IB 

Union Calendar No. 765 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8505 

[Report No. 118–935] 

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 

DECEMBER 19, 2024 

Additional sponsors: Mr. MEUSER, Mrs. PELTOLA, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. 

CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. BURCHETT, Mr. EDWARDS, 

Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. GUEST, Mr. MOLINARO, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

VALADAO, Ms. SALINAS, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. VASQUEZ, Mr. SMUCKER, Mr. 

CUELLAR, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. HILL, and Ms. SCHOLTEN

DECEMBER 19, 2024 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 

on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 22, 2024] 


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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. 


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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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSESSMENT OF CIVIL PEN7 ALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF COMMERCIAL 

8 REGULATIONS. 

9 (a) ENFORCEMENT BY SECRETARY.—Section 14914 of 

10 title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d) 

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

13 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(b) ENFORCEMENT BY SECRETARY.—If, after notice 

16 and an opportunity for a hearing, the Secretary finds that 

17 a person violated a provision of part B of subtitle IV of 

18 this title, or a regulation or order issued pursuant to such 

19 part, the Secretary shall assess a civil penalty by written 

20 notice.’’; 

21 (3) in subsection (c), as redesignated by para22 graph (1), by inserting ‘‘or the Secretary’’ after 

23 ‘‘Board’’; and 


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1 (4) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para2 graph (1), by inserting ‘‘or the Secretary’’ after 

3 ‘‘Board’’. 

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

5 States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) by inserting ‘‘5,’’ after ‘‘20303 and chap7 ters’’; and 

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

9 SEC. 3. STATE USE OF GRANT FUNDS FOR COMMERCIAL EN10 FORCEMENT AND CONSUMER PROTECTION. 

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

12 amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (h)— 

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

15 at the end; 

16 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking the pe17 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

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

20 goods statutes and regulations for the interstate trans21 portation of household goods by household goods motor 

22 carriers and brokers, and for the intrastate transpor23 tation of household goods by household goods motor 

24 carriers if the State has adopted laws or regulations 


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1 that are compatible with Federal household goods reg2 ulations.’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (l)(2)— 

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

5 at the end; 

6 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as 

7 subparagraph (K); and 

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

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(J) enforce Federal household goods stat11 utes and regulations for the interstate transpor12 tation of household goods by household goods 

13 motor carriers and brokers, and for the intra14 state transportation of household goods by house15 hold goods motor carriers if the State has adopt16 ed laws or regulations that are compatible with 

17 Federal household goods regulations; and’’; and 

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

19 ‘‘(m) STATE DISCRETION.—The activities described in 

20 subsections (h)(3) and (l)(2)(J) are— 

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

22 ‘‘(2) not a condition on funds received under this 

23 section.’’. 


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

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

3 amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(g) PENALTIES.—Notwithstanding any other provi5 sion of law, any fine or penalty imposed on a carrier or 

6 broker in a proceeding under this section shall be paid to, 

7 and retained by, the State that imposed such fine or pen8 alty.’’. 

9 SEC. 5. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. 

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

11 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

13 term ‘principal place of business’ means a single 

14 physical business location of a specified entity 

15 where— 

16 ‘‘(A) management officials of such specified 

17 entity report to work; 

18 ‘‘(B) such specified entity conducts a sig19 nificant portion of its business relating to the 

20 transportation of persons or property; and 

21 ‘‘(C) such specified entity maintains records 

22 required by part B of subtitle IV or part B of 

23 subtitle VI. 

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

25 entity’ means— 


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

2 in section 31132; 

3 ‘‘(B) a person; 

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

5 motor carrier or foreign motor private carrier; 

6 ‘‘(D) a broker; or 

7 ‘‘(E) a freight forwarder.’’. 

8 (b) MOTOR CARRIER GENERALLY.—Section 

9 13902(a)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

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

11 the end; 

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

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

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

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

16 business.’’. 

17 (c) REGISTRATION OF FREIGHT FORWARDERS.—Sec18 tion 13903(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

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

20 end; 

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

22 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

24 ‘‘(3) has designated a principal place of business; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(4) has disclosed any relationship involving 

2 common ownership, common management, common 

3 control, or common familial relationship between such 

4 person and any other motor carrier, freight for5 warder, broker, or any other applicant for motor car6 rier, freight forwarder, or broker registration, if the 

7 relationship occurred in the 3-year period preceding 

8 the date of the filing of the application for registra9 tion.’’. 

10 (d) REGISTRATION OF BROKERS.—Section 13904(a) of 

11 title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 

13 semicolon; 

14 (2) in paragraph (2) by striking the period and 

15 inserting a semicolon; and 

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

17 ‘‘(3) has designated a principal place of business; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(4) has disclosed any relationship involving 

20 common ownership, common management, common 

21 control, or common familial relationship between such 

22 person and any other motor carrier, freight for23 warder, or broker, or any other applicant for motor 

24 carrier, freight forwarder, or broker registration, if 

25 the relationship occurred in the 3-year period preVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:40 Dec 20, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H8505.RH H8505

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1 ceding the date of the filing of the application for reg2 istration.’’. 

3 (e) COMPLAINTS AND ACTIONS ON SECRETARY INITIA4 TIVES.—Section 13905(d)(2) of title 49, United States 

5 Code, is amended— 

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

7 the end; 

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

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

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

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

12 any part of a registration of a motor carrier, 

13 foreign motor carrier, foreign motor private car14 rier, broker, or freight forwarder if the Secretary 

15 finds that the motor carrier, foreign motor car16 rier, foreign motor private carrier, broker, or 

17 freight forwarder failed to designate a valid 

18 principal place of business.’’. 

19 (f) REQUIREMENT FOR REGISTRATION AND USDOT 

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

21 is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (b)— 

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

24 the end; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period 

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

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

4 ‘‘(4) the employer or person seeking registration 

5 has designated a principal place of business, as de6 fined in section 13102.’’; and 

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

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

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to amend title 

49, United States Code, to clarify the authority of the 

Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration relating to the shipping of household goods, 

and for other purposes.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 765 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8505 

[Report No. 118–935] 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand 

for other purposes. relating to the shipping of household goods, and penalties for violations of laws and regulations Motor Carrier Safety Administration to assess the authority of the Administrator of the Federal 

DECEMBER 19, 2024 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee 

dered to be printed of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and orVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:40 Dec 20, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H8505.RH H8505

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