HR 42 — A Resolution urging the Congress of the United States to pass legislation to exempt Puerto Rico and other noncontiguous states and territories from the Jones Act.

PRINTER'S NO.   366

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 42
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY GIRAL, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, HADDOCK, HOHENSTEIN,
        McANDREW, FREEMAN, WAXMAN AND GREEN, JANUARY 28, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND
        OPERATIONS, JANUARY 28, 2025


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Urging the Congress of the United States to pass legislation to
 2      exempt Puerto Rico and other noncontiguous states and
 3      territories from the Jones Act.
 4      WHEREAS, Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, more
 5   commonly referred to as the Jones Act, (46 U.S.C. § 55102),
 6   requires that goods shipped from one American port to another be
 7   transported on a ship that is American-built, American-owned and
 8   crewed by United States citizens or permanent residents; and
 9      WHEREAS, The original purpose of this law was to create a
10   safe network of merchant mariners within the United States after
11   World War I in reaction to the United States fleet being
12   destroyed by the German Navy; and
13      WHEREAS, The Jones Act ensured that in times of war there was
14   a reliable supply of American-made, American-owned, American-
15   crewed ships to supply American commerce even in hazardous
16   conditions; and
17      WHEREAS, Although the Jones Act is well-intentioned, the act
18   has had numerous unintended consequences on Puerto Rico and
 1   other noncontiguous states and territories, such as Alaska and
 2   Hawaii; and
 3         WHEREAS, The Jones Act costs Hawaii and Puerto Rico $1.2
 4   billion and $1.5 billion a year, respectively; and
 5         WHEREAS, The Jones Act drives up prices for imports and
 6   exports in places such as Puerto Rico and Alaska, contributing
 7   to a high cost of living; and
 8         WHEREAS, As a result of higher costs of goods in Puerto Rico,
 9   it is at a competitive disadvantage to other places in the
10   Caribbean as a destination for American tourists; and
11         WHEREAS, In the United States Virgin Islands, which is exempt
12   from the Jones Act, United States-made goods are significantly
13   cheaper; and
14         WHEREAS, The United States Virgin Islands has resisted past
15   efforts in Congress to subject the islands to the Jones Act; and
16         WHEREAS, The Jones Act has often been waived in times of
17   disaster; and
18         WHEREAS, Special interests pushed back against granting
19   emergency waivers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
20   demonstrating the difficulty in granting waivers; and
21         WHEREAS, Special interest groups were furious when, after
22   Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, the Biden Administration
23   allowed a foreign ship filled with diesel oil a waiver to bypass
24   Federal regulations and dock in Puerto Rico to help the island's
25   recovery efforts and prevent massive blackouts; and
26         WHEREAS, In response, the Jones Act waiver process was
27   amended in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization
28   Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263, 136 Stat. 2395);
29   and
30         WHEREAS, These changes include making the President

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 1   responsible for determining that a waiver is necessary instead
 2   of the Secretary of Homeland Security and establishing a
 3   mandatory 48-hour delay before a waiver can be approved and
 4   published; and
 5      WHEREAS, This means that a ship that is already laden with
 6   cargo cannot seek out a waiver at all, which was the case with
 7   Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona; and
 8      WHEREAS, These changes will only make it harder for Puerto
 9   Rico and other noncontiguous states and territories to respond
10   to emergency situations; therefore be it
11      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
12   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
13   States to pass legislation to exempt Puerto Rico and other
14   noncontiguous states and territories from the Jones Act; and be
15   it further
16      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
17   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the members of the United
18   States Congress to give serious and careful consideration to the
19   impacts of the Jones Act on the people of Puerto Rico and other
20   noncontiguous states and territories; and be it further
21      RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the
22   President of the United States, the Secretary of Homeland
23   Security, the presiding officers of each house of Congress and
24   to each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.




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