A bill to amend title 46, United States Code, to exempt old vessels that only operate within inland waterways from the fire-retardant materials requirement if the owners of such vessels make annual structural alterations to at least 10 percent of the areas of the vessels that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials.

Bill: 113-s-2924
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2014-11-13
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Civil actions and liability

Fires

Marine and inland water transportation

Transportation employees

Transportation safety and security

Worker safety and health
Latest action: action_date: 2014-11-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summaries:
action_date: 2014-11-13
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Amends federal shipping law to extend through October 31, 2028, the exemption of certain vessels from the requirement that U.S. passenger vessels having berth or stateroom accommodations for at least 50 passengers be constructed of fire-retardant materials in order to be granted a certificate of inspection.</p> <p>Continues to apply this exemption only to vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, which operate only within the Boundary Line (the dividing point between inland waters and high seas).</p> <p>Requires the owner or managing operator of an exempt vessel to: </p> <ul> <li>notify crew members that the vessel does not comply with applicable fire safety standards due primarily to the wooden construction of passenger berthing areas, and</li> <li>make annual structural alterations to at least 10% of vessel areas that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials.</li> </ul> <p>Requires any noncombustible material requirements prescribed by the Coast Guard (with which an exempt vessel is still required to comply) to be consistent with the preservation of a vessel's historic integrity in areas carrying or accessible to passengers or generally visible to the public.</p>

tv_txt: II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2924 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 13, 2014 Mr. Brown (for himself, Mr. Portman , Mr. Pryor , Mr. Boozman , Ms. Landrieu , Mr. Vitter , and Mrs. McCaskill ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To amend title 46, United States Code, to exempt old vessels that only operate within inland waterways from the fire-retardant materials requirement if the owners of such vessels make annual structural alterations to at least 10 percent of the areas of the vessels that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials.

1. Fire-retardant materials exemption Section 3503 of title 46, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by striking 2008, this section and inserting 2028, this subsection ; and (2) in subsection (b)(1)— (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking this section and inserting subsection (a) ; (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting and crew after prospective passengers ; (C) in subparagraph (B), by inserting or crew member after passenger ; (D) in subparagraph (C), by striking and at the end; and (E) by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the following: (D) the owner or managing operator of the vessel shall— (i) make annual structural alterations to not less than 10 percent of the areas of the vessel that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials; (ii) provide advance notice to the Coast Guard regarding the alterations made pursuant to clause (i); and (iii) comply with any noncombustible material requirements prescribed by the Coast Guard; and (E) the requirements referred to in subparagraph (D)(iii) shall, to the extent practicable, be consistent with the preservation of the historic integrity of the vessel in areas carrying or accessible to passengers or generally visible to the public. .