Safeguarding American Tourism Act
Bill: S.1998 | Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike (R-UT)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Safeguarding American Tourism Act
This bill allows foreign vessels that have 800 or more passenger berths to transport passengers between U.S. ports and places. (Under current law, such vessels generally must be built in the United States and owned and crewed by U.S. citizens.)

To exempt large cruise ships from certain requirements applicable to 
               passenger vessels, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Safeguarding American Tourism Act''.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTING APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PVSA AND JONES ACT 
              REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) PVSA Domestic Requirements.--Section 55103(a) of title 46, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Nonapplicablity.--This section shall not apply to any vessel 
with 800 or more passenger berths.''.
    (b) Jones Act Requirements.--Chapter 121 of title 46, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in section 12103, by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Nonapplicability.--The requirements of this section shall not 
apply to any vessel with 800 or more passenger berths and that 
transports passengers between ports or places in the United States to 
which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a foreign 
port.'';
            (2) in section 12112(a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``except in the 
                case of a vessel described in subparagraph (C) of 
                paragraph (2),'' before ``satisfies''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' 
                        after the semicolon;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking 
                        ``; and'' and inserting ``; or''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(C) has 800 or more passenger berths and transports 
        passengers between ports or places in the United States to 
        which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a 
        foreign port; and''.
    (c) Adjustment of Citizenship and Navy Reserve Requirements.--
Section 8103(k) of title 46, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(k) Nonapplicability to Certain Passenger Vessels.--Subsections 
(a) and (b) shall not apply to any vessel with 800 or more passenger 
berths and that transports passengers between ports or places in the 
United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via 
a foreign port.''.

SEC. 3. ADJUSTMENTS RELATING TO PERMITS TO LAND TEMPORARILY FOR ALIEN 
              CREWMEN.

    Section 252(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1282(a)) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
``not to exceed--'' and all that follows through the period at the end 
of paragraph (2) and inserting ``not to exceed the period of time 
during which the crewman is in possession of a valid, unexpired visa 
issued pursuant to such paragraph, if the immigration officer is 
satisfied that the crewman intends to depart--
            ``(1) on the vessel or aircraft on which the crewman 
        arrived; or
            ``(2) on a vessel or aircraft other than the vessel or 
        aircraft on which the crewman arrived.''.

SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in the amendments made by this Act shall be construed to 
exempt a vessel that transports passengers between ports or places in 
the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or 
via a foreign port, from any applicable law of the United States except 
as explicitly provided in such amendments.
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