Summary

Amends federal maritime law to revise the definition of "cruise ship" and to define "nonpecuniary damages," plus small textual edits and an update to the chapter table of sections. The new "cruise ship" definition sets a 250-passenger minimum, requires onboard sleeping accommodations for each passenger, requires the voyage to embark or disembark passengers in the United States, and excludes coastwise voyages; "nonpecuniary damages" is defined to mean loss of care, comfort, and companionship. These are technical, definitional changes that clarify which vessels and what kinds of damages fall under the statute.

• Redefines "cruise ship" to mean a passenger vessel with at least 250 authorized passengers, with individual sleeping facilities, that embarks/disembarks passengers in the U.S. and is not on a coastwise voyage.
• Adds a statutory definition of "nonpecuniary damages" to mean loss of care, comfort, and companionship.
• Makes minor textual insertions in existing subsections of the maritime statute and updates the chapter's table of sections.
• Focuses on clarifying scope and terminology rather than creating new programs or funding.
• Likely affects which vessels are covered by the statute and how certain damages are categorized in maritime litigation.
• No effective date or implementation timeline is specified in the provided text.
• Does not appropriate funds or impose new administrative requirements on agencies.
• Could prompt litigation or administrative guidance to interpret the new terms (e.g., what counts as a "coastwise voyage").