Sponsors
The bill trades increased operational flexibility and clearer visa/authority rules for large passenger vessels and their crews against higher risks to U.S. maritime jobs, potential weakening of safety/labor enforcement on some voyages, and added immigration and compliance frictions.
Passengers and vessel workers on voyages between U.S. ports remain covered by U.S. safety, labor, and consumer protections, preserving enforcement of U.S. standards.
Owners/operators of very large passenger vessels (800+ berths) can operate on certain domestic coastwise routes with relaxed coastwise/citizenship/crewing requirements, simplifying operations and potentially lowering operating costs and fares on some long-distance routes.
Crew members with valid, unexpired visas have a predictable authorized stay linked to visa validity, reducing uncertainty for employers, carriers, and crew scheduling.
U.S. mariners and the domestic maritime industry could lose jobs and revenue if exempted voyages use foreign or non‑qualified crews or foreign-built/maintained vessels, reducing demand for U.S. shipbuilding and maintenance.
Exempting large vessels from certain coastwise/crewing requirements risks weakening enforcement of safety, crewing, and labor standards on some voyages, potentially endangering passenger safety and worker protections.
Strictly tying permitted landings to visa validity can shorten some crew members' stays, disrupt ship/airline schedules, and raise operational costs for carriers and employers.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Introduced July 30, 2025 by Mike Lee · Last progress July 30, 2025
Exempts very large passenger vessels (those with 800 or more passenger berths) from several U.S. coastwise, passenger-vessel, and crewing/citizenship requirements in Title 46, and revises a separate immigration rule on temporary landing permits for alien crewmen. It also clarifies that no other U.S. laws are waived except where the text explicitly creates an exemption. The bill makes no appropriations or specify funding or implementation deadlines.