When President Biden talked about the higher prices of shipping goods on ocean vessels in the State of the Union address last week, a reference was made to the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. This proposal is sponsored by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and South Dakota Senator John Thune. The bill is meant to make it more difficult for ocean carriers to refuse goods ready to export, addressing the shipping container situation that’s been affecting agriculture. “While all of our farmers and manufacturers are paying higher rates and having trouble shipping stuff, these guys have been price gouging,” said Klobuchar. “That’s why Senator Thune and I pushed the Federal Maritime Commission to take this on and put new rules in place to stop this from happening.” The Senate Commerce Committee had a hearing last week on the issue and Klobuchar sees a path forward in a competition jobs bill. In a letter, ag groups urged the Senate to pass the bill.
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