WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) applauded final passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act, a bill that ensures that the Coast Guard is able to support the construction and installation of exhibits and displays for the National Coast Guard Museum in New London, Connecticut. The bill will now head to President Barack Obama’s desk to be signed into law. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Murphy will now work hard to secure federal funding to support the construction and completion of the museum. 

“For as long as we have been a country, the United States Coast Guard has been one of the most important protectors of our coasts and our waterways. The Coast Guard has a fascinating story to tell, full of death defying rescues, heroic war stories, and lifesaving natural disaster response, and I'm so proud this history will be on display at Connecticut’s new National Coast Guard Museum,” said Murphy. “When I visited with the cadets and officers in New London last week, I promised them that I would fight tooth and nail on the Appropriations Committee to make sure that the museum gets the federal support it needs – it will be an uphill fight but it will be worth it, for southeast Connecticut and the Coast Guard.”

Previously, the U.S. Coast Guard was prohibited from using federal funding to support the design and construction of the museum and was limited in its ability to support efforts to preserve and display artifacts from its history at the museum. The Coast Guard Authorization Act amends this law to ensure that the Coast Guard can provide funding for “the design, fabrication, and installation of exhibits or displays in which such artifacts are included.” 

Murphy has been a longtime advocate of the National Coast Guard Museum. Last year, Murphy, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (CT-2) introduced the United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act to honor the men and women of the Coast Guard and to support the establishment of the National Coast Guard Museum. Once the museum is completed, each branch of the United States military will finally have a national museum through which to share its history and legacy with the American public.