[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 65 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 65

 Expressing the sense of the Congress that section 27 of the Merchant 
    Marine Act, 1920, popularly known as the Jones Act, and related 
 statutes are critically important components of our Nation's economic 
   and military security and should be fully and strongly supported.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 1997

 Mr. Moakley (for himself, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Obey, Mr. 
    Murtha, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Harman, Mr. Rahall, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. 
    Cunningham, Mr. Dellums, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Clement, Mr. 
    Livingston, Mr. Borski, and Mr. Hunter) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on National 
                                Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that section 27 of the Merchant 
    Marine Act, 1920, popularly known as the Jones Act, and related 
 statutes are critically important components of our Nation's economic 
   and military security and should be fully and strongly supported.

Whereas a privately owned United States-flag merchant fleet and maritime 
        industry are vital to the economic, military, and international 
        political security of the United States;
Whereas it is essential for the Congress to reaffirm its support for those 
        programs and policies that have successfully developed and maintained a 
        strong, competitive, and economically viable United States-flag merchant 
        marine, including section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 (46 App. 
        U.S.C. 883), popularly known as the Jones Act, which reserves the 
        carriage of America's waterborne domestic commerce to privately owned 
        United States-flag commercial vessels that are built and repaired in 
        United States shipyards and owned and crewed by United States citizens, 
        and similar statutes pertaining to the domestic dredging, fishing, 
        salvage, and towing industries;
Whereas these statutes have fostered the growth of a highly productive and 
        diverse fleet of large, technologically advanced, and fuel-efficient 
        vessels, that is capable of transporting in a timely, economical, and 
        responsive manner all types of United States domestic commerce and that 
        carries approximately 21 percent of the freight moved in the domestic 
        transportation market while accounting for less than 2 percent of 
        domestic expenditures for freight transportation;
Whereas the United States-flag domestic merchant fleet has more than twice the 
        number of large vessels than in 1965 and productivity of the fleet over 
        the past 30 years has more than tripled the fleet's ability to serve 
        American shippers and consumers;
Whereas this increased growth and gains in productivity are due largely to the 
        increased capital investments by private industry in the fleet and to 
        the cooperative relationship that exists between American vessel 
        operators and their American citizen crews;
Whereas more than 40 of America's trading partners have comparable laws and 
        restrictions to limit access to their domestic commerce to their 
        national flag vessels in order to better enhance and support their own 
        economic and military security;
Whereas the Jones Act and related statutes are necessary to prevent America's 
        domestic economy from being dominated and controlled by foreign shipping 
        interests which today operate in international commerce outside the 
        scope of United States Government laws and regulations, including tax 
        obligations, that apply to all types of United States-flag vessels and 
        their crews, to the entire domestic transportation infrastructure, and 
        to all other industries located in the United States.
Whereas the Jones Act and related statutes, along with the comparable 
        requirements applicable to America's aviation, rail, and trucking 
        industries, play a vital role in ensuring that America's shippers and 
        consumers continue to have a reliable, efficient, and competitively 
        balanced domestic transportation system that uses equipment built to 
        American standards and operated by trained American citizen workers;
Whereas allowing foreign flag vessels and foreign crews to operate in America's 
        domestic trades will threaten the economic viability of America's 
        transportation system, which operates in compliance with all United 
        States Government laws and regulations, including tax obligations;
Whereas the Jones Act and related statutes and the construction and operation of 
        the privately owned United States-flag domestic fleet contribute 
        significantly to the national economy, generating approximately 
        $300,000,000 annually in corporate tax revenues for the Federal 
        Treasury, and another $55,000,000 annually in State tax revenues, all of 
        which would be lost if foreign vessels were allowed to enter America's 
        domestic trades;
Whereas Americans working aboard United States-flag domestic vessels and in 
        related domestic industries pay $1,100,000,000 annually in Federal 
        income taxes and another $272,000,000 in State income taxes, revenue 
        which will be lost if foreign vessels and foreign crews are allowed to 
        enter America's domestic trades;
Whereas the domestic maritime industry provides a significant source of 
        employment to maintain a cadre of well trained, loyal American citizen 
        merchant mariners ready and able to respond, as always, to our Nation's 
        call in time of war or other emergency; and
Whereas the Jones Act and related statutes are necessary because the 
        construction and repair of the United States-flag domestic merchant 
        fleet provides the primary source of commercial shipbuilding 
        opportunities for American shipyards and their workforce, helping to 
        maintain the shipyard mobilization base necessary to America's national 
        security: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that section 27 of the Merchant 
Marine Act, 1920 (46 App. U.S.C. 883), popularly known as the Jones 
Act, and related statutes are critically important components of our 
Nation's economic and military security and should be fully and 
strongly supported.
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