II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4947 

To improve passenger vessel security and safety, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 1, 2024 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and Mr. MARKEY) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To improve passenger vessel security and safety, 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; REFERENCES. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) REFERENCES TO TITLE 46, UNITED STATES

7 CODE.—Except as otherwise expressly provided, wherever 

8 in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

9 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other proviVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:01 Aug 31, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4947.IS S4947

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1 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 

2 section or other provision of title 46, United States Code. 

3 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; references. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—COVERED PASSENGER VESSEL CONSUMER SERVICE 

AND PROTECTION 

Sec. 101. Covered passenger vessel consumer service improvements. 

Sec. 102. Cruise line passenger bill of rights; advisory committee for covered 

passenger vessel consumer protection. 

Sec. 103. Assistance to victims of crimes on board certain passenger vessels. 

Sec. 104. Clerical amendments. 

TITLE II—CRUISE VESSEL PASSENGER IMPROVEMENTS 

Sec. 201. Cruise vessel chapter organization, application, and definitions. 

Sec. 202. Crime reporting and public notice. 

Sec. 203. Crime prevention, documentation, and response requirements. 

Sec. 204. Passenger vessel security and safety requirements. 

Sec. 205. Enforcement. 

Sec. 206. Technical and conforming amendments. 

Sec. 207. Limitations in certain cases. 

5 TITLE I—COVERED PASSENGER 

6 VESSEL CONSUMER SERVICE 

7 AND PROTECTION 

8 SEC. 101. COVERED PASSENGER VESSEL CONSUMER SERV9 ICE IMPROVEMENTS. 

10 Subtitle II is amended by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘PART L—OFFICE OF MARITIME CONSUMER 

13 PROTECTION 

14 ‘‘CHAPTER 161—OFFICE OF MARITIME 

15 CONSUMER PROTECTION 

‘‘16101. Definitions. 


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‘‘16102. Application. 

‘‘16103. Office of Maritime Consumer Protection. 

‘‘16104. Covered passenger vessel consumer service improvements. 

‘‘16105. Invalidation of pre-dispute arbitration and class action waiver clauses 

in certain contracts relating to covered passenger vessel transportation. 

1 ‘‘§ 16101. Definitions 

2 ‘‘In this chapter: 

3 ‘‘(1) APPLICABLE PASSENGER.—The term ‘ap4 plicable passenger’ means a passenger on a covered 

5 passenger vessel who is a citizen of the United 

6 States. 

7 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL.—The 

8 term ‘Assistant General Counsel’ means the Assist9 ant General Counsel for the Office of Maritime Con10 sumer Protection. 

11 ‘‘(3) COVERED PASSENGER VESSEL.—The term 

12 ‘covered passenger vessel’ means a passenger vessel 

13 or small passenger vessel to which this chapter ap14 plies, in accordance with section 16102 of this title. 

15 ‘‘(4) KEY TERMS.—The term ‘key terms’ in16 cludes terms related to undisclosed costs and fees, 

17 indemnification, waivers, limitations on liability, no18 tice of claim and actions, time limitations, arbitra19 tion, forum, and jurisdiction. 

20 ‘‘(5) OFFICE.—The term ‘Office’ means the Of21 fice of Maritime Consumer Protection. 


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1 ‘‘(6) OWNER.—The term ‘owner’ means the 

2 owner, charterer, managing operator, master, or 

3 other individual in charge of a vessel. 

4 ‘‘(7) PASSAGE CONTRACT.—The term ‘passage 

5 contract’ means a binding agreement for passage on 

6 a covered passenger vessel. 

7 ‘‘(8) SECRETARY.—Notwithstanding section 

8 2101 of this title, the term ‘Secretary’ means the 

9 Secretary of Transportation. 

10 ‘‘§ 16102. Application 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—This chapter applies to pas12 senger vessels and small passenger vessels. 

13 ‘‘(b) FEDERAL AND STATE VESSELS.—This chapter 

14 does not apply to— 

15 ‘‘(1) a vessel of the United States operated by 

16 the Federal Government; or 

17 ‘‘(2) a vessel owned and operated by a State. 

18 ‘‘§ 16103. Office of Maritime Consumer Protection 

19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

20 the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of 

21 Transportation an Office of Maritime Consumer Protec22 tion. 

23 ‘‘(b) HEAD.—The Office shall be headed by the As24 sistant General Counsel for the Office of Maritime Con25 sumer Protection. 


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1 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The Office shall— 

2 ‘‘(1) serve as the primary entity of the Depart3 ment of Transportation with respect to consumer 

4 protection issues relating to covered passenger ves5 sels (unless otherwise provided under law), includ6 ing— 

7 ‘‘(A) carrying out the requirements of this 

8 chapter; 

9 ‘‘(B) providing assistance to the industry 

10 regarding compliance assistance under this 

11 chapter; 

12 ‘‘(C) processing consumer complaints re13 garding the requirements of this chapter and 

14 other consumer complaints regarding covered 

15 passenger vessels; 

16 ‘‘(D) inspecting covered passenger vessels 

17 to ensure that owners of such vessels have 

18 knowledge of the consumer protection require19 ments that apply; 

20 ‘‘(E) investigating potential consumer pro21 tection violations regarding maritime travel; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(F) pursuing enforcement of such viola24 tions; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) serve as the implementing office for the 

2 duties of the Secretary under section 102 of the 

3 Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2024. 

4 ‘‘§ 16104. Covered passenger vessel consumer service 

5 improvements 

6 ‘‘(a) PASSAGE CONTRACTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) PASSENGER VESSELS.—Not later 

9 than 180 days after the date on which the advi10 sory committee makes its recommendations 

11 under section 102(b)(6)(C) of the Cruise Pas12 senger Protection Act of 2024, the Secretary, 

13 acting through the Assistant General Counsel, 

14 shall develop standards for use by an owner of 

15 a covered passenger vessel that is a passenger 

16 vessel or, subject to subparagraph (B), a small 

17 passenger vessel, to provide a prospective appli18 cable passenger with a summary that highlights 

19 key terms in the passage contract and is pro20 vided before such terms are binding. 

21 ‘‘(B) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS.—The 

22 Secretary shall determine the extent to which 

23 standards developed under subparagraph (A) 

24 shall apply with respect to passage contracts for 

25 small passenger vessels. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the stand2 ards under paragraph (1), the Secretary may consult 

3 with other Federal agencies, persons with expertise 

4 on admiralty and maritime law, consumer advocates, 

5 industry representatives, and such other persons as 

6 the Secretary considers necessary. 

7 ‘‘(3) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.—The statute 

8 of limitations for filing a lawsuit against the owner 

9 of a covered passenger vessel, which shall not be 

10 shorter than 3 years, shall be clearly identified in 

11 the passage contract described in paragraph (1). 

12 ‘‘(4) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The standards de13 veloped under paragraph (1) shall include rec14 ommendations regarding— 

15 ‘‘(A) style, formatting, and placement that 

16 ensures that the summary is conspicuous; and 

17 ‘‘(B) terminology that ensures that the 

18 summary is— 

19 ‘‘(i) clear, unambiguous, and unmis20 takable; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) to the greatest extent possible, 

22 uniform, concise, and not complex. 

23 ‘‘(5) PERIODIC REVIEW.—The Secretary shall 

24 periodically review and update, as appropriate, the 

25 standards developed under paragraph (1). 


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1 ‘‘(6) REQUIREMENTS.—Beginning on the date 

2 that is 180 days after the date on which the stand3 ards are developed under paragraph (1), an owner of 

4 a covered passenger vessel shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) provide each prospective applicable 

6 passenger with a summary in accordance with 

7 the standards that apply to the covered pas8 senger vessel under paragraph (1); 

9 ‘‘(B) include a prominently accessible link 

10 to the summary on each internet website that 

11 the owner maintains for prospective applicable 

12 passengers to purchase or book passage on the 

13 covered passenger vessel; and 

14 ‘‘(C) include the summary in any pro15 motional literature or advertising, through any 

16 medium of communication in the United States 

17 offering passage or soliciting applicable pas18 sengers for ocean voyages anywhere in the 

19 world, that the Secretary considers necessary to 

20 adequately notify a prospective applicable pas21 senger of the key terms in the passage contract 

22 before such terms are binding. 

23 ‘‘(7) PREEMPTION.—The standards developed 

24 under paragraph (1) shall preempt any related State 

25 standards that require a summary that provides less 


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1 information to a prospective applicable passenger 

2 than the information required to be provided under 

3 this subsection, as determined by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(b) COVERED PASSENGER VESSEL CONSUMER

5 COMPLAINTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AND INTERNET

7 WEBSITE LINK FOR CONSUMER PASSENGER VESSEL

8 COMPLAINTS.—The Secretary, acting through the 

9 Assistant General Counsel, shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) establish a consumer complaints toll11 free hotline telephone number for applicable 

12 passengers; 

13 ‘‘(B) establish a consumer complaints link 

14 for use by applicable passengers on the internet 

15 website maintained under section 16106(i); and 

16 ‘‘(C) notify the public of— 

17 ‘‘(i) the telephone number established 

18 under subparagraph (A); and 

19 ‘‘(ii) the internet website maintained 

20 under section 16106(i). 

21 ‘‘(2) WEBSITE.—The Secretary, acting through 

22 the Assistant General Counsel, shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) maintain a statistical compilation of 

24 all consumer complaints on the internet website 

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1 ical accounting of each category of consumer 

2 complaint; 

3 ‘‘(B) update the data referred to in sub4 paragraph (A) not less frequently than monthly; 

5 ‘‘(C) aggregate such data by covered pas6 senger vessel; and 

7 ‘‘(D) identify each covered passenger vessel 

8 by name. 

9 ‘‘(3) INVESTIGATIONS OF CONSUMER COM10 PLAINTS.—The Secretary, acting through the Assist11 ant General Counsel and in coordination with other 

12 relevant Federal agencies, may investigate consumer 

13 complaints from applicable passengers, including— 

14 ‘‘(A) cancellations, delays, and port skip15 ping; 

16 ‘‘(B) lost, damaged, and delayed baggage; 

17 ‘‘(C) conditions on board the covered pas18 senger vessel; 

19 ‘‘(D) problems in obtaining refunds for un20 used or lost tickets or fare adjustments; 

21 ‘‘(E) incorrect or incomplete information 

22 about fares, discount fare conditions and avail23 ability, overcharges, and fare increases; 

24 ‘‘(F) deceptive or misleading advertising; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(G) compliance with Federal regulations. 

2 ‘‘(4) REFERRAL TO FEDERAL OR STATE AGEN3 CY.—The Secretary may refer any complaint re4 ceived under this subsection to the Attorney General 

5 or a relevant Federal or State agency for action, as 

6 appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(5) NOTICE TO PASSENGERS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) INTERNET WEBSITES.—Each owner 

9 of a covered passenger vessel shall include, in a 

10 conspicuous location on each internet website 

11 that such owner maintains for applicable pas12 sengers to purchase or book passage on the cov13 ered passenger vessel— 

14 ‘‘(i) the telephone number established 

15 under paragraph (1)(A); 

16 ‘‘(ii) the consumer complaints link es17 tablished under paragraph (1)(B); and 

18 ‘‘(iii) any other information necessary 

19 for an applicable passenger to submit a 

20 consumer complaint for resolution. 

21 ‘‘(B) BOARDING DOCUMENTATION.—The 

22 owner of a covered passenger vessel shall in23 clude the telephone number and internet ad24 dress of the link for consumer complaints estab25 lished under paragraph (1) on— 


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1 ‘‘(i) any promotional literature or ad2 vertising, through any medium of commu3 nication in the United States offering pas4 sage or soliciting applicable passengers for 

5 ocean voyages on covered passenger ves6 sels, that the Secretary considers necessary 

7 to adequately notify such prospective pas8 senger of the telephone number and inter9 net address; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) any electronic confirmation of 

11 the purchase of passage on a covered pas12 senger vessel. 

13 ‘‘(c) PENALTIES.— 

14 ‘‘(1) CIVIL PENALTY.—The Secretary, acting 

15 through the Assistant General Counsel, may impose 

16 on any person that violates this section or a regula17 tion under this section a civil penalty of not more 

18 than $25,000 for each day during which the viola19 tion continues. 

20 ‘‘(2) CRIMINAL PENALTY.—Any person that 

21 willfully violates this section or a regulation under 

22 this section shall be fined not more than $250,000 

23 or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both. 


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1 ‘‘(d) RULEMAKING.—The Secretary, acting through 

2 the Assistant General Counsel, shall issue such regulations 

3 as are necessary to implement this section. 

4 ‘‘§ 16105. Invalidation of pre-dispute arbitration and 

5 class action waiver clauses in certain 

6 contracts relating to covered passenger 

7 vessel transportation 

8 ‘‘(a) COVERED CONTRACT.—In this section, the term 

9 ‘covered contract’ means a contract for the purchase of 

10 a ticket for transportation on a covered passenger vessel. 

11 ‘‘(b) ARBITRATION.—Notwithstanding any other pro12 vision of law, arbitration may be used to settle a con13 troversy arising from or relating to a provision of a cov14 ered contract only if, after the controversy arises, all par15 ties to the controversy consent, in writing, to use arbitra16 tion to settle the controversy. 

17 ‘‘(c) CLASS ACTIONS.—Notwithstanding any other 

18 provision of law, no predispute joint-action waiver shall 

19 be valid or enforceable with respect to any alleged claim 

20 regarding a covered contract. 

21 ‘‘(d) COURT DETERMINATIONS.—An issue as to 

22 whether this section applies with respect to a dispute shall 

23 be determined under Federal law. The applicability of this 

24 section to an agreement to arbitrate and the validity and 

25 enforceability of a covered contract shall be determined by 


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1 a court, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether 

2 the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration 

3 agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms 

4 of the covered contract containing such agreement, and 

5 irrespective of whether the agreement purports to delegate 

6 such determinations to an arbitrator. 

7 ‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY.—This section shall apply with 

8 respect to contracts entered into, or renewed, on or after 

9 the date of the enactment of the Cruise Passenger Protec10 tion Act of 2024.’’. 

