Bill Text: NJ ACR68 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Memorializes U.S. Congress to repeal compact establishing Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and dissolve commission.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-27 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee [ACR68 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-ACR68-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 68
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JON M. BRAMNICK
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Assemblywoman ELIANA PINTOR MARIN
District 29 (Essex)
Assemblywoman L. GRACE SPENCER
District 29 (Essex)
Assemblyman ANTHONY M. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Oliver, Tucker and Assemblyman Caputo
SYNOPSIS
Memorializes U.S. Congress to repeal compact establishing Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and dissolve commission.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Concurrent Resolution memorializing the United States Congress to enact legislation that would effectuate the repeal of the compact establishing the waterfront commission of New York harbor, dissolving the commission, and allowing for the transfer of each state's portion of the commission's law enforcement responsibilities to an appropriate state or local agency within each state, and committing the New Jersey Legislature to approving any legislation necessary for the repeal, dissolution, and transfer.
Whereas, The Port of New York and New Jersey (port) has been one of the backbones of the region's economy for decades; and
Whereas, When ranked by tonnage, the port is the largest port on the East Coast of North America and the third largest in the United States, and when ranked by the value of shipments passing through it, the port is the second busiest freight gateway in the United States; and
Whereas, The port's strategic location, within one day's drive of a significant percentage of the national market, and developed transportation infrastructure are key assets that have made the region a gateway for international trade; and
Whereas, Since the birth of containerization in 1956, the marine terminals on the New Jersey side of the port have grown significantly in comparison to the New York terminals, and today, more than 85 percent of the cargo and 85 percent of the work hours are on the New Jersey side of the port; and
Whereas, The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (commission) was created as a temporary agency through a compact between the states of New Jersey and New York and approved by Congress in 1953 with a mission to ensure fair hiring and employment practices and investigate, deter, and combat criminal activity and influence in the port; and
Whereas, The commission has been tainted by corruption in recent years and, moreover, has exercised powers that do not exist within the authorizing compact by dictating the terms of collective bargaining agreements of organized labor, and by requiring stevedoring companies to hire and retain independent inspectors to examine company operations in order to continue to operate in the port; and
Whereas, To justify its existence as the only waterfront commission in any port in the United States, the commission has over-regulated businesses in and around the port, and as a result, the commission has become an impediment to future job growth and prosperity in and around the port; and
Whereas, While there is a continued need to regulate port-located business to ensure fairness and safety, there are numerous federal, State, and local taxpayer funded agencies that have jurisdiction to regulate port operations to protect consumers; and
Whereas, These agencies include: the United States Department of Homeland Security; the United States Customs and Border Protection; the United States Coast Guard; the Transportation Security Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Department of Labor's Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation; the National Labor Relations Board; the Food and Drug Administration; the United States Environmental Protection Agency; the United States Department of Transportation; the Federal Maritime Commission; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the New Jersey State Police; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department; local police departments in the port; and, in matters of fair hiring and employment discrimination, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights; and
Whereas, Repealing the compact, dissolving the commission, and allowing for the transfer of New Jersey's and New York's portion of the commission's law enforcement responsibilities to an appropriate agency within each state would be practical and efficient, as state and local police are suited to undertake an investigation of any criminal activity in the ports of northern New Jersey without impeding economic prosperity; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper and in the public interest for this Legislature to urge the United States Congress to enact legislation that would effectuate the repeal of the compact establishing the waterfront commission of New York harbor, dissolving the commission, and allowing for the transfer of each state's portion of the commission's law enforcement responsibilities to an appropriate state or local agency within each state; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Legislature of the State of New Jersey respectfully memorializes the United States Congress to enact legislation that would:
a. effectuate the repeal of the compact establishing the waterfront commission of New York harbor (commission) and the dissolution of the commission; and
b. allow for the transfer of New Jersey's and New York's portion of the commission's law enforcement responsibilities to an appropriate state or local agency within each state.
2. The Legislature of this State also expresses its commitment to approving any legislation necessary for the repeal, dissolution, and transfer.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the United States Congress elected from New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution memorializes the United States Congress to enact legislation that would: 1) effectuate the repeal of the compact establishing the waterfront commission of New York harbor (commission) and dissolution of the commission; and 2) allow for the transfer of New Jersey's and New York's portion of the commission's law enforcement responsibilities to an appropriate state or local agency within each state. The concurrent resolution also expresses the commitment of the Legislature of this State to approve any legislation necessary for the repeal, dissolution, and transfer.
