John B. Breaux: “I too am pleased to report on the successful efforts to prepare S. 414 for Senate passage. I would concur with the…”

“I too am pleased to report on the successful efforts to prepare S. 414 for Senate passage. I would concur with the Majority Leader that the OECD Shipbuilding Agreement bill is badly needed and I believe it is long overdue. I am hopeful that the progress made on S. 414 would provide momentum to pass the OECD Shipbuilding Trade Agreement implementing legislation. At the end of the last session, we prepared a draft Senate floor manager's amendment to this bill and circulated it within the industry and to members of the Senate. That draft manager's amendment was helpful in moving S. 414 along, but it also continued to present some serious problems to various sectors of the maritime community. Accordingly, over the past several months, representatives of those affected maritime sectors have worked to find an acceptable solution and to resolve their differences. With the Commerce Committee staff's help and guidance, a package of modifications to that original manager's amendment have been agreed upon. The diverse segments of the industry--U.S. ocean carriers, foreign ocean carriers, shippers, labor, and the ports--are now in agreement on how to reform and reduce government's role in international ocean transportation. More importantly, all these industry sectors have agreed on meaningful deregulation of the ocean shipping industry to allow greater choice, flexibility, and competition in this transportation mode.”