1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Supply Chain Emergency Response Act ”.
Supply Chain Emergency Response Act
A 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.
2. Emergency incentive program for rerouting cargo vessels
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.
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.
Documentation required— To receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Administrator documentation that such eligible entity—
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
has an agreement to dock such cargo vessel at such port along the Gulf of Mexico or the eastern seaboard of the United States.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).