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
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
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
Mike Lee
RRepublican
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