To amend title 46, United States Code, to include the replacement or purchase of additional cargo handling equipment as an eligible purpose for Capital Construction Funds, and for other purposes.

This bill lets port operators use special savings accounts, called capital construction funds, to buy, replace, or rebuild cargo handling equipment at U.S. marine terminals. It also adds port operators as eligible to set up these funds, not just vessel owners. The goal is to help ports modernize while keeping jobs and boosting use of U.S.-made equipment. Funds could be withdrawn to pay for the equipment itself or to pay down loans used to buy it.

There are guardrails. The funds cannot be used to buy fully automated equipment if the Secretary finds it would cause a net loss of jobs at a terminal. They also cannot be used to buy cranes made in China. Each year, the federal government must ask for and share information about U.S.-made cargo equipment that’s available, so fund holders know their options.

• Who is affected: U.S. marine terminal operators and vessel owners; port workers; equipment makers in the U.S.
• What changes: Funds can cover cargo handling equipment; no purchases of job-cutting fully automated gear; no cranes from China; yearly updates on U.S.-made equipment availability
• How it helps: Makes it easier for ports to upgrade equipment while protecting jobs and encouraging U.S. manufacturing