Posted:
March 27, 2015
During the sixth annual Maritime Industry Congressional Sail-In on March 24, more than 100 representatives of U.S. maritime labor and industry conducted more than 100 meetings on Capitol Hill with members of the House of Representatives and Senate and their staff members to discuss the laws, programs and policies that enable the U.S.-flag maritime industry to efficiently and effectively support the U.S. military and the homeland and economic security of our nation.
Participating in the Sail-In this year from American Maritime Officers were AMO member Captain Robert Lansden, as well as National Vice President, Government Relations, Mike Murphy; National Vice President, Inland Waters, David Weathers; Administrative Assistant, Legislative, Paulette Brown; Editor Matt Burke; and AMO Assistant Editor Todd Wright. Participating in the Sail-In from American Maritime Officers Service were AMOS President and Chairman Anthony Naccarato, Director Todd Johnson and Legislative Consultant Brenda Otterson.
The primary issues addressed during the Sail-In meetings this year were:
Maritime Industry Congressional Sail-In supports laws, programs crucial to U.S.-flag fleet
During the sixth annual Maritime Industry Congressional Sail-In on March 24, more than 100 representatives of U.S. maritime labor and industry conducted more than 100 meetings on Capitol Hill with members of the House of Representatives and Senate and their staff members to discuss the laws, programs and policies that enable the U.S.-flag maritime industry to efficiently and effectively support the U.S. military and the homeland and economic security of our nation.
Participating in the Sail-In this year from American Maritime Officers were AMO member Captain Robert Lansden, as well as National Vice President, Government Relations, Mike Murphy; National Vice President, Inland Waters, David Weathers; Administrative Assistant, Legislative, Paulette Brown; Editor Matt Burke; and AMO Assistant Editor Todd Wright. Participating in the Sail-In from American Maritime Officers Service were AMOS President and Chairman Anthony Naccarato, Director Todd Johnson and Legislative Consultant Brenda Otterson.
The primary issues addressed during the Sail-In meetings this year were:
- The Jones Act, which requires that cargo transported by water between ports in the United States be carried on vessels owned and crewed by American citizens and built in American shipyards. According to a recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Jones Act generates approximately 500,000 high-quality American jobs, produces an economic output in the U.S. of more than $100 billion annually, and provides critical homeland security, economic, environmental, and safety benefits to our nation.
- Funding for the Maritime Security Program - the MSP and its 60-ship maritime security fleet of privately-owned militarily useful U.S.-flagged commercial vessels provide the Department of Defense with U.S.-flag commercial sealift capability, access to the private shipping companies' global intermodal and logistics systems, and the U.S. contract civilian mariners needed to support American troops and to protect America's security interests overseas.
- Reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which helps finance the export of American goods and services from companies throughout the United States. It helped to facilitate more than $37 billion in export sales in FY 2013, supporting more than 200,000 American jobs. In addition, Ex-Im Bank financed exports must be shipped on U.S.-flagged commercial vessels, providing an important source of cargo for the U.S.-flag fleet. According to a report published by the Ex-Im Coalition, the U.S. Export-Import Bank earned a profit in 2014, covering its expenses and sending $675 million to the U.S. treasury. The authorization for the Export-Import Bank expires on June 30, 2015.
- U.S.-flag cargo preference shipping requirements, which help to ensure the continued availability of the privately-owned U.S.-flag commercial fleet, which, along with its associated American maritime manpower, is a critical national defense asset. These requirements mean that a percentage of U.S. government impelled cargoes must be transported on privately owned U.S.-flagged commercial vessels available at fair and reasonable rates. These requirements provide cargo to the U.S.-flag commercial fleet operating in international trade, supporting a job base for U.S. merchant mariners who are needed for sealift operations in times of war, conflict and crisis.
- The multi-mission vessel program for state maritime academies, which are located in California, Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Texas. The academies are forced to rely on aging training ships for teaching and training their cadets, and for cadets to earn required sea time for a U.S. Coast Guard license. To replace these federally owned vessels, which range in age from 35 to 52 years, the administration has requested $5 million in the fiscal year 2016 budget for the design of a new class of federally owned training ships for the academies that could also be used for emergency and disaster relief.
- Participation in the bipartisan Congressional Maritime Caucus, which is co-chaired by Congressmen David Joyce (R-OH) and Cedric Richmond (D-LA).