Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) spoke on the House Floor today in continued support of the Jones Act. Below is a video and transcript of his remarks:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my continued support of American maritime jobs through enforcement of the Jones Act.

“The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is more commonly known as the Jones Act, named for the primary sponsor at the time Wesley Jones from my home state, Washington state. The Jones exists for good reason. It sustains and protects a strong domestic maritime and shipbuilding industry.

“It creates job opportunities for U.S. mariners, many of whom are veterans.

“It underpins U.S. maritime defense policy and is essential to preserving national security interests at home and abroad.

“The Jones Act requires the use of American owned and operated vessels to move all waterborne cargo between points in the U.S.

“I have long maintained that the Jones Act ensures domestic industries can remain vibrant contributors to the global shipping industry.

“At its core, the Jones Act is a critical labor standard that helps put U.S. seafarers to work and maintains important workplace rights.

“In Washington state, approximately 60 percent of the state’s ferries employees working on vessels are Jones Act compliant.

“In 2012, I called on the then-administration to protect American jobs by adhering to the Jones Act in response to rising gas prices and the proposed release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. 

“Last year I spoke up to support the Jones Act fleet in its heroic response to the natural disaster that hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“As a senior member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, I am committed to working with my colleagues to uphold the longstanding tenets of the Jones Act to safeguard the important role maritime industries play in our economy.

“The Jones Act exists for good reason. We should use it to good effect.

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