[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7256 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7256

   To implement recommendations related to the safety of amphibious 
               passenger vessels, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2018

Mr. Carson of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred 
         to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To implement recommendations related to the safety of amphibious 
               passenger vessels, 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. REQUIREMENTS FOR AMPHIBIOUS PASSENGER VESSELS TO REMAIN 
              AFLOAT AND UPRIGHT IN THE EVENT OF FLOODING.

    (a) Reserve Buoyancy for Amphibious Passenger Vessels Through 
Passive Means.--
            (1) Regulations required.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the 
        Coast Guard shall prescribe in regulations requirements that 
        operators of amphibious passenger vessels provide reserve 
        buoyancy for such vessels through passive means, including 
        watertight compartmentalization, built-in flotation, or such 
        other means as the Commandant shall specify in the regulations, 
        in order to ensure that such vessels remain afloat and upright 
        in the event of flooding, including when carrying a full 
        complement of passengers and crew.
            (2) Deadline for compliance.--The regulations required by 
        paragraph (1) shall require compliance with the requirements in 
        the regulations by operators of amphibious passenger vessels by 
        such date, not later than 24 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, as the Commandant shall specify in the 
        regulations.
    (b) Interim Requirements.--Commencing as of the date the 
regulations required by subsection (a) are prescribed, the Commandant 
of the Coast Guard shall require that operators of amphibious passenger 
vessels that are not in compliance with the requirements in the 
regulations do the following:
            (1) Remove the canopies of such vessels for waterborne 
        operations, or install in such vehicles a Coast Guard-approved 
        canopy that does not restrict either horizontal or vertical 
        escape by passengers in the event of flooding or sinking.
            (2) If the canopy is removed from any such vessel pursuant 
        to paragraph (1), require that all passengers don a Coast Guard 
        type-approved personal flotation device before the onset of 
        waterborne operations of such vessel.
            (3) Reengineer such vessels to permanently close all 
        unnecessary access plugs and to reduce all through-hull 
        penetrations to the minimum number and size necessary for 
        operation.
            (4) Install in such vessels independently powered electric 
        bilge pumps that are capable of dewatering such vessels at the 
        volume of the largest remaining penetration in order to 
        supplement either an operable Higgins pump or a dewatering pump 
        of equivalent or greater capacity.
            (5) Install in such vessels not fewer than four 
        independently powered bilge alarms.
            (6) Inspect any such vessel in water after each time a 
        through-hull penetration of such vessel has been removed or 
        uncovered.
            (7) Verify the watertight integrity of any such vessel in 
        the water at the outset of each waterborne departure of such 
        vessel.
            (8) Otherwise comply with any other provisions of 
        Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 1-01 in the 
        inspection, configuration, and operation of such vessels.
    (c) Prohibition on Operation of Noncompliant Vessels.--The 
following amphibious passenger vessels may not operate on United States 
waterways:
            (1) Commencing as of the date the regulations required by 
        subsection (a) are prescribed, any amphibious passenger vessel 
        whose configuration or operation does not comply with the 
        requirements in subsection (b).
            (2) Commencing as of the date specified by the Commandant 
        of the Coast Guard pursuant to subsection (a)(2), any 
        amphibious passenger vessel whose configuration or operation 
        does not comply with the requirements in the regulations under 
        subsection (a)(1).
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