S 2537 United States Senate · 119th Congress

Open America's Ports Act

This bill repeals the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (PVSA) and adjusts the Jones Act requirements for passenger vessels. It specifically exempts vessels transporting passengers between U.S. ports (including routes via foreign ports) from domestic vessel ownership, crew citizenship, and Navy Reserve requirements under the Jones Act. The key provision removes barriers for foreign-flagged vessels operating on these passenger routes, while maintaining compliance with all other U.S. laws. This directly affects passenger vessel operators seeking to serve U.S. coastal routes using foreign ports as transit points.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jul 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Jul 30, 2025 Last action Jul 30, 2025
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Jul 30, 2025
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
upper
Jul 30, 2025
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Mike Lee
Mike Lee
RRepublican
UT
n/a