Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4394 - Merchant Mariners Documents

(SENT 8/10/92)
(House)
(Jones (D) North Carolina and 31 others)

The Administration opposes enactment of H.R. 4394.

The objective of this bill is to enhance safety by extending merchant mariners documentation requirements to cover seamen working in the inland towing industry. Extending the documentation requirements to these individuals would substantially increase the Coast Guard's administrative burden. It would not, however, materially enhance the enforcement of marine safety requirements. (All of these individuals, for example, are already covered by Coast Guard drug testing requirements.)

Pay-As-You-Go Scoring

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) requires that all revenue and direct spending legislation meet a pay-as-you-go requirement. That is, no such bill should result in an increase in the deficit; and if it does, it must trigger a sequester if it is not fully offset. Offsetting collections resulting from this bill would recover costs of issuing the additional documents, resulting in a net zero PAYGO effect. Thus, considered alone, this bill meets the PAYGO requirement of OBRA.