In our blogs recently, we have been discussing how Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has proposed an amendment that could repeal the Jones Act. While McCain’s proposal has stalled and its discussion has been rescheduled, it has brought up debate about the importance of the Jones Act.

Recently, there have been several editorials and opinion pieces published supporting or deriding the Jones Act. As we have said in the past, the Jones Act offers safeguards for injured seamen, and places the blame on employers if unsafe conditions are prevalent that can lead to injuries. Remember, in many cases, people who work in the maritime positions are not eligible for the same workers’ compensation claims that employees in other industries are.

With this in mind, we recently saw an excellent letter to the editor written by John Ingold, a merchant mariner from Green Bay, Wisconsin, that was published on The Hill. According to Ingold, the Jones Act is incredibly important because of the role it plays in military support. Ingold writes that in times of war, ships are often called out to transport supplies to maintain naval fleets. Without the Jones Act, Ingold says foreign crews could potentially be relied upon to operate these vessels.

To read Ingold’s letter, you can click on the source link below. We will keep you updated on new news coming out of Washington about the Jones Act. Keep in mind, many representatives have come out in support of the Jones Act, saying that not only would its repeal hurt workers, it could also result in work going to foreign builders.

Remember, the Jones Act requires all vessels shipping cargo between two U.S. locations to be built in the country, be majority U.S.-owned and at least 75 percent crewed by U.S. citizens.

Having a Maritime Accident Investigated

For more information about the Jones Act, please view the video below in which attorney David Anderson explains the importance of the legislation.

Remember, to have a successful Jones Act claim, you must be a seaman as the laws defines it, meaning you must work on a vessel or contributed to the function of the vessel. Maritime law can be incredibly confusing for injury victims, so it may be in your best interest to speak to a maritime attorney about which laws may apply to your case.

[Latti’s Little Extra: To receive compensation under the Jones Act, a person must show that his or her injuries were a direct result of employer negligence.]

Latti & Anderson LLP – Nationwide Maritime Attorneys

Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/232671-why-the-jones-act-matters