[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E28]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AFFORDABLE SHIPPING FOR ALL ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 14, 2025

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the Affordable 
Shipping for All Act, a bill to end discriminatory and exclusionary 
shipping practices faced by residents and businesses in the non-
contiguous areas of our country, particularly Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto 
Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern 
Mariana Islands.
  This blatant discrimination and exclusion is illustrated by Hawaii, 
my home state. We are over 2,500 miles from the West Coast and depend 
on shipping to bring in more than 90 percent of the products we need. 
Like our other non-contiguous family, we do not have the same 
manufacture, transport and delivery options as does the contiguous 
continental U.S.
  Rather than treating us equally, residents and businesses of the non-
contiguous U.S. face four persistent and unfair shipping practices that 
drive up costs and make life harder for millions of Americans.
  First, as confirmed by the Federal Trade Commission, many online 
retailers outright refuse to ship basic products to our parts of the 
United States, effectively treating our areas as if we are foreign 
countries. This exclusion prevents millions of Americans from even 
accessing essential goods.
  Second, even when retailers do offer shipping to the non-contiguous 
areas, they frequently deny customers free shipping options, even 
though such options are readily available for customers in the 
contiguous U.S. This is true even when the actual cost of shipping from 
the continental U.S. to a non-contiguous area is higher than to another 
location in the continental U.S. This leaves residents in these areas 
at a distinct disadvantage when trying to purchase products online.
  Third, when private shipping services are made available, the prices 
are often inflated and bear no reasonable relation to the actual 
distance. For example, the cost to ship a 2-pound package from Los 
Angeles to Hawaii can exceed $45, while the same package from Los 
Angeles to New York City, the same distance, costs only $14. This price 
disparity is both unreasonable and unjust.
  Fourth, the United States Postal Service (USPS) also treats the non-
contiguous areas unfairly. It recently created a new Zone 10 for 
shipments to Hawaii, Alaska and other non-contiguous areas, which will 
increase shipping rates for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and 
USPS Ground Advantage packages to and from those locations by 5 
percent. The introduction of Zone 10 fundamentally discriminates 
against the non-contiguous parts of our country, which runs directly 
counter to the foundational USPS charge to provide equal access to the 
U.S. mail.
  The Fair Shipping Access for All Act will ensure that no shipping 
company, including the USPS, can impose discriminatory rates or exclude 
non-contiguous areas from receiving shipments. It will also require 
that shipping rates for non-contiguous areas reflect the actual cost of 
service, rather than arbitrary price increases.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill. It's about fairness, 
equity and ensuring that all Americans, regardless of where they live, 
have equal access to affordable shipping options.
  Mahalo.

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