Safeguarding American Tourism Act

Summary

Exempts very large passenger vessels (those with 800 or more passenger berths) from certain U.S. coastwise, build, citizenship, and Navy Reserve crew requirements in Title 46 of the U.S. Code, narrowing which domestic-shipping rules apply to those ships when they carry passengers between U.S. ports (including routes that stop in foreign ports). Changes also revise the immigration rule for crewmen so that a temporary permit's duration is tied to the crewman's valid visa period rather than fixed day limits, and replaces older discretionary language with neutral officer phrasing. The bill clarifies that no other U.S. laws are waived except where an exemption is explicitly provided.

• Qualifying vessels are those with 800 or more passenger berths; those vessels are exempted from specified Title 46 coastwise, domestic-build, citizenship, and Navy Reserve crew requirements when carrying passengers between U.S. ports (including via foreign ports).
• Multiple Title 46 provisions are amended to add nonapplicability language for vessels meeting the 800+ berth threshold.
• Crewman permit rules in 8 U.S.C. §1282(a) are changed so permit length is tied to the crewman's valid visa period rather than fixed maximum day limits (e.g., 29 or 180 days).
• Discretionary/gendered phrasing in the crewman permit statute is replaced with neutral officer-language ('the officer may').
• The prior special 180-day ship-to-ship liquid cargo transfer exception and other enumerated caps are removed and replaced with simplified departure options.
• The act affirms that other U.S. laws still apply to coastwise passenger-carrying vessels unless an exemption is explicitly written into the amendments.
• No new funding or appropriations are included; the changes operate by amending existing statutory text.
• The changes could affect the operation, crewing, and regulatory treatment of very large cruise ships and similar passenger vessels in U.S. domestic routes.