11 SEC. 102. CRUISE LINE PASSENGER BILL OF RIGHTS; ADVI12 SORY COMMITTEE FOR COVERED PAS13 SENGER VESSEL CONSUMER PROTECTION. 

14 (a) BILL OF RIGHTS.— 

15 (1) ENFORCEABILITY.—Not later than 180 

16 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

17 Secretary of Transportation, acting through the As18 sistant General Counsel for the Office of Maritime 

19 Consumer Protection, shall determine whether any 

20 of the enumerated rights in the international cruise 

21 line passenger bill of rights, which was adopted in 

22 2013 by the members of the Cruise Lines Inter23 national Association, are enforceable under Federal 

24 law. 


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1 (2) REQUIRED STATEMENT.—The Secretary of 

2 Transportation, acting through the Assistant Gen3 eral Counsel for the Office of Maritime Consumer 

4 Protection, shall include in the standards developed 

5 under section 16104(a) of title 46, United States 

6 Code, a statement informing a prospective pas7 senger— 

8 (A) which rights referred to in paragraph 

9 (1) are legally enforceable; and 

10 (B) how a passenger or prospective pas11 senger might pursue such enforcement, includ12 ing identifying any action, including a private 

13 cause of action, an administrative action, or any 

14 other method of enforcement, that may be 

15 taken or pursued. 

16 (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR COVERED PAS17 SENGER VESSEL CONSUMER PROTECTION.— 

18 (1) DEFINITION OF COVERED PASSENGER VES19 SEL.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘covered pas20 senger vessel’’ means a passenger vessel or small 

21 passenger vessel to which chapter 161 of title 46, 

22 United States Code, applies. 

23 (2) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

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1 ant General Counsel for the Office of Maritime Con2 sumer Protection, shall establish an advisory com3 mittee for covered passenger vessel consumer protec4 tion (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘advisory 

5 committee’’) to advise the Secretary in carrying out 

6 activities relating to passenger vessel customer serv7 ice improvements. 

8 (3) MEMBERSHIP.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—By not later than 180 

10 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

11 the Secretary of Transportation shall appoint 

12 the members of the advisory committee, which 

13 shall be comprised of 1 representative each of— 

14 (i) owners of passenger vessels, as de15 fined in section 2101 of title 46, United 

16 States Code; 

17 (ii) owners of small passenger vessels, 

18 as defined in such section; 

19 (iii) international industry-related as20 sociations; 

21 (iv) State or local governments with 

22 expertise in consumer protection matters; 

23 (v) nonprofit public interest groups 

24 with expertise in consumer protection mat25 ters; 


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1 (vi) nonprofit public interest groups 

2 with expertise in victim assistance; and 

3 (vii) relevant Federal agencies, as de4 termined by the Secretary of Transpor5 tation. 

6 (B) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the advi7 sory committee shall be filled in the manner in 

8 which the original appointment was made. 

9 (C) CHAIR.—The Secretary of Transpor10 tation shall designate, from among the individ11 uals appointed under subparagraph (A), an in12 dividual to serve as chair of the advisory com13 mittee. 

14 (4) MEETINGS.—The advisory committee shall 

15 meet at the call of the chair of the advisory com16 mittee, but not less frequently than annually. 

17 (5) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members of the advi18 sory committee shall serve without pay, but shall re19 ceive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

20 subsistence, in accordance with subchapter I of 

21 chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code. 

22 (6) DUTIES.—The advisory committee shall— 

23 (A) evaluate existing consumer protection 

24 programs or services for covered passenger ves25 sels; 


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1 (B) recommend to the Secretary of Trans2 portation— 

3 (i) improvements needed to the pro4 grams or services under subparagraph (A), 

5 as necessary; and 

6 (ii) any additional consumer protec7 tion programs or services for covered pas8 senger vessels, as necessary; 

9 (C) not later than 1 year after the date on 

10 which the committee is established under para11 graph (2), recommend to the Secretary of 

12 Transportation which key terms in a passage 

13 contract for a covered passenger vessel should 

14 be highlighted before such terms are binding, 

15 such as— 

16 (i) products and services available on 

17 board the covered passenger vessel for an 

18 undisclosed cost or fee or that otherwise 

19 are not included in the price of passage; 

20 (ii) the country under which the cov21 ered passenger vessel is registered or 

22 flagged; 

23 (iii) a statement that, under certain 

24 circumstances, a passenger on a covered 


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1 passenger vessel may be subject to the law 

2 of a foreign country; 

3 (iv) the covered passenger vessel may 

4 not accept responsibility for any health 

5 care services provided to a passenger by 

6 medical staff on board the covered pas7 senger vessel; 

8 (v) the maximum amount an owner of 

9 a covered passenger vessel will reimburse a 

10 passenger for lost or stolen property while 

11 on board the passenger vessel; and 

12 (vi) where to file a notice of claim or 

13 initiate any legal action against the owner 

14 of the covered passenger vessel; and 

15 (D) annually for the 5-year period begin16 ning on the date on which the advisory com17 mittee is established, and periodically thereafter 

18 as the advisory committee determines nec19 essary, review the recommendations described 

20 in subparagraphs (B) and (C) and submit any 

21 recommended updates to the Secretary of 

22 Transportation. 

23 (7) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 

24 days after the Secretary of Transportation receives 

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1 tions, under paragraph (6) from the advisory com2 mittee, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re3 port that contains— 

4 (A) such recommendations of the advisory 

5 committee; 

6 (B) an explanation of whether and how the 

7 industry has implemented each recommenda8 tion; and 

9 (C) for each recommendation not imple10 mented, the industry’s reason for not imple11 menting the recommendation. 

12 (8) TERMINATION.—The advisory committee 

13 shall terminate on the date that is 15 years after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act. 

15 SEC. 103. ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF CRIMES ON BOARD 

16 CERTAIN PASSENGER VESSELS. 

17 (a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO VIC18 TIMS OF CRIMES ON BOARD PASSENGER VESSELS.— 

19 Chapter 161, as added by section 101 of this Act, is fur20 ther amended by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘§ 16106. Assistance to victims of crimes on board 

22 certain passenger vessels 

23 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to 

24 provide to an applicable passenger who is an alleged victim 

25 of an incident described in section 3523(g)(3)(A)(i)— 


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1 ‘‘(1) a written summary of rights described in 

2 subsection (e); 

3 ‘‘(2) a primary point of contact within the Fed4 eral Government; and 

5 ‘‘(3) a means of obtaining immediate, free, and 

6 confidential support services. 

7 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR OF VICTIM SUPPORT SERVICES.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be a direc9 tor of victim support services of the Office. 

10 ‘‘(2) DESIGNATION; PUBLIC OUTREACH.— 

11 ‘‘(A) INTERIM DIRECTOR.—Not later than 

12 30 days after the date of enactment of the 

13 Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2024, the 

14 Secretary shall designate an employee of the 

15 Department of Transportation as the interim 

16 director of victim support services, who shall 

17 serve in such position until a final designation 

18 or appointment is made under subparagraph 

19 (B). 

