IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1141 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Gov-
ernment should recoup monies from the responsible parties to compensate 
taxpayers for certain damages resulting from the allision of the cargo 
shipping vessel the Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 
26, 2024, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 12, 2024 
Mr. VAN DREW submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Federal Government should recoup monies from the 
responsible parties to compensate taxpayers for certain 
damages resulting from the allision of the cargo shipping 
vessel the Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on 
March 26, 2024, and for other purposes. 
Whereas, on the morning of March 26, 2024, an inter-
national container ship named the Dali, traversed the Pa-
tapsco River on its way from Baltimore Harbor to Sri 
Lanka; 
Whereas, at 1:24 A.M., the Dali suffered a total power fail-
ure and loss of control, and three minutes later struck a 
critical support pylon of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:09 Apr 12, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1141.IH
HR1141
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
•HRES 1141 IH 
resulting in the catastrophic collapse of the entire bridge 
structure; 
Whereas, the Francis Scott Key Bridge accident resulted in 
loss of life, substantial damages to public infrastructure, 
disruption of the domestic supply chain, and subsequently 
a financial burden on taxpayers; 
Whereas, it is necessary for companies involved in maritime 
activities to adhere to strict safety standards and proto-
cols to prevent accidents and mitigate risks to public 
safety and infrastructure; 
Whereas, Congress has a duty to protect the interests of the 
taxpayers and promote accountability in corporate ac-
tions, and that taxpayer dollars should be allocated to-
wards efforts that safeguard the interests and well-being 
of taxpayers, not for the compensation of losses incurred 
due to accidents and disasters caused by private entities; 
Whereas, the compensation for the losses incurred from the 
Francis Scott Key Bridge accident should be borne by 
the entities directly responsible for the incident, in ac-
cordance with principles of corporate accountability and 
liability; 
Whereas, the application of general average principles, which 
distribute costs among stakeholders, could play a signifi-
cant role in allocating financial responsibilities related to 
the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, reflecting the 
complexities of maritime law and industry practices; 
Whereas, President Biden has stated the intention for the 
Federal Government to assume responsibility for covering 
the reconstruction costs of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, 
with estimates surpassing $600,000,000, highlighting the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:09 Apr 12, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR1141.IH
HR1141
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
•HRES 1141 IH 
magnitude of the financial burden this would have on 
taxpayers; 
Whereas, all reconstruction costs, in addition to any addi-
tional liabilities related to personal damages or national 
economic damages should be reimbursed to taxpayers 
through the insurance of the corporate firms accountable 
for the voyage and its consequences; and 
Whereas, Congress should direct the relevant committees to 
monitor the progress of the investigations and legal ac-
tions related to the Francis Scott Key Bridge accident 
and to take further legislative action if necessary to safe-
guard taxpayer interests: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Francis Scott Key 
Bridge Disaster Taxpayer Reimbursement Resolution’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Federal Government should recoup monies from the 
responsible parties for all human, economic, and physical 
damages that resulted from the catastrophic allision of the 
cargo shipping vessel Dali with the Francis Scott Key 
Bridge on March 26, 2024. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:09 Apr 12, 2024
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR1141.IH
HR1141
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS