Senator Booher offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 158.

            A resolution to commemorate June 23, 2014, as Coast Guard Auxiliary Day in recognition of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary’s 75 years of dedicated service.

            Whereas, The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary has served as the unpaid volunteer, uniformed civilian component of the United States Coast Guard since its creation by Congress on June 23, 1939, and more recently, as the lead volunteer force in the Department of Homeland Security; and

            Whereas, Each year, the 32,000 volunteer men and women of the Auxiliary nationwide save almost 500 lives, assist some 15,000 boaters in distress, conduct more than 150,000 courtesy safety examinations of recreational vessels, and instruct over 500,000 students in boating and water safety courses; and

            Whereas, The Auxiliary, with its traditional boating safety mission, can be found on Michigan waterways, in the air, in classrooms, and on the dock assisting the U.S. Coast Guard. They provide the boating public with hundreds of hours each year in boating safety education courses and vessel safety checks, which directly contribute to the prevention of countless search and rescue cases and ultimately save lives; and

            Whereas, There has been an increased need for the Auxiliary to fill the gaps in terms of safety and security patrols in and around large ports and critical infrastructure following the events of September 11, 2001. The U.S. Coast Guard also continues to deploy assets overseas to assist with military operations in the Mideast; and

            Whereas, Auxiliary members have been incorporated into the U.S. Coast Guard’s port, waterways, and security missions, including Maritime Domain Awareness and the American Waterway Watch programs, as well as providing administrative logistics support at venues ranging from medical clinics to Coast Guard training center classrooms to foreign interpreter services aboard deployed cutters; and

            Whereas, Auxiliary members are instructing thousands of Michigan recreational boaters, as well as public and private stakeholders who live, work, and play around Michigan’s waterfront, on how to properly identify and report suspicious maritime activity for the benefit of the nation’s safety and security; and

            Whereas, Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., Commandant of the United States Coast Guard said, “The Coast Guard Auxiliary is an extremely valuable asset to the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and our Nation”; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we hereby commemorate June 23, 2014, as Coast Guard Auxiliary Day in recognition of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s 75 years of dedicated service; and be it further

            Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s National Commodore, the Commodore of the Ninth Central Region, the Director of Auxiliary - Ninth Coast Guard District, the District Commander - Ninth Coast Guard District, and the President of the National Association of Commodores as evidence of our support, admiration, and commendation of their efforts.