Find out how Jones Act complicates life in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Guam

Four speakers will explain, at a free webinar on July 12, how the 1920 law suppresses prosperity in communities dependent on waterborne imports

News Release from Grassroot Institute

HONOLULU, June 30, 2021 >> Find out why the 1920 Jones Act is a significant burden to the people of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Guam, at a free webinar sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii starting in Hawaii at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 12.

In Alaska, the webinar will start at 3 p.m.; in Puerto Rico at 7 p.m. On Guam, the event can be viewed live on Tuesday, July 13, starting at 9 a.m.

The one-hour event will feature four special guests, each representing one of the states or territories:

>> Bob Gunter, president of Koloa Rum Co., representing Hawaii.

>> Bethany Marcum, chief executive officer of the Alaska Policy Forum, representing Alaska.

>> Rafael Velez, president of Atabey Capital, representing Puerto Rico

>> Colin Grabow, a Grassroot Scholar and leading Jones Act analyst with the Cato Institute, representing Guam.

Keli'i Akina, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii president, will moderate.

The 101-year-old Jones Act, also known as Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, requires ships operating between U.S. ports to be flagged and built in the U.S. and mostly owned and crewed by Americans.

These requirements have led to the steady decline of America’s ocean-going merchant fleet and labor force, while increasing the costs for Jones Act ships and prices for American consumers.

And nowhere have the effects of the Jones Act been more obvious than in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Guam, which rely almost wholly on waterborne imports to survive. 

Please join us for this fascinating discussion that surely will yield more proof as to why this arcane protectionist law, enacted for a different era, needs to be updated for the 21st century — the sooner the better.

To register now, click on the button below. For more information, call the institute at 808-864-1776 or email info@grassrootinstitute.org.

REGISTER FOR WEBINAR

# # #

The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational institution devoted to promoting individual liberty, economic freedom and limited, accountable government. Its goal is to improve the quality of life in Hawaii by lowering the cost of living and expanding opportunities for all.