IV 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 158 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 12, 2013 Ms. Hahn (for herself, Mrs. Napolitano , Ms. Bordallo , Mr. Sires , Ms. Wilson of Florida , Mr. Garamendi , Mr. Ruppersberger , Mr. Farenthold , Ms. Linda T. Sánchez of California , Mr. McNerney , Mr. Vargas , and Mr. Poe of Texas ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure RESOLUTION Recognizing the importance of ports to the economy and national security of the United States.

Whereas ports play a vital role in the United States economy; Whereas ports impact lives in every Congressional District in the United States by creating jobs, economic growth, and opportunity; Whereas the United States is served by more than 350 commercial sea and river ports that support 3,200 cargo and passenger handling facilities; Whereas each day, United States ports move both imports and exports totaling some $3.8 billion worth of goods through all 50 States and territories; Whereas deep-draft ports move 99.4 percent of overseas cargo volume by weight and 64.1 percent of trade by value; Whereas ports move 1.4 billion tons worth of goods and generate $3.95 trillion in international trade; Whereas between 2001 and 2020, total freight moved through United States ports will increase by 50 percent; Whereas trucks and rail move goods across the United States and contribute to the national economy; Whereas more than 1 billion tons of domestic goods are transported via water each year; Whereas ports generated $23.3 billion in United States Custom duty, accounting for 70 percent of all United States Custom duties collected; Whereas international trade moving through ports accounts for 11 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States; Whereas port activity generates over $200 billion in Federal, State, and local tax revenue; Whereas ports support jobs for more than 13.3 million people in the United States nationwide; Whereas for every $1 billion in exports shipped through ports, 15,000 United States jobs are created; Whereas business activity related to seaports contributes $3.15 trillion to the United States economy; Whereas the cruise line industry contributed $35.85 billion to the United States economy and created nearly 330,000 jobs in the United States that generated $15.2 billion in wages in 2010; Whereas United States ports account for 75 percent of cruise embarkations worldwide; and Whereas 79 percent of cruise-related expenditures are made with businesses, including airlines, travel agents, and ship maintenance and refurbishers, throughout the United States: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes the importance of ports to the economy and national security of the United States; (2) urges the President, Federal officials, and other relevant stakeholders to consider this importance in decisionmaking and promote policies that strengthen seaport-related infrastructure; (3) affirms the longstanding Federal partnership with ports as it relates to improvements to port-related infrastructure and its commitment to ensuring the safety of the United States ports and the communities in which they are located; and (4) expresses its gratitude to the millions of men and women who work at ports across the United States.