b'Continued from page 7: Letter from the Executive DirectorAT THE HELM on a one-on-one basis, with membersalongwiththenewTrumpAdmin- Thefollowingarejustafewofthe of Congress and their staffs to discussistration.PVALegislativeDirectorissues that will be discussed:issues and topics of importance to pas- Richard Patch is arranging meetings senger vessel operators, vendors, andfor PVA members with key membersFundU.S.CoastGuardSafety suppliersalike.Thisyearisparticu- of Congress and their staff for nearlyMissionEnsurethattheCoast larly important in that the new 119th40 PVA members who have registeredGuard Marine Safety Program is ad-CongressbeganitsterminJanuaryfor this event. equately funded and staffed to avoid costly delays.ExpandEnforcementofIllegal ChartersUrgelawmakersto presstheCoastGuardtofocusen-forcementofillegaloperators.Ask CongresstodirecttheGovernment Accountability Office (GAO) to pro-duce a report that examines the scope of the illegal charter problem that will lead to a reduction of illegal charter activities nationwide.SmallShipyardGrantProgramUnderscore the importance of pro-vidingfundingforthisimportant program that supports U.S. shipyards.Capital Construction FundStress the value and benefits of this program to U.S. passenger vessel owners.Importance of Public FerriesRe-mind legislators how important public ferries are to the smooth functioning of our nations transportation system andtotheconservationofvaluable energy resources.FTA Ferry Grant ProgramHigh-lighttheimportanceofproviding fundingforthisprogramthatsup-ports capital projects to establish new ferry service and repair and modern-ize ferry vessels, terminals, and facili-ties nationwide.FOGHORN 54'