I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9899 

To amend title 46, United States Code, to assign specified liability to a 

person who transfers title of a commercial vessel, or former commercial 

vessel, to a transferee for use as a recreational vessel if the transferee 

does not have applicable insurance at the time of the transfer and 

the vessel sinks, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 1, 2024 

Mr. HARDER of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition 

to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 46, United States Code, to assign specified 

liability to a person who transfers title of a commercial 

vessel, or former commercial vessel, to a transferee for 

use as a recreational vessel if the transferee does not 

have applicable insurance at the time of the transfer 

and the vessel sinks, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Abandoned Vessel Pre3 vention Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. LIABILITY FOR SPECIFIED EXPENSES RESULTING 

5 FROM SINKING OF CERTAIN DECOMMIS6 SIONED COMMERCIAL VESSELS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 301 of title 46, United 

8 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing new section: 

10 ‘‘§ 30107. Liability for specified expenses resulting 

11 from sinking of certain decommissioned 

12 commercial vessels 

13 ‘‘(a) LIABILITY FOR TRANSFEROR.—Except as pro14 vided in subsection (b), any person who transfers title of 

15 a covered vessel to another for use as a recreational vessel 

16 shall be liable for any specified expenses resulting from 

17 the vessel sinking on navigable waters of the United 

18 States. 

19 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) VESSEL LENGTH; VESSEL AGE.—Sub21 section (a) shall not apply to a vessel less than 35 

22 feet in length or fewer than 40 years old. 

23 ‘‘(2) INSURANCE.—Subsection (a) shall not 

24 apply to a person who transfers title of a covered 

25 vessel to a person who, at the time of the transfer, 

26 has insurance— 


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1 ‘‘(A) applicable to the vessel for the 12- 

2 month period beginning on the date of the 

3 transfer; and 

4 ‘‘(B) that, in the case the vessel sinks, cov5 ers specified expenses. 

6 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 ‘‘(1) COMMERCIAL VESSEL.—The term ‘com8 mercial vessel’ has the meaning given such term in 

9 section 4462(a)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

10 1986 (26 U.S.C. 4462(a)(4)). 

11 ‘‘(2) COVERED VESSEL.—The term ‘covered 

12 vessel’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) commercial vessel; or 

14 ‘‘(B) a recreational vessel that was pre15 viously a commercial vessel. 

16 ‘‘(3) SPECIFIED EXPENSES.—The term ‘speci17 fied expenses’ mean, with respect to a sunken ves18 sel— 

19 ‘‘(A) damages attributable to the sinking 

20 of the vessel; and 

21 ‘‘(B) expenses relating to— 

22 ‘‘(i) removal of the vessel and any de23 bris; 

24 ‘‘(ii) clean-up of any pollution attrib25 utable to the sinking of the vessel; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) any shut down of, or repairs or 

2 maintenance to, a water intake pump as a 

3 result of pollution attributable to the sink4 ing of the vessel. 

5 ‘‘(4) RECREATIONAL VESSEL.—The term ‘rec6 reational vessel’ has the meaning given such term in 

7 section 2101 of title 46, United States Code.’’. 

8 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

9 for chapter 301 of title 46, United States Code, is amend10 ed by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘30107. Liability for specified expenses resulting from sinking of certain decommissioned commercial vessels.’’. 

Æ 


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