Repeal the Jones Act to speed Puerto Rico's Recovery

They do when foreign ships are no longer blocked by the Jones Act like they are now.

 

The waiver on the Jones Act expired after ten days.. PR will need building supplies and gasoline for many, many months.. and they will be paying exorbitant prices.

 

Why are you so resistant to the truth about the Jones Act and the size of the ships?

 

The Jones Act protects thousands upon thousands of blue-collar American jobs.
Why do you hate blue-collar American workers?

 

Well I'd say mainly because it's not true.

46 united states code section 883, i.e "Jones Act"

Here's the full thing. It's not that long.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode46a/usc_sec_46a_00000883----000-.html

http://www.maritimelawcenter.com/html/the_jones_act.html

THE JONES ACT

The Jones Act when used in the sense of maritime law refers to federal statute 46 USC section 883. This is the act that controls coastwise trade within the United States and determines which ships may lawfully engage in that trade and the rules under which they must operate.

Generally, the Jones Act prohibits any foreign built or foreign flagged vessel from engaging in coastwise trade within the United States. A number of other statutes affect coastwise trade and should be consulted along with the Jones Act. These include the Passenger Services Act, 46 USC section 289 which restricts coastwise transportation of passengers and 46 USC section 12108 restricts the use of foreign vessel to commercially catch or transport fish in U.S. waters.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920



Puerto Rico
Studies by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicated that the Jones Act may hinder economic development in Puerto Rico.[17]

In March 2013, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study of the effect of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico that noted "[f]reight rates are set based on a host of supply and demand factors in the market, some of which are affected directly or indirectly by Jones Act requirements." The report further concludes, however, that "because so many other factors besides the Jones Act affect rates, it is difficult to isolate the exact extent to which freight rates between the United States and Puerto Rico are affected by the Jones Act." The report also addresses what would happen "under a full exemption from the Act, the rules and requirements that would apply to all carriers would need to be determined." The report continues that "[w]hile proponents of this change expect increased competition and greater availability of vessels to suit shippers' needs, it is also possible that the reliability and other beneficial aspects of the current service could be affected." The report concludes that "GAO's report confirmed that previous estimates of the so-called 'cost' of the Jones Act are not verifiable and cannot be proven."[18]

In the Washington Times, Rep. Duncan Hunter spoke to the need for the Jones Act and why it is not to blame for the island's debt crisis. "With or without such an effort, it's imperative not to conflate the unrelated issues of Puerto Rico's debt and the Jones Act, and to fully grasp the importance of ensuring the safe transport of goods between American ports. There must also be acknowledgment of the dire consequences of exposing ports and waterways to foreign seafarers."[19]

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017, the entire island of Puerto Rico was left without power.[20] On September 28th, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security suspended the Jones Act for ten days to facilitate recovery efforts.[21] A week later, DHS claimed there is no need for further Jones Act waivers, as sufficient Jones-Act-compliant vessels are available to move cargo.[22]