[House Report 118-133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress    }                                     {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                     {      118-133

======================================================================



 
         SOO LOCKS SECURITY AND ECONOMIC REPORTING ACT OF 2023

                                _______
                                

 July 10, 2023.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Graves of Missouri, from the Committee on Transportation and 
                Infrastructure, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 3399]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 3399) to study the security of the 
Soo Locks and effects on the supply chain resulting from a 
malfunction or failure of the Soo Locks, and for other 
purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 
without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose of Legislation...........................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Legislative History and Consideration............................     2
Committee Votes..................................................     3
Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations.................     3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     3
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     3
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     4
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     4
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff 
  Benefits.......................................................     4
Federal Mandates Statement.......................................     4
Preemption Clarification.........................................     4
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................     4
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................     5
Section-By-Section Analysis of The Legislation...................     5
    Section 1. Short Title.......................................     5
    Section 2. Report on Security and Economic Effects on Supply 
      Chain of Soo Locks, Michigan...............................     5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     5

                         PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION

    The purpose of H.R. 3399 is to report on the security of 
the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and the effects on 
the supply chain resulting from a malfunction or failure of the 
Soo Locks.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Soo Locks are an important passage for international 
commerce between the United States and Canada, facilitating 
approximately 7,000 cargo ship passages per year. Prior 
research conducted by the Department of Homeland Security's 
Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis estimated that a 
disruption to the Soo Locks would likely shutdown 75 percent of 
United States steel production, 80 percent of iron production, 
and 100 percent of the production of appliances, automobiles, 
construction equipment, farm equipment, mining equipment, and 
railcars in North America.\1\ It further estimated that 11 
million U.S. jobs would be directly impacted, and that the 
economy would enter a severe recession.\2\ Recognizing the 
importance of the Soo Locks to the economy of the United 
States, the report required by H.R. 3399 will build on previous 
studies by reviewing the security posture at the locks to 
ensure their uninterrupted service and the economic impact of 
their malfunction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\The Perils of Efficiency: an Analysis of an Unexpected Closure 
of the Poe Lock and its Impact, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 
National Protection and Programs Directorate, Office of Cyber and 
Infrastructure Analysis (2015) available at https://www.remi.com/wp-
content/uploads/2021/08/DHS-OCIA-The-Perils-of-Efficiency-An-Analys is-
of-an-Unexpected-Closure-of-the-Poe-Lock-and-Its-Impact.pdf.
    \2\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                HEARINGS

    For the purposes of rule XIII, clause 3(c)(6)(A) of the 
118th Congress, the following hearing was used to develop or 
consider H.R. 3399:
    On February 1, 2023, the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure held a hearing entitled, ``The State of 
Transportation Infrastructure and Supply Chain Challenges.'' 
The Committee received testimony from Mr. Chris Spear, 
President and Chief Executive Officer, American Trucking 
Associations; Mr. Ian Jefferies, President and Chief Executive 
Officer, Association of American Railroads; Mr. Jeff Firth, 
Vice President, Hamilton Construction, on behalf of Associated 
General Contractors of America; Mr. Roger Guenther, Executive 
Director, Port Houston; Mr. Greg Regan, President, 
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO.

                 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION

    H.R. 3399, the ``Soo Locks Security and Economic Reporting 
Act of 2023,'' was introduced in the United States House of 
Representatives on May 17, 2023, by Mr. John James of Michigan 
and referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure. Within the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, H.R. 3399 was referred to the Subcommittee on 
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and the Subcommittee on 
Water Resources and Environment. The Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation and the Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and the Environment were discharged from further 
consideration of H.R. 3399 on May 23, 2023.
    The Committee considered H.R. 3399 on May 23, 2023, and 
ordered the measure to be favorably reported to the House, by 
voice vote.

                            COMMITTEE VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires each committee report to include the 
total number of votes cast for and against on each record vote 
on a motion to report and on any amendment offered to the 
measure or matter, and the names of those members voting for 
and against.
    No record votes were requested during consideration of H.R. 
3399.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

               NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the 
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is 
included in this report.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

    With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3399 from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


    H.R. 3399 would require the Department of Transportation, 
in coordination with other agencies, to study security 
deficiencies and recommend security improvements to the 
Congress for the Soo Locks, which connect Lake Superior and 
Lake Huron.
    Using information from the department, CBO estimates that 
the study and report would cost less than $500,000; any 
spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated 
funds.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aaron Krupkin. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Director of Budget Analysis.
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                             Director, Congressional Budget Office.

                    PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
performance goal and objective of this legislation is to study 
the security of the Soo Locks and effects on the supply chain 
resulting from a malfunction or failure of the Soo Locks, and 
for other purposes.

                    DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision 
of H.R. 3399 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the 
Federal government known to be duplicative of another Federal 
program, a program that was included in any report from the 
Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a 
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance.

   CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED TARIFF 
                                BENEFITS

    In compliance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the rule 
XXI.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act (Public Law 104-4).

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the 
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, 
or tribal law. The Committee finds that H.R. 3399 does not 
preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    The Committee finds that no advisory committees within the 
meaning of Section 5(b) of the appendix to title 5, United 
States Code, were created by this legislation.

                  APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 
104-1).

             SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title

    This section provides that this bill may be cited as the 
``Soo Locks Security and Economic Reporting Act of 2023.''

Section 2. Report on security and economic effects on supply chain of 
        Soo Locks, Michigan

    This section directs a report by the Department of 
Transportation, in coordination with the Commandant of the 
Coast Guard and the Department of Defense, to review security 
deficiencies with respect to the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, 
Michigan, highlight the economic impacts of their malfunction 
or failure, discuss any potential domestic or international 
threats, detail the current security structures in place by 
government agencies, and provide recommendations to improve 
their resiliency.

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    As reported by the Committee, H.R. 3399 makes no changes in 
existing law.

                                  [all]