Gene Taylor, of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, served in the U.S. Congress from 1989 until 2011. Taylor enlisted in the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve in 1971 and served until 1985. As the skipper of a search and rescue boat, he received the Commandant’s Letter of Commendation for fire fighting and a Letter of Commendation for saving the life of a crew member.
While in Congress, Taylor served on two major committees, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In addition, Gene Taylor served as co-chair of the following organizations: Shipbuilding Caucus, National Guard and Reserve Caucus, Coast Guard Caucus, and Expeditionary Warfare Caucus.
As a member of HASC, Taylor led the 2005 effort to expand Tricare to include all National Guard and Reservists. Taylor served as chairman of the HASC Seapower Subcommittee from 2007 to 2010. In that capacity he led the effort to substantially increase the number of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPS) from 5,000 to over 17,000.
Taylor led efforts to restart the DDG51 program and to make that ship the platform to carry our nation’s missile defense. Additionally, working with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Stackley, Taylor’s Seapower Subcommittee resuscitated the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship program.