Is Passed Legislation the Fix for America's Supply Chain Issues?

Through a series of bipartisan votes, the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a number of bills that will help remove barriers in the supply chain, and protect Americans and the economy from future supply chain disruptions.

These bills have been approved: 

H.R. 3399, the Soo Locks Security and Economic Reporting Act of 2023

H.R. 1836, the Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023

H.R. 2367, the Truck Parking Improvement Act

H.R. 3013, the Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-takers Now Safely and Efficiently (LICENSE) Act of 2023

H.R. 3318, establishing a 10% axle weight variance for dry bulk

H.R. 3316, streamlining the environmental review process for major projects

H.R. 3365, the Supply Chain Improvement Act

Descriptions of the supply chain legislation can be viewed here.

The American Chemistry Council supports the bills approved by the committee that will make it easier for truckers to do their jobs while allowing the country to efficiently move more freight by truck while reducing emissions. The Council also supports the legislation that builds on the Ocean Shipping Reform Act and promotes fair and efficient shipping practices at U.S. ports. 

"Congressmen Johnson, Garamendi, and Costa continue to do a tremendous job working with their colleagues to find solutions for strengthening the country’s supply chain. Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen have also shown a strong commitment to identify problems across all modes of transportation and to prevent future supply chain problems," said ACC CEO Chris Jahn. 

ACC’s latest supply chain survey of member companies found that despite recent improvements, more than 80% of companies report that transportation problems remain worse than they were prior to the pandemic.

Chemical manufacturing is at the headwaters of the economy, which means transportation problems that disrupt chemical production can ripple through the supply chain and harm the broader economy.

“If we want to make things in America and compete with China and other countries, we have to fix the supply chain and make it stronger than ever,” Jahn said. “We strongly urge Congress to pass the smart reforms approved by the Committee so we can keep delivering for the US economy and consumers.”