[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4538 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4538

   To adjust certain ownership and other requirements for passenger 
                    vessels, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 13, 2024

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To adjust certain ownership and other requirements for 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Open America's Ports Act''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF PVSA AND ADJUSTMENT OF JONES ACT REQUIREMENTS FOR 
              PASSENGER VESSELS.

    (a) Repeal of PVSA Domestic Requirements.--Section 55103 of title 
46, United States Code (commonly referred to as the ``Passenger Vessel 
Services Act of 1886''), is repealed.
    (b) Adjustment of Jones Act Requirements.--Chapter 121 of title 46, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in section 12103, by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Nonapplicability.--The requirements of this section shall not 
apply to any vessel that transports passengers between ports or places 
in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly 
or via a foreign port.'';
            (2) in section 12112(a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``except in the 
                case of a vessel described in subparagraph (C) of 
                paragraph (2),'' before ``satisfies''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' 
                        after the semicolon;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking 
                        ``; and'' and inserting ``; or''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(C) transports passengers between ports or places in the 
        United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either 
        directly or via a foreign port; and''; and
            (3) in section 12121(b), by striking ``55102, and 55103'' 
        and inserting ``and 55102''.
    (c) Adjustment of Citizenship and Navy Reserve Requirements.--
Section 8103(k) of title 46, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(k) Exemption for Passenger Vessels.--Subsections (a) and (b) 
shall not apply to any vessel that transports passengers between ports 
or places in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, 
either directly or via a foreign port.''.
    (d) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 551 of title 46, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) by repealing section 55104; and
                    (B) in section 55121--
                            (i) in the section heading, by striking 
                        ``and passengers'';
                            (ii) by striking subsection (a);
                            (iii) by striking ``(b)'' and all that 
                        follows through ``States.--''; and
                            (iv) by striking ``sections 55102 and 55103 
                        of this title do'' and inserting ``section 
                        55102 of this title does''.
            (2) Additional conforming amendment.--Section 11504(f) of 
        the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for 
        Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263) is amended by striking 
        ``55103,''.

SEC. 3. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in the amendments made by this Act shall be construed to 
exempt a vessel that transports passengers between ports or places in 
the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or 
via a foreign port, from any applicable law of the United States except 
as explicitly provided in such amendments.
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