July 30, 2025
Mr. Lee introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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), is repealed.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,
.
(3) Clerical amendment
The table of sections for chapter 551 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by striking the items relating to sections 55103 and 55104.
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.