20 ‘‘(B) FINAL DESIGNATION AND PUBLIC

21 OUTREACH.—Not later than 180 days after the 

22 date of enactment of the Cruise Passenger Pro23 tection Act of 2024, the Secretary, in consulta24 tion with the Department of Justice and other 

25 relevant Federal agencies, shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) appoint an individual to serve as 

2 the director of victim support; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) determine an effective way to 

4 publicize the toll-free telephone number 

5 under subsection (c) and the availability of 

6 support services under this section. 

7 ‘‘(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The director of vic8 tim support services shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) be responsible for acting as a primary 

10 point of contact within the Federal Government 

11 for any applicable passenger described in sub12 section (a); 

13 ‘‘(B) coordinate with one or more non14 profit organizations or other entities that can 

15 provide the types of support services described 

16 in subsection (d); 

17 ‘‘(C) establish a process for an applicable 

18 passenger described in subsection (a) to obtain 

19 the appropriate types of support services de20 scribed in subsection (d); 

21 ‘‘(D) recommend a process for an applica22 ble passenger described in subsection (a) to ob23 tain an appropriate continuum of care; 

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1 tain information on the status of any related 

2 criminal investigation; 

3 ‘‘(F) develop guidance, consistent with the 

4 purpose of this section, for the security guide 

5 under section 3523(c)(1), including a process to 

6 ensure that an owner of a passenger vessel pro7 vides a copy of the security guide to an applica8 ble passenger immediately after the vessel is no9 tified that the passenger is an alleged victim of 

10 an incident described in section 

11 3523(g)(3)(A)(i); 

12 ‘‘(G) periodically update that guidance, as 

13 necessary; and 

14 ‘‘(H) be the primary liaison between an ap15 plicable passenger described in subsection (a) 

16 and— 

17 ‘‘(i) the owner of the passenger vessel; 

18 ‘‘(ii) any relevant Federal agency; 

19 ‘‘(iii) any relevant United States em20 bassy or United States consulate; and 

21 ‘‘(iv) any other person that the direc22 tor of victim support services considers 

23 necessary to carry out the purpose of this 

24 section. 


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1 ‘‘(c) TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER.—The Sec2 retary shall establish a toll-free telephone number, avail3 able 24 hours each day, that an applicable passenger de4 scribed in subsection (a) can call to initiate the process 

5 under subsection (b)(3)(C). 

6 ‘‘(d) SUPPORT SERVICES.—The director of victim 

7 support services shall determine the types of support serv8 ices that an applicable passenger described in subsection 

9 (a) can obtain, such as— 

10 ‘‘(1) directions on how to report an incident de11 scribed in section 3523(g)(3)(A)(i) to appropriate 

12 authorities; 

13 ‘‘(2) an explanation of, or assistance com14 pleting, necessary forms to report an incident de15 scribed in section 3523(g)(3)(A)(i); 

16 ‘‘(3) an explanation of how, or assistance to, 

17 obtain support services under this section; 

18 ‘‘(4) arranging, if appropriate, for mental 

19 health and counseling services; 

20 ‘‘(5) arranging, if possible, for education re21 garding and advocacy during applicable criminal jus22 tice proceedings; and 

23 ‘‘(6) communicating with that applicable pas24 senger as to the roles of the organization or entities 

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1 cies, and the owner of the passenger vessel involved 

2 with respect to the incident and the post-incident ac3 tivities. 

4 ‘‘(e) SUMMARY OF RIGHTS.—Not later than 180 days 

5 after the date of enactment of the Cruise Passenger Pro6 tection Act of 2024, the Secretary, acting through the As7 sistant General Counsel and in consultation with the De8 partment of Justice, other relevant Federal agencies, non9 profit public interest groups with expertise in victim as10 sistance, and such other persons that the Secretary con11 siders necessary, shall— 

12 ‘‘(1) determine what rights an applicable pas13 senger described in subsection (a) may have under 

14 law, such as the right to contact the Federal Bureau 

15 of Investigation to report the crime, the right to con16 tact the director of victim support services, and the 

17 right to speak confidentially to Federal law enforce18 ment, the director of victim support services, and 

19 any other third-party victim advocate without any 

20 representative or employee of the passenger vessel 

21 present; 

22 ‘‘(2) develop a written summary of those rights; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(3) establish a process for an applicable pas25 senger described in subsection (a) to receive the 


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1 written summary of rights as soon as practicable 

2 after an alleged incident described under section 

3 3523(g)(3)(A)(i). 

4 ‘‘(f) GUARDIANS AND RELATIVES.—If an applicable 

5 passenger described in subsection (a) is deceased or is a 

6 minor, or under such other circumstances that the director 

7 of victim support services considers necessary, the director 

8 may provide support services under this section to a 

9 guardian or relative of that applicable passenger. 

10 ‘‘(g) USE OF PASSENGER VESSEL RESOURCES.—As 

11 appropriate, the resources of the passenger vessel shall be 

12 used to the greatest extent possible to carry out the pur13 pose of this section. 

14 ‘‘(h) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 

15 section may be construed as limiting the obligations that 

16 an owner of a passenger vessel may have in providing as17 sistance to an applicable passenger who is an alleged vic18 tim of an incident described under section 

19 3523(g)(3)(A)(i). 

20 ‘‘(i) AVAILABILITY OF INCIDENT DATA VIA INTER21 NET.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

23 through the Assistant General Counsel, shall main24 tain a statistical compilation of all incidents de25 scribed in section 3523(g)(3)(A) on an internet 


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1 website that provides a numerical accounting of the 

2 missing persons and alleged crimes duly recorded in 

3 each report filed under section 3523(g)(3). Each in4 cident described in section 3523(g)(3)(A) shall be in5 cluded in the statistical compilation irrespective of 

6 its investigative status. 

7 ‘‘(2) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall ensure 

8 that the data described in paragraph (1)— 

9 ‘‘(A) is updated not less frequently than 

10 monthly; 

11 ‘‘(B) is aggregated by cruise line; 

12 ‘‘(C) identifies each cruise line by name; 

13 ‘‘(D) identifies each crime and alleged 

14 crime as to whether it was committed or alleg15 edly committed by a passenger or a crew mem16 ber; 

17 ‘‘(E) identifies each crime and alleged 

18 crime as to whether it was committed or alleg19 edly committed against a minor; 

20 ‘‘(F) identifies the number of alleged indi21 viduals overboard; and 

22 ‘‘(G) is compiled on the Internet website in 

23 a user-friendly format. 

24 ‘‘(3) ACCESS TO WEBSITE.—Each owner of a 

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1 sible link to the internet website maintained by the 

2 Office of Maritime Consumer Protection under para3 graph (1) on each Internet website that the owner 

4 maintains for prospective applicable passengers to 

5 purchase or book passage on the passenger vessel. 

6 ‘‘(j) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall issue such 

7 regulations as are necessary to implement this section.’’. 

8 (b) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

9 enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, 

10 acting through the Assistant General Counsel for the Of11 fice of Maritime Consumer Protection and in coordination 

12 with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

13 Guard is operating, the Attorney General, and heads of 

14 other relevant Federal agencies, shall— 

15 (1) conduct a study to determine the feasibility 

16 of having an individual on board each passenger ves17 sel, or certain categories of passenger vessels, to 

18 which chapter 161 applies to provide victim support 

19 services, including the support services under section 

20 16106(d) of title 46, United States Code, and re21 lated safety and security services, which includes 

22 consideration of the cost, the benefit to passengers, 

23 jurisdiction, and logistics; and 

24 (2) report the findings of the study conducted 

25 under paragraph (1) to Congress. 


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1 SEC. 104. CLERICAL AMENDMENTS. 

2 (a) TITLE 46 TABLE OF CHAPTERS.—The table of 

3 chapters for subtitle II is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following: 

‘‘PART L—OFFICE OF MARITIME CONSUMER PROTECTION

‘‘161. Office of Maritime Consumer Protection ..................................... 16101’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections at 

6 the beginning of chapter 161, as added by section 101 of 

7 this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

‘‘16106. Assistance to victims of crimes on board certain passenger vessels.’’. 

9 TITLE II—CRUISE VESSEL 

10 PASSENGER IMPROVEMENTS 

11 SEC. 201. CRUISE VESSEL CHAPTER ORGANIZATION, APPLI12 CATION, AND DEFINITIONS. 

13 (a) SUBCHAPTER ORGANIZATION.—Chapter 35 is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) by inserting before section 3501 the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘Subchapter I—General Provisions’’; 

18 (2) by inserting before section 3507 the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘Subchapter II—Cruise Vessels’’; 

21 and 


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1 (3) by redesignating sections 3507, 3508, 3509, 

2 and 3510 as sections 3523, 3524, 3525, and 3526, 

3 respectively. 

4 (b) APPLICATION.—Chapter 35, as amended by sub5 section (a), is further amended by inserting before section 

6 3523 the following: 

7 ‘‘§ 3521. Application 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—This subchapter applies to a 

9 passenger vessel that— 

10 ‘‘(1) is authorized to carry at least 250 pas11 sengers; 

12 ‘‘(2) has onboard sleeping facilities for each 

13 passenger; and 

14 ‘‘(3) is on a voyage that embarks or disembarks 

15 passengers in the United States. 

16 ‘‘(b) FEDERAL AND STATE VESSELS.—Notwith17 standing subsection (a), this subchapter does not apply 

18 to— 

19 ‘‘(1) a vessel of the United States operated by 

20 the Federal Government; or 

21 ‘‘(2) a vessel owned and operated by a State.’’. 

22 (c) DEFINITIONS.—Chapter 35, as amended by sub23 sections (a) and (b), is further amended by inserting after 

24 section 3521, as added by subsection (b), the following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 3522. Definitions 

2 ‘‘In this subchapter: 

3 ‘‘(1) EXTERIOR DECK.—The term ‘exterior 

4 deck’ means any exterior weather deck on which a 

5 passenger may be present, including passenger state6 room balconies, exterior promenades on passenger 

7 decks, muster stations, and similar exterior weather 

8 deck areas. 

9 ‘‘(2) OWNER.—The term ‘owner’ means the 

10 owner, charterer, managing operator, master, or 

11 other individual in charge of a vessel. 

12 ‘‘(3) APPLICABLE PASSENGER.—The term ‘ap13 plicable passenger’ means a passenger carried on a 

14 passenger vessel who is a citizen of the United 

15 States. 

16 ‘‘(4) PHYSICIAN.—The term ‘physician’ means 

17 a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medi18 cine who— 

19 ‘‘(A) has at least 3 years of post-graduate, 

20 post-registration experience in general and 

21 emergency medicine; or 

22 ‘‘(B) is certified by the American Board of 

23 Medical Specialties, or any other certifying body 

24 designated by the Secretary, in emergency med25 icine, family medicine, or internal medicine. 


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1 ‘‘(5) QUALIFIED MEDICAL STAFF MEMBER.— 

2 The term ‘qualified medical staff member’ means a 

3 medical professional certified in advanced cardio4 vascular life support and advanced trauma life sup5 port training.’’. 

6 SEC. 202. CRIME REPORTING AND PUBLIC NOTICE. 

7 (a) AVAILABILITY OF LOG BOOK AND ENTRIES TO

8 FBI AND OTHER INVESTIGATORS.—Section 3523(g)(1), 

9 as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of this Act, is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘in a cen12 tralized location readily accessible to law enforce13 ment personnel,’’; and 

14 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘make 

15 such log book available’’ and inserting ‘‘make avail16 able the log book described in subparagraph (A), the 

17 Captain’s log, the security log, the engine room log, 

18 all other logs, and all entries of the log books or logs 

19 described in this subparagraph, without regard as to 

20 whether the log book, logs, or entries are maintained 

21 on board the vessel or at a centralized location off 

22 the vessel,’’. 

23 (b) DEADLINE TO NOTIFY FEDERAL BUREAU OF IN24 VESTIGATION REGARDING CERTAIN INCIDENTS.—Section 


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1 3523(g)(3), as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of 

2 this Act, is amended— 

3 (1) in subparagraph (A)(i)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘shall contact’’ and insert5 ing ‘‘subject to subparagraph (C), shall con6 tact’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘after the occurrence on 

8 board the vessel of an incident involving’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘, but not later than 4 hours, after an 

10 employee of the vessel is notified of an incident 

11 on board the vessel allegedly involving’’; and 

12 (2) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ‘‘admi13 ralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States 

14 and outside the jurisdiction of any State’’ and in15 serting ‘‘special maritime and territorial jurisdiction 

16 of the United States, as defined in section 7 of title 

17 18,’’. 

18 (c) CRIME REPORTING GUIDELINES.—Section 

19 3523(g)(1)(A), as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of 

20 this Act and amended by subsection (a), is further amend21 ed— 

22 (1) in clause (i), by striking the comma at the 

23 end and inserting a semicolon; 

24 (2) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘, and’’ and in25 serting a semicolon; 


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1 (3) in clause (iii), by striking the comma at the 

2 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (4) by inserting after clause (iii) the following: 

4 ‘‘(iv) any other criminal offenses re5 ported to the Federal Bureau of Investiga6 tion through the Uniform Crime Reporting 

7 Program,’’. 

8 (d) REPORTS BEFORE DEPARTURE.—Section 

9 3523(g)(3), as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of 

10 this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) REPORTS BEFORE DEPARTURE.—If 

12 an employee of a vessel to which this sub13 chapter applies is notified of an incident under 

14 subparagraph (A)(i) while the vessel is within 

15 the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction 

16 of the United States, as defined in section 7 of 

17 title 18, and en route to a United States port 

18 or at a United States port, the owner of the 

19 vessel (or the owner’s designee) shall contact 

20 the nearest Federal Bureau of Investigation 

21 Field Office or Legal Attache ́ not later than the 

22 time specified under subparagraph (A)(i) or be23 fore the vessel departs port, whichever is ear24 lier.’’. 


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1 (e) REPORTS TO UNITED STATES CONSULATES.— 

2 Section 3523(g)(3), as amended by subsection (d), is fur3 ther amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(D) REPORTS TO UNITED STATES CON5 SULATES.—If an incident described in subpara6 graph (A)(i) allegedly involves an offense by or 

7 against a United States national, in addition to 

8 contacting the nearest Federal Bureau of Inves9 tigation Field Office or Legal Attache ́ under 

10 that subparagraph, the owner of a vessel to 

11 which this subchapter applies (or the owner’s 

12 designee) shall contact the United States con13 sulate at the next port of call as soon as pos14 sible, but not later than 4 hours after arrival at 

15 the port.’’. 

16 (f) REPORTS TO SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION; 

17 INCIDENTS AND DETAILS.—Section 3523(g)(3)(A), as 

18 amended by subsection (b), is further amended— 

19 (1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘to the Internet 

20 website maintained by the Secretary of Transpor21 tation under paragraph (4)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘, in22 cluding the details under paragraph (2), to the 

23 Internet website maintained by the Secretary of 

24 Transportation under section 16106(i)’’; and 


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1 (2) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘under paragraph 

2 (4)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘under section 16106(i)’’. 

3 (g) AVAILABILITY OF SECURITY GUIDE VIA INTER4 NET.—Section 3523(c)(1), as redesignated under section 

5 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amended— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘a guide (referred to in 

8 this subsection as the ‘security guide’)’’ and in9 serting ‘‘a security guide’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘English, which’’ and in11 serting ‘‘English, that’’; and 

12 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘on the 

13 website of the vessel owner’’ and inserting ‘‘through 

14 a prominently accessible link on each Internet 

15 website that the vessel owner maintains for applica16 ble passengers to purchase or book passage on a 

17 passenger vessel’’. 

18 (h) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 3523, as 

19 redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of this Act, is fur20 ther amended— 

21 (1) by striking subsections (k) and (l); 

22 (2) by redesignating subsections (i) and (j) as 

23 subsections (j) and (k), respectively; and 

24 (3) by inserting after subsection (h) the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(i) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) PROVISION TO STATE FUSION CENTERS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any records (includ4 ing electronic records), information, or written 

5 documentation provided to any source under 

6 subsection (g) shall also be provided to the 

7 State fusion center (as described in section 

8 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 

9 U.S.C. 124h)) for the State in which the appli10 cable port described in subparagraph (B) is lo11 cated. 

12 ‘‘(B) APPLICABLE PORT.—For purposes of 

13 this paragraph, the applicable port shall be the 

14 port from which a vessel originally embarks or 

15 the port at which the vessel disembarks, which16 ever port is nearest when the alleged incident 

17 occurs. 

18 ‘‘(2) EFFECT ON OTHER REPORTING REQUIRE19 MENTS.— Requirements under this subsection sup20 plement and do not amend, or serve as a substitute 

21 for, the reporting requirements of section 10104 of 

22 this title or any other provision of law.’’. 


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1 SEC. 203. CRIME PREVENTION, DOCUMENTATION, AND RE2 SPONSE REQUIREMENTS. 

3 (a) MAINTENANCE AND PLACEMENT OF VIDEO SUR4 VEILLANCE EQUIPMENT.—Section 3523(b)(1)(B), as re5 designated under section 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) in subclause (II) of clause (ii), by striking 

8 ‘‘to the maximum extent practicable’’; 

9 (2) by redesignating subclause (IV) of clause 

10 (ii) as clause (iii), and adjusting the margins appro11 priately; 

12 (3) by inserting after subclause (III) of clause 

13 (ii) the following: 

14 ‘‘(IV) incorporate the feedback 

15 and suggestions from the results of 

16 the independent third party risk as17 sessment to provide optimum surveil18 lance that complies with the guidance 

19 from the Commandant.’’; and 

20 (4) in clause (iii), as redesignated by paragraph 

21 (2), by striking ‘‘the independent party referred to 

22 in paragraph (C)’’ and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY.—The independent 

24 party referred to in clause (ii)(III)’’. 


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1 (b) ACCESS TO VIDEO RECORDS.—Section 

2 3523(b)(3)(B), as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of 

3 this Act, is further amended— 

4 (1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by strik5 ing ‘‘Except as proscribed by law enforcement au6 thorities or court order, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 

7 and 

8 (2) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘of any sexual as9 sault incident’’. 

10 (c) NOTICE OF VIDEO SURVEILLANCE.—Section 

11 3523(b)(2), as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of 

12 this Act, is further amended by striking ‘‘this section ap13 plies’’ and inserting ‘‘this subchapter applies’’. 

14 (d) RETENTION REQUIREMENTS.—Section 

15 3523(b)(4), as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of 

16 this Act, is amended— 

17 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 

18 (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and adjust19 ing the margins appropriately; 

20 (2) by striking ‘‘The owner of a vessel to which 

21 this section applies’’ and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The owner of a vessel 

23 to which this subchapter applies’’; 


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1 (3) by striking ‘‘20 days after the footage is ob2 tained’’ and inserting ‘‘1 year after completion of 

3 the voyage’’; 

4 (4) in clause (ii) of subparagraph (A), as redes5 ignated by this subsection, by striking ‘‘4 years’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘5 years’’; and 

7 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(B) INTERIM STANDARDS.—Not later 

9 than 180 days after the date of enactment of 

10 the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2024, 

11 the Commandant, in consultation with the Fed12 eral Bureau of Investigation, shall promulgate 

13 interim standards for the retention of records of 

14 video surveillance. 

15 ‘‘(C) FINAL STANDARDS.—Not later than 

16 1 year after the date of enactment of the Cruise 

17 Passenger Protection Act of 2024, the Com18 mandant, in consultation with the Federal Bu19 reau of Investigation, shall promulgate final 

20 standards for the retention of records of video 

21 surveillance. 

22 ‘‘(D) CONSIDERATIONS.—In promulgating 

23 standards under subparagraphs (B) and (C), 

24 the Commandant shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) consider factors that would aid in 

2 the investigation of serious crimes, includ3 ing crimes that go unreported until after 

4 the completion of a voyage; 

5 ‘‘(ii) consider the different types of 

6 video surveillance systems and storage re7 quirements in creating standards both for 

8 vessels currently in operation and for ves9 sels newly built; 

10 ‘‘(iii) consider privacy, including 

11 standards for permissible access to and 

12 monitoring and use of the records of video 

13 surveillance; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) consider technological advance15 ments, including requirements to update 

16 technology.’’. 

17 (e) TECHNOLOGY DETECTING PASSENGERS WHO

18 HAVE FALLEN OVERBOARD REQUIREMENT.—Section 

19 3523(a)(1)(D), as redesignated under section 201(a)(3) of 

20 this Act, is amended by striking ‘‘or detecting passengers 

21 who have fallen overboard,’’ and inserting ‘‘and detecting 

22 passengers who have fallen overboard, as certified by an 

23 independent third party accepted by a classification soci24 ety that is a member of the International Association of 

25 Classification Societies or another classification society 


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1 recognized by the Secretary pursuant to section 3316(b) 

2 of this title,’’. 

3 (f) CRIMINAL ACTIVITY PREVENTION AND RESPONSE

4 GUIDE.—Section 3523(c)(1), as amended by section 

5 202(g) of this Act, is further amended— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (A) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause 

8 (vi); 

9 (B) by inserting after clause (i) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(ii) describes the availability of sup12 port services under section 16106, includ13 ing any contact information provided by 

14 the Secretary of Transportation or director 

15 of victim support services under that sec16 tion; 

17 ‘‘(iii) includes the summary of rights 

18 under section 16106(e); 

19 ‘‘(iv) includes the summary under sec20 tion 16104(a); 

21 ‘‘(v) includes the toll-free hotline tele22 phone number and consumer complaints 

23 Internet website link under section 

24 16104(b);’’; 


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1 (C) in clause (vi), as redesignated, by in2 serting ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

3 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(vii) includes such other information 

5 as the Secretary of Transportation rec6 ommends under section 16106(b)(3)(F);’’; 

7 (2) by amending subparagraph (B) to read as 

8 follows: 

9 ‘‘(B) provide a copy of the security guide 

10 to— 

11 ‘‘(i) the Secretary of Transportation 

12 for review; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) the Federal Bureau of Investiga14 tion for comment;’’; 

15 (3) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub16 paragraph (D); and 

17 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(C) immediately after the vessel is noti20 fied that a passenger is an alleged victim of an 

21 incident described under subsection (g)(3)(A)— 

22 ‘‘(i) provide the passenger with a copy 

23 of the security guide; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) inform the passenger that the 

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1 eral Bureau of Investigation that the pas2 senger has been a victim of a crime on a 

3 passenger vessel; and’’. 

4 (g) MAINTENANCE OF SUPPLIES TO PREVENT SEXU5 ALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES.—Section 3523(d)(1), as 

6 redesignated by section 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amended 

7 by inserting ‘‘(taking into consideration the length of the 

8 voyage and the number of passengers and crewmembers 

9 that the vessel can accommodate)’’ after ‘‘a sexual as10 sault’’. 

11 (h) SEXUAL ASSAULT; CONTACT INFORMATION.— 

12 Section 3523(d)(5)(A), as redesignated by section 

13 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amended by striking ‘‘the United 

14 States Coast Guard,’’. 

15 (i) SEXUAL ASSAULT; PRIVATE TELEPHONE LINE.— 

16 Section 3523(d)(5)(B), as redesignated by section 

17 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amended by inserting ‘‘under sec18 tion 16106 or’’ after ‘‘the information and support serv19 ices available’’. 

20 (j) CRIME SCENE PRESERVATION TRAINING.—Not 

21 later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 

22 Act, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 

23 Guard is operating shall— 

24 (1) promulgate a rule establishing the stand25 ards and curricula to allow for the certification of 


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1 passenger vessel security personnel, crewmembers, 

2 and law enforcement officials on the appropriate 

3 methods for prevention, detection, evidence preserva4 tion, and reporting of criminal activities in the inter5 national maritime environment, as required under 

6 subsection (a) of section 3524 of title 46, United 

7 States Code (as redesignated by section 201(a)(3) of 

8 this Act); and 

9 (2) publish the rule and the most recent cur10 ricula described in paragraph (1) on the website of 

11 the department. 

12 (k) CREW ACCESS TO PASSENGER STATEROOMS; 

13 PROCEDURES AND RESTRICTIONS.—Section 3523(f)(2), 

14 as redesignated by section 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amend15 ed— 

16 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

19 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(C) a system that electronically records 

22 the date, time, and identity of each crew mem23 ber accessing each passenger stateroom; and’’; 

24 and 


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1 (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(2) ensure that the procedures and restrictions 

4 are— 

5 ‘‘(A) fully and properly implemented; 

6 ‘‘(B) reviewed annually; and 

7 ‘‘(C) updated as necessary.’’. 

8 (l) REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING.—Subsection (i) 

9 of section 3523, as added by section 202(h) of this Act, 

10 is further amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(3) APPLICABILITY OF REQUIREMENTS.—Any 

12 reporting requirement under this section relating to 

13 an incident specified in subsection (g)(3)(A)(i) is re14 quired without regard as to whether the Federal Bu15 reau of Investigation has opened a formal investiga16 tion relating to the incident.’’. 

17 SEC. 204. PASSENGER VESSEL SECURITY AND SAFETY RE18 QUIREMENTS. 

19 (a) VESSEL DESIGN, EQUIPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, 

20 AND RETROFITTING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 3523(a), 

21 as redesignated by section 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amend22 ed— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

24 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

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1 plies’’ and inserting ‘‘to which this subchapter 

2 applies’’; 

3 (B) in subparagraph (A)— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘The vessel’’ and in5 serting ‘‘Each exterior deck of a vessel’’; 

6 and 

7 (ii) by inserting ‘‘unless the height re8 quirement would interfere with the deploy9 ment of a lifesaving device or other emer10 gency equipment as identified by the Com11 mandant’’ before the period at the end; 

12 (C) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

13 ‘‘entry doors that include peep holes or other 

14 means of visual identification.’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘an entry door that includes a peep hole or 

16 other means of visual identification that pro17 vides an unobstructed view of the area outside 

18 the stateroom or crew cabin. For purposes of 

19 this subparagraph, the addition of an optional 

20 privacy cover on the interior side of the entry 

21 shall not in and of itself constitute an obstruc22 tion.’’; and 

23 (D) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

24 ‘‘when operating in high risk areas (as defined 

25 by the United States Coast Guard)’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(3) WAIVERS; RECORD OF WAIVERS.—The 

3 Secretary— 

4 ‘‘(A) may waive a requirement under para5 graph (1) as the Secretary determines nec6 essary; 

7 ‘‘(B) shall maintain a record of each waiv8 er under subparagraph (A); and 

9 ‘‘(C) shall include in such record the jus10 tification for the waiver.’’. 

11 (b) MEDICAL STANDARDS.— 

12 (1) MEDICAL STANDARDS.—Section 3525, as 

13 redesignated by section 201(a)(3) of this Act, is 

14 amended— 

15 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

16 (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 

17 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(2) there are a sufficient number of qualified 

20 medical staff members on the vessel to treat the 

21 number of passengers who may be on board the ves22 sel, as determined by regulation by the Secretary, in 

23 consultation with the Secretary of Health and 

24 Human Services;’’; 


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1 (C) in paragraph (3), as redesignated by 

2 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and in3 serting ‘‘or any successor standard;’’; 

4 (D) in paragraph (4), as redesignated by 

5 subparagraph (A)— 

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

7 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

9 the period and inserting a semicolon; and 

10 (iii) by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(C) the location and proper use of auto13 mated external defibrillators; and 

14 ‘‘(D) the proper way to report an incident 

15 or to seek security assistance in the event of a 

16 medical emergency;’’; and 

17 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(5) if a United States citizen dies on board the 

19 vessel and the citizen’s next of kin requests that the 

20 citizen’s body return to the United States on the 

21 vessel— 

22 ‘‘(A) such request is granted— 

23 ‘‘(i) unless— 

24 ‘‘(I) the vessel comes within the 

25 domestic jurisdiction of a country that 


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1 requires human remains to be re2 moved from a vessel or requires 

3 human remains to undergo post4 mortem offshore autopsy; or 

5 ‘‘(II) the vessel is scheduled to 

6 enter the domestic jurisdiction of such 

7 a country as part of the scheduled 

8 voyage; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) except that, in cases in which the 

10 vessel is not scheduled to return to a 

11 United States port for 21 or more days 

12 after the citizen’s death, arrangements 

13 may be made to return the body on a dif14 ferent appropriate vessel; and 

15 ‘‘(B) the owner of the vessel pays for any 

16 transportation costs related to the return; 

17 ‘‘(6) every crew member on the vessel has re18 ceived basic life support training and is certified in 

19 cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and 

20 ‘‘(7) every passenger-facing crew member on a 

21 vessel leaving from or en route to a United States 

22 port of call has a basic understanding of the English 

23 language, including— 


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1 ‘‘(A) at least a ‘Basic’ score on the Test of 

2 English as a Foreign Language for both listen3 ing and speaking; 

4 ‘‘(B) at least a ‘4 Skill Level’ score on the 

5 International English Language Testing System 

6 for both listening and speaking; or 

7 ‘‘(C) at least a basic level of proficiency for 

8 listening and speaking on another test of the 

9 English Language designated by the Sec10 retary.’’. 

11 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

12 by paragraph (1) shall take effect on the date that 

13 is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

14 SEC. 205. ENFORCEMENT. 

15 (a) PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION OF PASSENGER VES16 SEL SECURITY AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS.—Section 

17 3523(h)(1)(A), as redesignated by section 201(a)(3) of 

18 this Act, is amended by striking ‘‘, except that’’ and all 

19 that follows through ‘‘$50,000’’. 

20 (b) INFORMATION SHARING.—Subchapter II of chap21 ter 35, as amended by this Act, is further amended by 

22 adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘§ 3527. Information sharing 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To the extent not prohibited by 

25 other law, the head of a designated agency shall make 


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1 available to another head of a designated agency any infor2 mation necessary to carry out the provisions of this sub3 chapter. The provision by the head of a designated agency 

4 of any information under this section to another head of 

5 a designated agency shall not constitute a waiver of, or 

6 otherwise effect, any privilege any agency or person may 

7 claim with respect to that information under Federal or 

8 State law. 

9 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION OF HEAD OF A DESIGNATED

10 AGENCY.—In this section, the term ‘head of a designated 

11 agency’ means the Secretary of Transportation, the Sec12 retary of Homeland Security, or the Attorney General.’’. 

13 (c) ENFORCEMENT.—Subchapter II of chapter 35, as 

14 amended by this Act, is further amended by adding at the 

15 end the following: 

16 ‘‘§ 3528. Refusal of clearance; denial of entry 

17 ‘‘(a) CLEARANCE.—The Secretary of Homeland Se18 curity may withhold or revoke the clearance required 

19 under section 60105 of any vessel of the owner of a vessel 

20 to which this subchapter applies, wherever the vessel is 

21 found, if the owner of the vessel— 

22 ‘‘(1) commits an act or omission for which a 

23 penalty may be imposed under this subchapter or 

24 chapter 161; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) fails to pay a penalty imposed on the 

2 owner under this subchapter or chapter 161. 

3 ‘‘(b) DENIAL OF ENTRY.—The Secretary of the de4 partment in which the Coast Guard is operating may deny 

5 entry into the United States to a vessel to which this sub6 chapter applies if it is made aware by the Secretary of 

7 the Department of Transportation or the Attorney Gen8 eral that the owner of the vessel— 

9 ‘‘(1) commits an act or omission for which a 

10 penalty may be imposed under this subchapter or 

11 chapter 161; or 

12 ‘‘(2) fails to pay a penalty imposed on the 

13 owner under this subchapter or chapter 161.’’. 

14 SEC. 206. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

15 (a) APPLICATION.—Chapter 35, as amended by this 

16 Act, is further amended— 

17 (1) in section 3523, by striking ‘‘to which this 

18 section applies’’ each place such phrase appears and 

19 inserting ‘‘to which this subchapter applies’’; 

20 (2) in section 3524, by striking ‘‘to which this 

21 section applies’’ each place such phrase appears and 

22 inserting ‘‘to which this subchapter applies’’; 

23 (3) in section 3525, by striking ‘‘to which sec24 tion 3507 applies’’ and inserting ‘‘to which this sub25 chapter applies’’; and 


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1 (4) in section 3526— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘to which section 3507 ap3 plies’’ and inserting ‘‘to which this subchapter 

4 applies’’; 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘(a) AUTOMATED EXTER6 NAL DEFIBRILLATORS.—’’; and 

7 (C) by striking subsection (b). 

8 (b) AVAILABILITY OF INCIDENT DATA VIA INTER9 NET.—Section 3523(g), as redesignated under section 

10 201(a)(3) of this Act, is amended by striking paragraph 

11 (4). 

12 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 

13 8440(c)(2) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National 

14 Defense Authorization Act of 2021 is amended by striking 

15 ‘‘3507 of title 46, United States Code’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘3523 of title 46, United States Code (designated as sec17 tion 3507 of such title before the date of enactment of 

18 the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2024),’’. 

19 (d) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of sections for 

20 chapter 35 is amended— 

21 (1) by inserting before the item relating to sec22 tion 3501 the following: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER I–GENERAL PROVISIONS’’; 

23 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec24 tion 3506 the following: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER II–CRUISE VESSELS’’; 


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1 and 

2 (3) by striking the items relating to sections 

3 3507, 3508, 3509, and 3510 and inserting the fol4 lowing: 

‘‘3521. Application. 

‘‘3522. Definitions. 

‘‘3523. Passenger vessel security and safety requirements. 

‘‘3524. Crime scene preservation training for passenger vessel crewmembers. 

‘‘3525. Medical standards. 

‘‘3526. Additional medical and safety standards. 

‘‘3527. Information sharing. 

‘‘3528. Refusal of clearance; denial of entry.’’. 

5 SEC. 207. LIMITATIONS IN CERTAIN CASES. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 30307 is amended— 

7 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘Com8 mercial aviation accidents’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘Limitations in certain cases’’; 

10 (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 

13 definitions apply: 

14 ‘‘(1) CRUISE SHIP.—The term ‘cruise ship’ 

15 means a passenger vessel, other than a vessel of the 

16 United States operated by the Federal Government 

17 or a vessel owned and operated by a State, that— 

18 ‘‘(A) is authorized to carry at least 250 

19 passengers; 

20 ‘‘(B) has onboard sleeping facilities for 

21 each passenger; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) is on a voyage that embarks or dis2 embarks passengers in the United States. 

3 ‘‘(2) NONPECUNIARY DAMAGES.—The term 

4 ‘nonpecuniary damages’ means damages for pre5 death pain and suffering and for loss of care, com6 fort, and companionship.’’; 

7 (3) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘, or cruise 

8 ship voyage,’’ after ‘‘commercial aviation accident’’; 

9 and 

10 (4) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘, or cruise 

11 ship voyage,’’ after ‘‘commercial aviation accident’’. 

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

13 for chapter 303 is amended by striking the item relating 

14 to section 30307 and inserting the following: 

‘‘30307. Limitations in certain cases.’’. 

Æ 


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