HYDE-SMITH BACKS PUSH TO ALLOW U.S. COAST GUARD-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Implement Intergovernmental Support Agreements Between USCG & Host Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow the U.S. Coast Guard to enter into intergovernmental support agreements (IGSAs) with host states and communities.
The Strengthening Coast Guard Communities Act (S.5341) would kickstart an authority – granted to the USCG in 2013 but never exercised – to secure better collaborative contracting agreements with local government bodies to deliver lower-cost, higher-quality services at its installations, and strengthen local ties within Coast Guard communities.
“The Coast Guard has been an integral part of Mississippi communities. It should be allowed to use cooperative agreements to partner with host communities on any number of services, from waste removal to public transportation to childcare. All other branches of the Armed Forces are already demonstrating that millions of dollars can be saved through these cost-saving service agreements. It’s time for the Coast Guard to do the same,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee.
Coast Guard maintains several stations and vessels in Mississippi, including in Gulfport, Pascagoula, Vicksburg, Greenville, and Natchez.
Except for the Coast Guard, every branch of the Armed Forces has used IGSAs to implement IGSA service contracts that support military installations and surrounding communities. A 2018 Government Accountability Office study of just eight out of the hundreds of IGSAs found that these agreements generated at least $9 million in financial benefits.
S.5341 would require the Homeland Security Secretary to delegate to the Commandant of the Coast Guard authority to enter into IGSAs relating to installation-support services, and for other purposes. Its introduction follows inaction following a December 2024 letter signed by Hyde-Smith and other Senators that sought for the department to use its IGSA authority.
U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the Strengthening Coast Guard Communities Act, which has been referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.
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