I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5413 

To amend title 46, United States Code, to require the Secretary of the 

department in which the Coast Guard is operating to prescribe additional 

regulations to secure the safety of individuals and property on board 

certain small passenger vessels, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 12, 2019 

Mr. CARBAJAL (for himself and Ms. BROWNLEY of California) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 

and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 46, United States Code, to require the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is 

operating to prescribe additional regulations to secure 

the safety of individuals and property on board certain 

small passenger vessels, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Passenger Vessel 

5 Safety Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REGULATIONS FOR COVERED SMALL PASSENGER 

2 VESSELS. 

3 Section 3306 of title 46, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

7 by inserting ‘‘, including covered small pas8 senger vessels (as defined in subsection (n)(5))’’ 

9 after ‘‘vessels subject to inspection’’; and 

10 (B) in paragraph (5), by inserting before 

11 the period at the end ‘‘, including rechargeable 

12 devices utilized for personal or commercial elec13 tronic equipment’’; and 

14 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(n) ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS FOR COVERED

16 SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall pre18 scribe additional regulations to secure the safety of 

19 individuals and property on board covered small pas20 senger vessels. 

21 ‘‘(2) COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW.—The regula22 tions prescribed under paragraph (1) shall include 

23 the provision of a comprehensive review of all re24 quirements for covered small passenger vessels, in25 cluding calculations, with respect to fire detection, 


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1 protection, and suppression systems on board such 

2 vessels. 

3 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—The regulations pre4 scribed under paragraph (1) shall include each of 

5 the following requirements for covered small pas6 senger vessels: 

7 ‘‘(A) Requirements for the addition of 

8 interconnected fire detection, protection, and 

9 suppression equipment, including fire extin10 guishers, in all areas on board such vessels to 

11 which passengers have access, including dining 

12 areas, sleeping quarters, and lounges. 

13 ‘‘(B) Requirements to increase fire detec14 tion, protection, and suppression systems on 

15 board such vessels in unmanned areas with ma16 chinery or areas with other potential heat 

17 sources. 

18 ‘‘(C) Requirements for fire detection, sup19 pression, and control in all areas on board such 

20 vessels to which passengers have access, includ21 ing dining areas, sleeping quarters, and 

22 lounges. 

23 ‘‘(D) Requirements for all such vessels to 

24 have not less than 2 avenues of escape from all 

25 general areas accessible to passengers. Such 


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1 avenues of escape shall be located so that if one 

2 avenue is not available another avenue may be 

3 available. 

4 ‘‘(E) Requirements, including increased 

5 standards, for marine firefighting training pro6 grams with respect to such vessels to improve 

7 crewmember training and proficiency. Such pro8 grams shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) include training regarding ship10 board marine firefighting operations; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) be reviewed and maintained by a 

12 third party contractor approved by the 

13 Commandant. 

14 ‘‘(F) Requirements for handling, storage, 

15 and operation of flammable items, such as lith16 ium ion batteries, on board such vessels. 

17 ‘‘(4) INTERIM POLICIES.—To the maximum ex18 tent practicable, the Secretary shall implement in19 terim policies to, prior to the issuance by the Sec20 retary of final regulations prescribed under para21 graph (1), apply the requirements under paragraph 

22 (3) to covered small passenger vessels. 

23 ‘‘(5) DEFINITION OF COVERED SMALL PAS24 SENGER VESSEL.—In this subsection, the term ‘cov25 ered small passenger vessel’— 


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1 ‘‘(A) means a small passenger vessel 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(i) is less than 100 gross tons as 

4 measured under section 14502 of this title, 

5 or an alternate tonnage measured under 

6 section 14302 of this title as prescribed by 

7 the Secretary under section 14104 of this 

8 title; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) is carrying— 

10 ‘‘(I) for overnight domestic voy11 ages, not more than 49 passengers; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(II) for all other voyages, not 

14 more than 150 passengers; and 

15 ‘‘(B) includes any wooden vessel con16 structed prior to March 11, 1996, that carries 

17 passengers on overnight domestic voyages.’’. 

18 SEC. 3. SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO INCLUDE ALL 

19 SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS. 

20 Title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) in section 3202(b)— 

22 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

23 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, 

24 and indenting appropriately; 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘This chapter’’ and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—This chapter;’’; and 

4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(2) SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.—Notwith6 standing any other provision in this chapter, includ7 ing paragraph (1)(B), the regulations issued under 

8 section 3203, including the safety management sys9 tem established by such regulations, shall apply to 

10 all small passenger vessels.’’; and 

11 (2) in section 3203(a), by inserting ‘‘(including, 

12 for purposes of this section, all small passenger ves13 sels)’’ after ‘‘vessels to which this chapter applies’’. 

Æ 


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