard subcommittee, voted yes.</p>
<p>This is important to Connecticut because one such facility has been proposed for the middle of the Long Island Sound.</p>
<p>I supported it as a safety issue, Simmons said. </p>
<p>Schifflet said $5.5 billion of the budget would go to operating expenses to be split as follows: 28 percent will go to coastal security, 13 percent for search and rescue, another 13 percent for drug interdiction, 16 percent for navigation and 30 percent for other expenditures.</p>