"Since its creation by Congress in 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard
Auxiliary has served as the civilian, non-military component of the Coast Guard.
Today, the 33,000 volunteer men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary are
active on the waterways and classrooms in over 2,000 cities and towns across the
nation. Each year, Auxiliarists (folks just like you) save almost 500 lives,
assist some 15,000 boaters in distress, conduct more than 150,000 courtesy
safety examinations of recreational vessels, and teach over 500,000 students in
boating and water safety courses. The results of these efforts save taxpayers
hundreds of millions of dollars every year."
(Excerpt from
http://www.cgaux.org/cgauxweb/public/joinaux1.html.)
Title 14, United States Code (U.S.C.) contains the laws of a general and
permanent nature about the Coast Guard. (Links to Title 14
are to websites of Cornell University Law School's Legal Information Institute.)
Portions of the following are excerpts from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary's
New Member Reference Guide
2003 (NMRG)
"In 1939, Congress established a 'United States Coast Guard Reserve' . . .
composed of unpaid, volunteer citizens of the U.S. who owned motorboats and
yachts. They were to aid the Coast Guard in promoting small boat safety.
Congressional action in 1941 created a military reserve of the Coast Guard and
the original volunteer reserve was renamed the Coast Guard Auxiliary." (NMRG
page 3)
The original Title 14 stated that the role of the Auxiliary was . . .
"(1) to promote safety and to effect rescues on and over the high seas and on
navigable water
"(2) to promote efficiency in the operation of motorboats and yachts
"(3) to foster a wider knowledge of, and better compliance with, the laws,
rules, and regulations governing the operation of motorboats and yachts;
"(4) to facilitate other operations of the Coast Guard." (NMRG page 3)
(continued at top of next column)
|
The Auxiliary's role was further clarified in
The Act of September 30, 1944, chapter 453, 58 Stat. 759 (1944): "The
primary purpose of the establishment of the Coast Guard Auxiliary was to
indoctrinate all owners and operators of small craft in safety requirements
in the operation and navigation of small craft. A secondary purpose of
the institution of the Coast Guard Auxiliary was to utilize the Auxiliary
craft end personnel, after suitable training and indoctrination, in carrying
out certain duties of the CG with particular inference to those concerned
with the safety of navigation." "On October 1996, the CG Authorization Act
of 1996 {Public Law No. 104-3249, 110 Stat. 3901)," changed
Title
14 to read "The purpose of the Auxiliary is to assist the Coast Guard as
authorized by the Commandant, in performing any Coast Guard function, power,
duty, role, mission, or operation authorized by law." This "legislation
expanded the Commandant's authority to use the Auxiliary to assist other
federal agencies, state authorities and local governments in areas other
than recreational boating safety." (NMRG page 4) "This law opens all Coast
Guard mission areas to the Auxiliary, with the exception of combat (military
operations) and direct law enforcement." (NMRG page 3)
A full listing of the regular Coast Guard's missions can be found
here on the
Coast Guard's national website.
|
