II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4544 

To exempt large cruise ships from certain requirements applicable to 

passenger vessels, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 13, 2024 

Mr. LEE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To exempt large cruise ships from certain requirements 

applicable to 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 ‘‘Safeguarding Amer5 ican Tourism Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ADJUSTING APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PVSA AND 

7 JONES ACT REQUIREMENTS. 

8 (a) PVSA DOMESTIC REQUIREMENTS.—Section 

9 55103(a) of title 46, United States Code, is amended by 

10 adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(c) NONAPPLICABLITY.—This section shall not 

2 apply to any vessel with 800 or more passenger berths.’’. 

3 (b) JONES ACT REQUIREMENTS.—Chapter 121 of 

4 title 46, United States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) in section 12103, by adding at the end the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(d) NONAPPLICABILITY.—The requirements of this 

8 section shall not apply to any vessel with 800 or more pas9 senger berths and that transports passengers between 

10 ports or places in the United States to which the coastwise 

11 laws apply, either directly or via a foreign port.’’; and 

12 (2) in section 12112(a)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘except 

14 in the case of a vessel described in subpara15 graph (C) of paragraph (2),’’ before ‘‘satisfies’’; 

16 and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

19 ‘‘or’’ after the semicolon; 

20 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by strik21 ing ‘‘; and’’ and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

22 (iii) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(C) has 800 or more passenger berths and 

25 transports passengers between ports or places in the 


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1 United States to which the coastwise laws apply, ei2 ther directly or via a foreign port; and’’. 

3 (c) ADJUSTMENT OF CITIZENSHIP AND NAVY RE4 SERVE REQUIREMENTS.—Section 8103(k) of title 46, 

5 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(k) NONAPPLICABILITY TO CERTAIN PASSENGER

7 VESSELS.—Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to any 

8 vessel with 800 or more passenger berths and that trans9 ports passengers between ports or places in the United 

10 States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly 

11 or via a foreign port.’’. 

12 SEC. 3. ADJUSTMENTS RELATING TO PERMITS TO LAND 

13 TEMPORARILY FOR ALIEN CREWMEN. 

14 Section 252(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 

15 Act (8 U.S.C. 1282(a)) is amended— 

16 (1) by inserting ‘‘not to exceed the period dur17 ing which such crewman is in possession of a valid, 

18 unexpired visa issued pursuant to such paragraph, if 

19 such immigration officer is satisfied that the crew20 man intends to depart’’ before the em dash pre21 ceding paragraph (1); and 

22 (2) by striking paragraphs (1) through (3) and 

23 inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) on the vessel or aircraft on which such 

25 crewman arrived; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) on a vessel or aircraft other than the ves2 sel or aircraft on which such crewman arrived.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

4 Nothing in the amendments made by this Act shall 

5 be construed to exempt a vessel that transports passengers 

6 between ports or places in the United States to which the 

7 coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a foreign port, 

8 from any applicable law of the United States except as 

9 explicitly provided in such amendments. 

Æ 


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