House Bill Would Reauthorize FMC for Four Years
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., introduced a bill June 26 that would reauthorize the Federal Maritime Commission from FY 2026 to FY 2029 and give the agency several new tools to protect ocean shipping.
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The bill would establish a formal process to report complaints about shipping exchanges to the FMC. Lawmakers have accused China of engaging in unfair business practices in this area.
The bill also would direct the FMC to report on anticompetitive business practices or nonreciprocal trade practices. It also would codify the definition of “controlled carrier” under the Shipping Act to encompass state-controlled enterprises in non-market economies, such as China.
Other provisions would update and improve the purposes of the Shipping Act "to better reflect current federal policy governing international ocean shipping"; prohibit the FMC from requiring ocean carriers to report information already reported to other federal agencies; expand FMC advisory committees to ensure non-government stakeholders can provide input; and reinforce the FMC’s independence by requiring a majority vote to disclose investigation efforts to outside parties, according to a press release.
The bill, which has three co-sponsors, was referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.