RILA Welcomes Introduction of Port Metrics Bill

In a letter sent Wednesday, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) applauded Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) for introducing legislation that would institute universal port performance standards and a formalized reporting structure for capturing data on true operational capacities of U.S. ports.

“Retailers’ supply chain operations are highly dependent on the functionality and efficiency of our U.S. ports,” said Kelly Kolb, vice president for government affairs. “Establishing a means to collect port performance data and accurately measure productivity ensures retailers can adjust their operations in the face of congestion issues and is an important step in stabilizing our transportation system for all industries.”

The Port Transparency Act (S. 1298) would direct the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to work with numerous other entities, including port authorities, to obtain applicable and fruitful port performance measures. The bill also mandates a reporting requirement before, during and after the expiration of port labor contracts that will facilitate key federal government agencies’ visibility into current conditions of port operations and ensure said operations continue to perform at appropriate levels.

The legislation is scheduled to be marked up in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today.