Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (2)
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would change the rules for shipping goods between parts of the United States that are not connected to the mainland, such as certain island or remote routes. In general, U.S. “coastwise” laws require cargo moved between U.S. ports to be carried on U.S.-qualified ships. This bill would create an exception for some of those noncontiguous routes, allowing more shipping competition unless the route already has enough independent U.S.-qualified carriers serving it.
- The bill adds a new exception for carriage on noncontiguous trade routes.
- The exception would not apply if at least three coastwise-qualified vessel owners or operators regularly serve the route, each carries at least 20% of the goods on that route, and none of them are under common ownership.
- In simple terms, if a route already has strong competition from separate U.S.-qualified operators, the normal shipping rules would stay in place.
Official Summaries
Noncontiguous Shipping Competition Act
This bill revises coastwise laws, commonly known as the Jones Act, that govern domestic transportation of merchandise or passengers by vessels.
The Jones Act generally requires that a vessel transporting merchandise or passengers from one U.S. point to another U.S. point be (1) built in the United States, (2) at least 75% owned by U.S. citizens, and (3) mostly crewed by U.S. citizens. The act also includes several exemptions and exceptions.
The bill exempts carriage on a route in noncontiguous trade from Jones Act requirements unless (1) at least three owners or operators of coastwise qualified vessels regularly operate such a vessel on the route, (2) each of such owners or operators transports at least 20% of the volume of goods on that route, and (3) none of such owners or operators are under common ownership. (Generally, noncontiguous trade is trade between two U.S. points where at least one of the points is in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or an insular territory or U.S. possession.)
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 665 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 665
To amend title 46, United States Code, to exempt certain noncontiguous
trade from the coastwise laws.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 23, 2025
Mr. Case (for himself and Mr. Moylan) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 46, United States Code, to exempt certain noncontiguous
trade from the coastwise laws.
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 ``Noncontiguous Shipping Competition
Act''.
SEC. 2. SHIPPING: EXEMPTION OF CERTAIN NONCONTIGUOUS TRADE FROM THE
COASTWISE LAWS.
Section 55101(b) of title 46, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or'' after the
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and inserting
``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) carriage on a route in noncontiguous trade (as that
term is defined in section 53501), unless--
``(A) at least three owners or operators of
coastwise qualified vessels (as that term is defined in
section 55108(a)) regularly operate such a vessel on
such route;
``(B) each of such owners or operators transports
at least 20 percent of the volume of goods on that
route; and
``(C) none of such owners or operators are under
common ownership.''.
<all>