UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 368
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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION expressing support for the Jones Act and 1
commemorating its centennial anniversary. 2
WHEREAS, the Commonweal th's 1,600-mile-long network of navigable 3
waterways, including access to two of the nation's largest rivers, the Mississippi River 4
and the Ohio River, makes it a critical hub in the transportation system of the nation; and 5
WHEREAS, the current global pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance 6
of maintaining resilient domestic industries and transportation services to the citizens and 7
workforce of the Commonwealth; and 8
WHEREAS, the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act and 9
codified in Title 46 of the United States Code, requires that vessels carrying cargo 10
between locations in the United States be owned by American companies, crewed by 11
American mariners, and built in American shipyards; and 12
WHEREAS, the United States' ability to project and deploy forces globally, and 13
supply and maintain military installations domestically, depends on the civilian fleet of 14
the Jones Act vessels and mariners; and 15
WHEREAS, mariners aboard Jones Act vessels strengthen homeland security as 16
added eyes and ears monitoring the nation's 95,000 miles of shoreline and 25,000 miles of 17
navigable inland waterways; and 18
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is home to 20,730 maritime jobs supported by the 19
Jones Act, the fifth-highest per capita among all states, that generate $1.25 billion in 20
income for workers; and 21
WHEREAS, maritime industry jobs create ladders of opportunity through high-22
paying jobs and careers that offer significant advancement without generally necessitating 23
advanced formal education and extensive student loans; and 24
WHEREAS, the more than 40,000-vessel-strong Jones Act fleet supports nearly 25
650,000 high-paying jobs and over $154 billion in economic output nationally, and $5.1 26
billion to the economy of the Commonwealth; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 368
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NOW, THEREFORE, 1
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 2
Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Senate concurring therein: 3
Section 1. The General Assembly affirms its support for the Jones Act and 4
celebrates its centennial anniversary. 5
Section 2. The General Assembly encourages the United States Congress to 6
maintain the provisions of the Jones Act which have fostered a strong domestic maritime 7
industry that is critical to the Commonwealth's and the nation's economic prosperity and 8
national security. 9
Section 3. The Clerk of the House of Representatives is directed to transmit a 10
copy of this Resolution to the members of Kentucky's Congressional Delegation. 11