At a reception held in Washington, D.C. during the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) spring conference, U.S. Congressman and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) received the organization’s 2017 Port Person of the Year award for his continuous support of the maritime industry.

A strong leader, Congressman Scalise is resolute in upholding the Constitution, is an advocate for fiscal responsibility and lower taxes and is a proponent of a national energy strategy that encourages independence from foreign oil. At the same time, he is praised for his aptitude in uniting his colleagues to pass effective legislation, so much so that Congressman Scalise has been elected House Majority Whip twice since his election into Congress in 2008.

Congressman Scalise is steadfast in his support of the maritime industry. His commitment to pass the Water Resources and Development Act (WRRDA), a bipartisan bill spearheaded by then-Senator David Vitter that was designed to strengthen water transportation infrastructure and modernize ports in the United States, was successful in 2014.

WRRDA authorized critical reforms to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), established by Congress in 1986, and designed to cover all operation and maintenance costs of the nation’s waterways. Although the HMTF is estimated to be greater than $9 billion by fiscal year 2017, the funds have not been used for their intended purpose since the trust fund’s inception.

In the meantime, the state of the nation’s maritime infrastructure has suffered substantially. WWRDA addresses this situation and authorizes the United States Army Corps of Engineers operations management of key infrastructure projects, including navigation improvements, flood risk management and environmental amelioration like coastal restoration and protection efforts in south Louisiana.

In 2016, Congressman Scalise was involved in the passage of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, which includes the Water Resources Development Act 2016 that authorizes funding for improvement projects in America’s ports, channels, locks, dams and other infrastructure that supports maritime and waterways transportation systems and provides flood protection for communities.

“Louisiana’s ports have a strong and positive impact on our national economy, our global competitiveness, and American job growth,” Scalise said. “Our ports are some of the busiest in the U.S. They are epicenters for job creation and trade and serve as a gateway to the world economy. Maintaining, improving, and modernizing our port infrastructure and waterways is vitally important to both the Louisiana and the national economy.”

A former systems engineer, Congressman Scalise entered into public service in 1996, where he served in the Louisiana legislature for 12-½ years. In the Louisiana Senate, he was elected as Chairman of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. In the House, he was a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Labor and Industrial Relations, Insurance, and Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.

Among his legislative accomplishments include the 2002 tax incentive creation for Louisiana’s film industry that, in 2007, generated more than $700 million and created more than 6,000 jobs for the state; the post-Katrina reform of the state’s system of levee boards; and his fierce fight for tax cuts for working families and local businesses.

In 2008, Scalise was elected into the U.S. Congress as Louisiana’s first congressional district representative and is serving his sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. As chairman of the conservative House Republican Study Committee, he introduced legislation to promote job creation and economic growth among other things.

As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, he continues his advocacy for energy independence. In the maritime sector, Congressman Scalise campaigns on issues regarding harbor depth improvements and maintenance throughout the nation’s waterways, has organized a coalition of port and maritime leaders collectively known as the Maritime Advisory Council that meets yearly in New Orleans, and works on educating his fellow lawmakers on the importance of U.S. ports and energy industry.

I would like to congratulate Congressman Scalise for being recognized as the AAPA Port Person of the Year. On behalf of the Port of South Louisiana, we deeply appreciate what he has done for Louisiana ports as well as all the other ports in the U.S.  I personally look forward to working with him in securing long term permanent funding for dredging the mouth of the Mississippi River.

The port industry is so fortunate to have a champion in Congress fighting to improve the economic engine that it is. For that, we thank you for a job formidably done, Congressman Scalise, and we congratulate you on receiving this prestigious award.

Paul Aucoin is executive director of the Port of South Louisiana. For more information, call 985-652-9278. Sean Duffy, executive director of the Big River Coalition, contributed to this column.