I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8505 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand the authority of the 

Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to 

assess penalties for violations of laws and regulations relating to the 

shipping of household goods, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2024 

Ms. NORTON (for herself and Mr. EZELL) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand the authority of the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration to assess penalties for violations 

of laws and regulations relating to the shipping of household goods, 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 ‘‘Household Goods Ship5 ping Consumer Protection Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSESSMENT OF CIVIL PEN2 ALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF COMMERCIAL 

3 REGULATIONS. 

4 (a) ENFORCEMENT BY SECRETARY.—Section 14914 

5 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and 

7 (d) as subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively; 

8 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(b) ENFORCEMENT BY SECRETARY.—If, after no11 tice and an opportunity for a hearing, the Secretary finds 

12 that a person violated a provision of part B of subtitle 

13 IV of this title, or a regulation or order issued pursuant 

14 to such part, the Secretary shall assess a civil penalty by 

15 written notice.’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (c), as redesignated by para17 graph (1), by inserting ‘‘or the Secretary’’ after 

18 ‘‘Board’’; and 

19 (4) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para20 graph (1), by inserting ‘‘or the Secretary’’ after 

21 ‘‘Board’’. 

22 (b) APPLICATION.—Section 501(b) of title 49, United 

23 States Code, is amended— 

24 (1) by inserting ‘‘5,’’ after ‘‘20303 and chap25 ters’’; and 

26 (2) by inserting ‘‘311, 313,’’ after ‘‘chapters),’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. STATE USE OF GRANT FUNDS FOR COMMERCIAL 

2 ENFORCEMENT AND CONSUMER PROTEC3 TION. 

4 Section 31102 of title 49, United States Code, is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (h)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

8 at the end; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking the 

10 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(3) for the enforcement of Federal household 

13 goods statutes and regulations for the interstate 

14 transportation of household goods by household 

15 goods motor carriers and brokers, and for the intra16 state transportation of household goods by household 

17 goods motor carriers if the State has adopted laws 

18 or regulations that are compatible with Federal 

19 household goods regulations.’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (l)(2)— 

21 (A) in subparagraph (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

22 at the end; 

23 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as 

24 subparagraph (K); and 

25 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the 

26 following: 


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1 ‘‘(J) enforce Federal household goods stat2 utes and regulations for the interstate transpor3 tation of household goods by household goods 

4 motor carriers and brokers, and for the intra5 state transportation of household goods by 

6 household goods motor carriers if the State has 

7 adopted laws or regulations that are compatible 

8 with Federal household goods regulations; and’’; 

9 and 

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

11 ‘‘(m) STATE DISCRETION.—The activities described 

12 in subsections (h)(3) and (l)(2)(J) are— 

13 ‘‘(1) optional at the discretion of a State; and 

14 ‘‘(2) not a condition on funds received under 

15 this section.’’. 

16 SEC. 4. STATE RETENTION OF PENALTIES AND FINES. 

17 Section 14711 of title 49, United States Code, is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(g) PENALTIES.—Notwithstanding any other provi20 sion of law, any fine or penalty imposed on a carrier or 

21 broker in a proceeding under this section shall be paid 

22 to, and retained by, the State that imposed such fine or 

23 penalty.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. 

2 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 13102 of title 49, United 

3 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(28) PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS.—The 

6 term ‘principal place of business’ means a single 

7 physical business location of a specified entity 

8 where— 

9 ‘‘(A) management officials of such speci10 fied entity report to work; 

11 ‘‘(B) such specified entity conducts a sig12 nificant portion of its business relating to the 

13 transportation of persons or property; and 

14 ‘‘(C) such specified entity maintains 

15 records required by part B of subtitle IV or 

16 part B of subtitle VI. 

17 ‘‘(29) SPECIFIED ENTITY.—The term ‘specified 

18 entity’ means— 

19 ‘‘(A) an employer, as such term is defined 

20 in section 31132; 

21 ‘‘(B) a person; 

22 ‘‘(C) a motor carrier, including a foreign 

23 motor carrier or foreign motor private carrier; 

24 ‘‘(D) a broker; or 

25 ‘‘(E) a freight forwarder.’’. 


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1 (b) MOTOR CARRIER GENERALLY.—Section 

2 13902(a)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

3 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

4 the end; 

5 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 

6 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘(E) has designated a principal place of 

9 business.’’. 

10 (c) REGISTRATION OF FREIGHT FORWARDERS.— 

11 Section 13903(a) of title 49, United States Code, is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

14 end; 

15 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 

16 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

18 ‘‘(3) has designated a principal place of busi19 ness; and 

20 ‘‘(4) has disclosed any relationship involving 

21 common ownership, common management, common 

22 control, or common familial relationship between 

23 such person and any other motor carrier, freight for24 warder, broker, or any other applicant for motor 

25 carrier, freight forwarder, or broker registration, if 


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1 the relationship occurred in the 3-year period pre2 ceding the date of the filing of the application for 

3 registration.’’. 

4 (d) REGISTRATION OF BROKERS.—Section 13904(a) 

5 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

7 the semicolon; 

8 (2) in subsection (2) by striking the period and 

9 inserting a semicolon; and 

10 (3) by inserting at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(3) has designated a principal place of busi12 ness; and 

13 ‘‘(4) has disclosed any relationship involving 

14 common ownership, common management, common 

15 control, or common familial relationship between 

16 such person and any other motor carrier, freight for17 warder, or broker, or any other applicant for motor 

18 carrier, freight forwarder, or broker registration, if 

19 the relationship occurred in the 3-year period pre20 ceding the date of the filing of the application for 

21 registration.’’. 

22 (e) COMPLAINTS AND ACTIONS ON SECRETARY INI23 TIATIVES.—Section 13905(d)(2) of title 49, United States 

24 Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) in subparagraph (C)(iii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

2 the end; 

3 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 

4 at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

6 ‘‘(E) withhold, suspend, amend, or revoke 

7 any part of a registration of a motor carrier, 

8 foreign motor carrier, foreign motor private car9 rier, broker, or freight forwarder if the Sec10 retary finds that the motor carrier, foreign 

11 motor carrier, foreign motor private carrier, 

12 broker, or freight forwarder failed to designate 

13 a valid principal place of business.’’. 

14 (f) REQUIREMENT FOR REGISTRATION AND USDOT 

15 NUMBER.—Section 31134 of title 49, United States Code, 

16 is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (b)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

19 the end; 

20 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe21 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(4) the employer or person seeking registra24 tion has designated a principal place of business, as 

25 defined in section 13102.’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ‘‘subsection 

2 (b)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’. 

Æ 


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