H.Res. 236 — Introduced in House

IV 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 236 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 23, 2013 Ms. Hahn (for herself, Mr. Poe of Texas, and Ms. Brown of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on fully spending the receipts of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund on United States ports and harbors each year, and for other purposes. Whereas ports and harbors play a vital role in the United States economy; Whereas ports move 2.3 billion tons of cargo a year in the United States; Whereas the United States assesses a harbor maintenance tax of approximately $1.6 billion a year on goods imported through the Nation’s ports for the express purpose of keeping United States ports strong; Whereas only a fraction of the harbor maintenance tax has been spent on maintaining the Nation’s harbors; Whereas the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund has built a surplus of over $8 billion, even as United States ports and harbors are egregiously undermaintained and underdredged, reducing the Nation’s competitiveness in the world and increasing costs for businesses and consumers; and Whereas the failure to spend the receipts of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to keep the Nation’s ports and harbors strong breaks a trust with the people of the United States: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) commits itself to fully spending the receipts of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund on United States ports and harbors each year; (2) affirms that the surplus in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund should be spent down to zero on the Nation’s ports and harbors as soon as possible; and (3) urges United States ports and the Corps of Engineers to make all necessary preparations for the expansion and acceleration of port and harbor dredging to be made possible by 100 percent use of the receipts of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.