Posted:
December 7, 2012
Congressmen Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Jeff Landry (R-LA) this week applauded the passage in the House of Representatives of an amended version of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, which contains provisions to expand transparency surrounding the issuance of Jones Act waivers to foreign vessels.
Section 301 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, which was approved by the House Dec. 5, contains many elements of H.R. 3202, the American Mariners Job Protection Act - legislation introduced by Reps. Cummings and Landry in 2011 to increase the transparency of the Jones Act waiver process and help ensure qualified U.S.-flagged vessels and American mariners are employed to the greatest extent possible.
"The Jones Act should be waived only when no U.S. vessels are capable of carrying cargo between two U.S. ports," Rep. Cummings said. "The inclusion in this Coast Guard authorization of the provisions of H.R. 3202 will bring much-needed transparency to the process by which Jones Act waivers are issued, including requiring the Maritime Administration to formally identify all of the actions that could be taken to enable U.S.-flagged vessels to carry the cargo for which a Jones Act waiver is sought. With this information, we will be better able to assess whether a Jones Act waiver is truly needed."
"This provision shows how government should work, Republicans and Democrats working together with industry and labor to pass a provision that will protect American jobs and put our nation on a strong footing," Rep. Landry said after passage of the bill. "Section 301 will provide a playbook to the maritime industry, one they can follow to bring fewer Jones Act waivers and more jobs for our workers."
Reps. Cummings, Landry applaud approval of legislation to strengthen Jones Act
Congressmen Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Jeff Landry (R-LA) this week applauded the passage in the House of Representatives of an amended version of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, which contains provisions to expand transparency surrounding the issuance of Jones Act waivers to foreign vessels.
Section 301 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, which was approved by the House Dec. 5, contains many elements of H.R. 3202, the American Mariners Job Protection Act - legislation introduced by Reps. Cummings and Landry in 2011 to increase the transparency of the Jones Act waiver process and help ensure qualified U.S.-flagged vessels and American mariners are employed to the greatest extent possible.
"The Jones Act should be waived only when no U.S. vessels are capable of carrying cargo between two U.S. ports," Rep. Cummings said. "The inclusion in this Coast Guard authorization of the provisions of H.R. 3202 will bring much-needed transparency to the process by which Jones Act waivers are issued, including requiring the Maritime Administration to formally identify all of the actions that could be taken to enable U.S.-flagged vessels to carry the cargo for which a Jones Act waiver is sought. With this information, we will be better able to assess whether a Jones Act waiver is truly needed."
"This provision shows how government should work, Republicans and Democrats working together with industry and labor to pass a provision that will protect American jobs and put our nation on a strong footing," Rep. Landry said after passage of the bill. "Section 301 will provide a playbook to the maritime industry, one they can follow to bring fewer Jones Act waivers and more jobs for our workers."