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U S M X 2 0 2 1 A N N U A L R E P O R T / 5 2 0 2 1 G O V E R N M E N T A C T I O N S S U M M A R Y January 2021 ushered in the new Biden-Harris Administration and Democratic control of both the House of Representatives and Senate albeit with only a 5 vote majority in the former and a 50-50 tie in the laOer (when a tie vote occurs in the Senate, the presiding officer, in this case Vice President Harris, breaks the tie). The year was dominated by four issues of vital importance to the maritime industry: the response to the COVID pandemic; the Nation's infrastructure crisis; disruptions in the supply chain; and growing concerns over port congestion. AMer taking office, the Biden Administration announced plans to require all companies with over 100 employees to get their employees vaccinated and require unvaccinated employees to produce a negative test on at least a weekly basis. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was tasked with developing the protocols for the program and announced in late October that the testing mandate deadline would be January 4, 2022 under its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) authority. The ETS was immediately challenged in the courts and ultimately withdrawn. Port workers were also the subject of legislation that would have deemed exposure to COVID as a covered injury under the Longshoremen and Harbor Workers Compensation Act. The House approved the legislation, but the Senate could not muster the necessary votes and the proposal died. As part of its economic recovery plan, the Biden-Harris Administration proposed an ambitious infrastructure investment of $2-plus trillion, including $17 billion for port and waterways infrastructure improvements. A bipartisan group of Senators ultimately negotiated a slimmer package totaling $1 trillion but retained the $17 billion for port and waterways invest-ments. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJ) was later approved by the House and signed into law by President Biden. In separate legislation (National Defense Authorization Act), a new program under the Maritime Administration was created entitled the Port Infrastructure Development Program. As part of that program, ports can apply for federal grants to address port congestion and supply chain issues. Under the NEW leadership of Chairman Daniel Maffei the Federal Maritime Commission spent much of the year aOempting to address shipper complaints over disruptions in the supply chain emanating from the Nation's ports. Chairman Maffei and Commissioner Rebecca F. Dye revived the Commission's investigation under Fact Finding 29 into a wide range of issues, including detention and demurrage charges and export shippers' complaints regarding availability of containers for export products. The Commission also created a Shippers Advisory CommiOee to provide input to the Commission on both import and export customer concerns. Congressional transportation leaders also expressed their concerns over supply chain disruptions and port congestion through the introduction of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. The legislation would provide additional authority to the FMC to investigate and enforce discriminatory practices and allow aggrieved third parties to seek relief from the Commission. Finally, aMer many years to failed aOempts to address the multiemployer pension plan crisis, Congress passed and President Biden signed into law, the American Rescue Plan that provides "such sums as are necessary" to guarantee the pension benefits of workers and retirees covered under multiemployer plans. The newlycreated "Special Financial Assistance" program will provide funding to ensure plan insolvency through 2052. 2021 was dominated by four issues of vital importance to the maritime industry: the response to the COVID pandemic; the Nation's infrastructure crisis; disruptions in the supply chain; and growing concerns over port congestion. "

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