Supply Chain Emergency Response Act
Bill: S.3224 | Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick (R-FL)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

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 that is located along the western seaboard of the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction 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.

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Supply Chain Emergency Response 
Act''.

SEC. 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'' means the owner of a cargo vessel who intends to 
reroute such cargo vessel from a port along the western seaboard of the 
United States through the Panama Canal to a destination located in the 
United States.
    (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) may be used to carry 
out this section.

SEC. 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) for costs related to rerouting cargo vessels from the western 
seaboard of the United States to the eastern seaboard of the United 
States.

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON COLLECTION OF PORT FEES.

    Any marine terminal operator (as defined in section 40102 of title 
46, United States Code) that is located along the western seaboard of 
the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United 
States, may not collect port fees from a recipient of a grant under 
section 2 that has rerouted a cargo vessel from such marine terminal 
operator due to the inability of such marine terminal operator to 
receive such vessel.

SEC. 5. DEFINITION OF CARGO VESSEL.

    In this Act, the term ``cargo vessel'' has the meaning given such 
term in section 199.30 of title 46, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 
effect on the date of enactment of this Act).
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