U.S. Senators Urge Puerto Rico’s Exemption from Jones Act

Legislation would permanently remove Puerto Rico from Jones Act regulations.

October 02, 2017

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have introduced a bill that would permanently exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act.

“While I welcome the Trump administration’s Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico, this short-term, 10-day exemption is insufficient to help the people of Puerto Rico recover and rebuild from Hurricane Maria,” said McCain. “Our legislation would permanently exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act, an antiquated, protectionist law that has driven up costs and crippled Puerto Rico’s economy. For years, I have fought to fully repeal the Jones Act, which has long outlived its purpose to the benefit of special interests. It’s time for Congress to take action, end this injustice, and help our fellow citizens in this time of need.”

“The Jones Act is just another example of a federal regulation that harms American consumers, gives foreign corporations an edge over American businesses, and makes disaster response harder,” said Lee. “It is far past time to repeal it.”

McCain has been working for years to reform and repeal the Jones Act. In 1998, he sponsored legislation that was signed into law to provide an administrative process for obtaining a Jones Act waiver for certain foreign vessels to trade between U.S. ports, eliminating the previous requirement for Congress to pass legislation for every waiver. In 2010, he introduced legislation to fully repeal the Jones Act, and he reintroduced the same piece of legislation in 2015 and again this July.

To learn more about the Jones Act, read “Lost at Sea” from NACS Magazine.

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