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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor petitions the Congress
11 of the United States to repeal certain provisions of the Jones Act.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ recognizes that certain provisions of the Jones Act, United States Code, Title 46,
15 Chapter 551, Coastwise Trade, an obscure, century-old law, no longer serve their
16 intended purpose of protecting and promoting the American shipping industry;
17 ▸ recognizes that these provisions of the Jones Act have made it difficult for Puerto
18 Rico, an American territory, to receive critical supplies in the aftermath of
19 Hurricane Maria;
20 ▸ recognizes that these provisions of the Jones Act cost American jobs by
21 encouraging residents in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Hawaii to buy
22 foreign-made goods that are shipped on foreign flagged vessels, rather than goods
23 made in America; and
24 ▸ petitions the Congress of the United States to repeal the provisions of the Jones Act
25 relating to the transportation of merchandise between American ports, because they
26 no longer serve the purpose of advancing trade interests that are in the best interest
27 of the people of the United States of America.
28 Special Clauses:
29 None
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31 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
32 WHEREAS, United States Code, Title 46, Chapter 551, Coastwise Trade, commonly
33 referred to as the Jones Act, is an obscure, century-old law;
34 WHEREAS, the Jones Act contains provisions that require all goods ferried between
35 U.S. ports to be carried on ships built, owned, and operated by Americans;
36 WHEREAS, it is difficult to get critical supplies into Puerto Rico, an American
37 territory in distress, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria where supplies are urgently needed;
38 WHEREAS, the Jones Act, when enacted, was designed to promote shipping by
39 American-owned and operated vessels but has had the unintended consequence of making it
40 twice as expensive to ship goods from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico as it is to ship from
41 any other foreign port in the world;
42 WHEREAS, the U.S. government has temporarily suspended the Jones Act in order to
43 get supplies more quickly to Puerto Rico, where medicine, food, and other supplies are
44 urgently needed for recovery efforts;
45 WHEREAS, the waiver would only speed the delivery of fuel, food, medicine, clothing,
46 and building supplies on a temporary basis;
47 WHEREAS, the Jones Act costs American jobs by encouraging residents in Puerto
48 Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Hawaii to buy foreign-made goods that are shipped on
49 foreign flagged vessels, rather than goods made in America;
50 WHEREAS, Puerto Rico receives most if its gasoline from Canada and Europe;
51 WHEREAS, a 2010 study by the University of Puerto Rico determined that the Jones
52 Act cost the island $537 million per year; and
53 WHEREAS, in 2012, the New York Federal Reserve Board determined that shipping a
54 container from the eastern coast of the United States to Puerto Rico cost $3,063, but shipping
55 the same container on a foreign ship to the Dominican Republic cost only $1,504:
56 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
57 Governor concurring therein, hereby petitions the Congress of the United States to repeal the
58 Jones Act because it no longer serves the purpose of advancing trade interests that are in the
59 best interest of the people of the United States of America.
60 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Majority
61 Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,
62 and members of Utah's congressional delegation.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel