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Memorandum of Disapproval of a Bill Providing for Maritime Industry Relations With Federal Officials

November 02, 1978

MEMORANDUM OF DISAPPROVAL

I am withholding my signature from H.R. 11861, which would require the Secretaries of Commerce 'and the Navy to meet at least four times a year with representatives of the maritime industry and to submit an annual report to the President and Congress on their activities and recommendations.

Both the Maritime Administration of the Commerce Department (MARAD) and the Navy already have numerous contacts with the maritime industry and with each other to study, develop, and implement the goals of the Merchant Marine Act. Navy and MARAD are currently working to improve their cooperation in this area by adding the Secretaries of Commerce and Navy to an existing interagency advisory board on maritime matters. They are also arranging to have the board meet at least four times a year, and at least one of these meetings will be open to maritime industry representatives.

In addition, in order to assure that the concerns that generated this bill are fully addressed, I am directing both Secretaries to consult regularly with maritime industry officials to discuss issues of mutual concern.

In light of these actions, I see no reason for this legislation. It is not necessary to achieve our goal of an adequate merchant marine. It would mandate a change in administrative functions which are currently satisfactory. It is an undue legislative intrusion into administrative activities which are the appropriate responsibility of the Executive Branch, and the required report would be an additional and unnecessary government expense. For these reasons, I am disapproving this bill.

JIMMY CARTER

The White House,

November 2, 1978.

Jimmy Carter, Memorandum of Disapproval of a Bill Providing for Maritime Industry Relations With Federal Officials Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/243800

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