119-s2536

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2536 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2536

 To exempt large cruise ships from certain requirements applicable to 
 passenger vessels, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 30, 2025

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

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To exempt large cruise ships from certain requirements applicable to 
 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 ``Safeguarding American Tourism Act''.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTING APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PVSA AND JONES ACT 
 REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) PVSA Domestic Requirements.--

Section 55103 of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (c) Nonapplicablity.--This section shall not apply to any vessel 
with 800 or more passenger berths.''.

    (b) 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 with 800 or more passenger berths and that 
transports passengers between ports or places in the United States to 
which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a foreign 
port.''; and

    (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) has 800 or more passenger berths and transports 
 passengers between ports or places in the United States to 
 which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a 
 foreign port; and''.
            (c) Adjustment of Citizenship and Navy Reserve Requirements.--

Section 8103

    (k) of title 46, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
 ``

    (k) Nonapplicability to Certain Passenger Vessels.--Subsections

    (a) and

    (b) shall not apply to any vessel with 800 or more passenger 
berths and that transports passengers between ports or places in the 
United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via 
a foreign port.''.

SEC. 3. ADJUSTMENTS RELATING TO PERMITS FOR ALIEN CREWMEN TO LAND 
 TEMPORARILY IN THE UNITED STATES.

 

Section 252

    (a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1282

    (a) ) is amended--

    (1) in the matter preceding paragraph

    (1) --
        (A) by striking ``he may, in his discretion,'' and 
 inserting ``the officer may''; and
        (B) by striking ``a period of time, in any event, 
 not to exceed'' and inserting ``the period during which 
 such crewman is in possession of a valid, unexpired 
 visa issued pursuant to such paragraph, if such officer 
 is satisfied the crewman intends to depart''; and

    (2) by striking paragraphs

    (1) through

    (3) and inserting 
 the following:
 ``

    (1) on the vessel or aircraft on which such crewman 
 arrived; or
 ``

    (2) on a vessel or aircraft other than the vessel or 
 aircraft on which such crewman arrived.''.

SEC. 4. 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.
 <all>