[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1464 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1464

   To require all recreational vessels to have and to post passenger 
                capacity limits and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2015

  Mr. Schumer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require all recreational vessels to have and to post passenger 
                capacity limits and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Boating Capacity Standards Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Passenger.--The term ``passenger'' includes any 
        individual aboard a vessel.
            (2) Recreational vessel.--The term ``recreational 
        vessel''--
                    (A) means any vessel that is--
                            (i) manufactured or used primarily for 
                        pleasure; or
                            (ii) leased, rented, or chartered to a 
                        person for the pleasure of that person; and
                    (B) does not include a vessel that--
                            (i) is subject to Coast Guard inspection; 
                        and
                            (ii)(I) is engaged in commercial use; or
                            (II) carries paying passengers.

SEC. 3. CAPACITY LIMITS FOR RECREATIONAL VESSELS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall--
            (1) establish standards for determining the maximum 
        passenger capacity for recreational vessels, which shall be 
        expressed in whole number of passengers and in pounds;
            (2) require each manufacturer of a passenger vessel to post 
        such maximum passenger capacity on the passenger vessel in 
        accordance with subsection (b); and
            (3) require each operator of a passenger vessel to ensure 
        that--
                    (A) such maximum passenger capacity is posted in 
                accordance with subsection (b); and
                    (B) notice of the need to balance the weight 
                carried by the vessel to avoid capsizing is posted in 
                accordance with subsection (b).
    (b) Elements of Display.--The maximum passenger capacity, maximum 
carrying capacity in pounds, and notice of the need to balance the 
carried weight for a passenger vessel--
            (1) shall be permanently displayed in a legible matter; and
            (2) shall be located so as to be clearly visible to a 
        passenger boarding the passenger vessel.
    (c) Penalties.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall publish 
regulations that establish appropriate penalties for a manufacturer of 
a recreational vessel that does not comply with the requirements under 
this section.
    (d) Application.--The requirements under this section shall apply 
to any recreational vessel manufactured after the date that is 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>