Supply Chain Emergency Response Act

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to provide grants to owners of cargo vessels being rerouted from the western seaboard of the United States through the Panama Canal, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supply Chain Emergency Response Act 2. Emergency incentive program for rerouting cargo vessels (a) In general The Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, shall establish a program to provide grants to eligible entities to cover toll costs associated with rerouting cargo vessels from ports along the western seaboard of the United States through the Panama Canal to ports along the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of the United States. (b) Grant amount A grant provided under this section shall be in an amount equal to the cost of the toll fees at the Panama Canal. (c) Documentation required To receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Administrator documentation that such eligible entity— (1) had an agreement to dock a cargo vessel at a port along the western seaboard of the United States and intends to reroute such cargo vessel from such port through the Panama Canal to a port along the Gulf of Mexico or the eastern seaboard of the United States; and (2) has an agreement to dock such cargo vessel at such port along the Gulf of Mexico or the eastern seaboard of the United States. (d) Entities ineligible for grant Any individual who is a member of the Chinese Communist Party or any company owned, in whole or in part, by the Chinese Communist Party may not receive a grant under this section. (e) Definition of eligible entity In this section, the term eligible entity (f) Funding Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not more than $125,000,000 of the total amount of unobligated funds made available under the CARES Act ( Public Law 116–136 3. Use of COVID relief funds to offset shipping costs Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a State or unit of local government may use any unobligated funds made available to such State or unit of local government under the CARES Act ( Public Law 116–136 4. Prohibition on collection of port fees Any marine terminal operator (as such term is defined in section 40102 of title 46, United States Code) who is operating a port located along the western seaboard of the United States may not collect port fees from a recipient of a grant under section 2 who has rerouted a cargo vessel from such port due to the inability of such port to receive such vessel. 5. Definition of cargo vessel In this Act, the term cargo vessel

Summary: Supply Chain Emergency Response Act This bill directs the Maritime Administration to establish a program to provide grants to certain owners of cargo vessels to cover toll costs associated with rerouting cargo vessels from ports along the western seaboard of the United States through the Panama Canal to ports along the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of the United States. To receive a grant, an owner of a cargo vessel shall submit documentation that such owner intends to reroute a cargo vessel and has the corresponding docking agreements. The bill allows states and localities to use COVID-19 relief funds for costs related to rerouting cargo vessels. Any marine terminal operator who is operating a port located along the western seaboard of the United States may not collect port fees from a recipient of a grant who has rerouted a cargo vessel from such port due to the inability of such port to receive such vessel. Any individual who is a member of the Chinese Communist Party or any company owned, in whole or in part, by the Chinese Communist Party may not receive a grant under this bill.