Window on Washington: Getting the Leg’ Out

This article originally appeared in the First Quarter 2022 Benedict’s Maritime Bulletin. Reprinted with permission. Any opinions in this article are not those of Winston & Strawn or its clients. The opinions in this article are the author’s opinions only.

Congress pushed out several key pieces of legislation at the close of 2021, including the massive Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, both of which have numerous provisions impacting the maritime industry including grants and development opportunities. Furthermore, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which seeks to reshape regulation of the liner industry in the U.S.-international trades, has passed the House of Representatives and appears well on its way to law.

Infrastructure Act
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, officially the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the “Act”). Although the Act focuses primarily on roads, bridges, transit, and rail, it also includes some nuggets for maritime interests, including ports, marine highways and ferries, and shipbuilding interests. Consistent with the overall theme of the Act, these provisions are generally tied to carbon reduction and green jobs initiatives.

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