Bill Text: IL HR0480 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Expresses support for the U.S. Merchant Marine and the Jones Act, the Maritime Security Program, the Passenger Vessel Services Act, and the U.S. cargo preference laws.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-10-28 - Referred to Rules Committee [HR0480 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HR0480-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are supportive of federal statutes that ensure
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4 | that vessels engaged in the coastwise and inland trades are | ||||||
5 | built and crewed by
American workers; the Jones Act, the
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6 | Maritime Security Program, the Passenger Vessel Services Act, | ||||||
7 | and U.S. cargo
preference laws are critical in maintaining a | ||||||
8 | viable American Merchant Marine; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Without the Jones Act, the American Merchant | ||||||
10 | Marine and its well-paying jobs would
be destroyed, and the | ||||||
11 | domestic waterborne commerce of the U.S. would be controlled
by | ||||||
12 | foreign interests; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Maritime Security Program ensures that 60 | ||||||
14 | American vessels are engaged in the foreign commerce of the | ||||||
15 | U.S.; the program requires that the
vessels, crews, and | ||||||
16 | participating companies' intermodal assets are immediately
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17 | available to the Department of Defense in times of crisis; | ||||||
18 | military experts have said it
would literally cost tens of | ||||||
19 | billions of dollars to replicate the program's assets, which
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20 | currently are delivered for a few hundred million dollars per | ||||||
21 | year; and
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22 | WHEREAS, The Passenger Vessel Services Act provides the |
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1 | same requirement
for passenger vessels, for example, ferry | ||||||
2 | boats, that the Jones Act stipulates for
cargo vessels; like | ||||||
3 | the Jones Act, it is considered vital to homeland security; and
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4 | WHEREAS, A key element of U.S. cargo preference laws is the | ||||||
5 | Food for Peace
Program, whose purpose is to promote the food | ||||||
6 | security of developing
countries; food aid is grown by American | ||||||
7 | farmers, processed by American workers,
and transported on | ||||||
8 | board U.S. vessels to countries in need; since the program's
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9 | inception in 1954, more than three billion people in 150 | ||||||
10 | countries have benefited directly
from U.S. food aid that was | ||||||
11 | delivered by the U.S. Merchant Marine; and
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12 | WHEREAS, The development and expansion of America's
marine | ||||||
13 | highway system is an ongoing, joint government-private | ||||||
14 | industry effort; the
resultant increase in the coastwise | ||||||
15 | waterborne transportation of cargo will help to
significantly | ||||||
16 | alleviate congestion on our nation's highways and rails, | ||||||
17 | achieve a greater
measure of energy efficiency in the | ||||||
18 | transportation of domestic cargo, and create jobs
for American | ||||||
19 | workers in the maritime industry and its related service and | ||||||
20 | supply
industries; and
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21 | WHEREAS, The so-called "flag of convenience" system
in | ||||||
22 | which avaricious shipowners around the world register their | ||||||
23 | vessels in phony flag
states to evade labor, safety, |
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1 | environmental, and tax laws deserves condemnation; this system | ||||||
2 | has
resulted in the global exploitation of seagoing maritime | ||||||
3 | labor and the reduction of
international commercial cargo | ||||||
4 | carried by U.S. vessels to less than 2 percent; therefore, be | ||||||
5 | it
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6 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
7 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
8 | we support the U.S. Merchant Marine as America's fourth arm of | ||||||
9 | defense and recognize that the American maritime industry is | ||||||
10 | critical for U.S. national, economic, and homeland security and | ||||||
11 | that our mariners and our maritime industry deserve our full | ||||||
12 | support.
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