[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 165 (Thursday, November 5, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE ENSURING CONTINUED OPERATIONS AND NO OTHER MAJOR 
       INCIDENTS, CLOSURES, OR SLOWDOWNS (ECONOMICS) ACT OF 2015

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                           HON. DAN NEWHOUSE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 5, 2015

  Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my legislation, 
the Ensuring Continued Operations and No Other Major Incidents, 
Closures, or Slowdowns (ECONOMICS) Act of 2015. From late 2014 through 
February 2015, a dispute between the Pacific Maritime Association and 
the International Longshore and Warehouse Union drastically slowed 
import and export traffic at our 29 West Coast ports, paralyzing supply 
chains and the economy west of the Mississippi River. This dispute had 
severe and devastating economic impacts on Washington's 4th 
Congressional District, the Pacific Northwest, and the country--as 
agricultural producers, retailers, manufacturers, and countless other 
businesses and consumers were unable to get their goods through the 
ports and to foreign as well as domestic markets.
  This legislation would create new economic safeguards and triggers 
that mandate a legal mediation process in an employer-labor dispute at 
our nation's ports, in order to prevent future disputes and slowdowns. 
The measure would require the Administration to investigate a dispute 
and prevent unnecessary economic harm by mandating that a Board of 
Inquiry be convened within 10 days of any of the safeguards being 
triggered and then report its recommendations to the President and the 
public on whether there should be a judicial injunction.
  Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that Congress provide additional tools 
to keep supply chains operating and the economy running during times of 
severe economic hardship and this legislation does just that. This 
commonsense and straightforward bill takes an important first step in 
mitigating the negative impacts of future labor disputes at our 
nation's ports, which will help protect the economy, as well as 
families, businesses, and agricultural producers, many of whom are 
still recovering from the most recent slowdown at our West Coast ports.

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