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2020 SESSION

20106404D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 177
Offered February 3, 2020
Commending the Virginia Maritime Association.
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Patrons-- Jones, Carr, Heretick and Sickles
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WHEREAS, the Virginia Maritime Association, which was established as the Norfolk Maritime Exchange on February 13, 1920, by local business interests to develop and promote the ports of Hampton Roads, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s maritime heritage dates to the birth of the Commonwealth, as the Virginia Company of London, a commercial venture conducting waterborne trade, landed three ships of 105 colonists on the shores of Virginia and founded the Jamestown Colony at the mouth of the James River in 1607; and

WHEREAS, since its founding, the Virginia Maritime Association has pursued the fulfillment of a mission to promote, protect, and encourage international and domestic commerce through the Commonwealth’s ports; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Maritime Association has fostered a culture of collaboration and cooperation among and between its member businesses, regulators, and lawmakers, which has become a hallmark of the progress, growth, and supportive environment enjoyed by companies conducting business through the Commonwealth’s ports; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Maritime Association has successfully worked to obtain private-sector support, as well as local, state, and federal policies and investments in the waterways, waterfront facilities, and transportation infrastructure, resulting in increasing commerce between domestic and international markets; and

WHEREAS, as “The Voice of Port Industries,” the Virginia Maritime Association has for a century led, advocated for, or influenced every major development related to the Commonwealth’s ports and waterborne trade; and

WHEREAS, in 2020, the Commonwealth’s waterways are home to the world’s largest concentration of naval forces, the nation’s largest shipbuilding and ship repair industrial base, and the third-largest commercial port on the East Coast of the United States, with unrivaled capacity for growth; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Maritime Association has evolved and expanded from a Hampton Roads organization representing solely vessel and waterfront interests to a statewide force of nearly 500 member companies, connecting and representing through its regional chapters the port and supply chain interests in every corner of the Commonwealth, from its farms and manufacturers to the waterfront facilities and marine highways that connect them to domestic and international markets; and

WHEREAS, the actions and influence of the Virginia Maritime Association have fostered the growth of an industry responsible for economic activities resulting in the employment of over 530,000 Virginians; over $88 billion in annual spending, contributing 10.1 percent of Virginia’s Gross State Product; and the general economic well-being of the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the officers, directors, members, and employees of the Virginia Maritime Association on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Maritime Association as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude and appreciation for the organization and its members, who have, for the last 100 years, faithfully fulfilled their stated purpose to promote, protect, and encourage international and domestic trade through Virginia’s ports.