Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB2500 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 2500
5	5	To amend title 46, United States Code, to assign specified liability to a
6	6	person who transfers title of a commercial vessel, or former commercial
7	7	vessel, to a transferee for use as a recreational vessel if the transferee
8	8	does not have applicable insurance at the time of the transfer and
9	9	the vessel sinks, and for other purposes.
10	10	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
11	11	MARCH31, 2025
12	12	Mr. H
13	13	ARDERof California (for himself and Mr. GARAMENDI) introduced the
14	14	following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation
15	15	and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary,
16	16	for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
17	17	for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
18	18	committee concerned
19	19	A BILL
20	20	To amend title 46, United States Code, to assign specified
21	21	liability to a person who transfers title of a commercial
22	22	vessel, or former commercial vessel, to a transferee for
23	23	use as a recreational vessel if the transferee does not
24	24	have applicable insurance at the time of the transfer
25	25	and the vessel sinks, and for other purposes.
26	26	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
27	27	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
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30	30	•HR 2500 IH
31	31	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1
32	32	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Abandoned Vessel Pre-2
33	33	vention Act’’. 3
34	34	SEC. 2. LIABILITY FOR SPECIFIED EXPENSES RESULTING 4
35	35	FROM SINKING OF CERTAIN DECOMMIS-5
36	36	SIONED COMMERCIAL VESSELS. 6
37	37	(a) I
38	38	NGENERAL.—Chapter 301 of title 46, United 7
39	39	States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-8
40	40	lowing new section: 9
41	41	‘‘§ 30107. Liability for specified expenses resulting 10
42	42	from sinking of certain decommissioned 11
43	43	commercial vessels 12
44	44	‘‘(a) L
45	45	IABILITY FORTRANSFEROR.—Except as pro-13
46	46	vided in subsection (b), any person who transfers title of 14
47	47	a covered vessel to another for use as a recreational vessel 15
48	48	shall be liable for any specified expenses resulting from 16
49	49	the vessel sinking on navigable waters of the United 17
50	50	States. 18
51	51	‘‘(b) E
52	52	XCEPTIONS.— 19
53	53	‘‘(1) V
54	54	ESSEL LENGTH ; VESSEL AGE.—Sub-20
55	55	section (a) shall not apply to a vessel less than 35 21
56	56	feet in length or fewer than 40 years old. 22
57	57	‘‘(2) I
58	58	NSURANCE.—Subsection (a) shall not 23
59	59	apply to a person who transfers title of a covered 24
60	60	vessel to a person who, at the time of the transfer, 25
61	61	has insurance— 26
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64	64	•HR 2500 IH
65	65	‘‘(A) applicable to the vessel for the 12- 1
66	66	month period beginning on the date of the 2
67	67	transfer; and 3
68	68	‘‘(B) that, in the case the vessel sinks, cov-4
69	69	ers specified expenses. 5
70	70	‘‘(c) D
71	71	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 6
72	72	‘‘(1) C
73	73	OMMERCIAL VESSEL .—The term ‘com-7
74	74	mercial vessel’ has the meaning given such term in 8
75	75	section 4462(a)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 9
76	76	1986 (26 U.S.C. 4462(a)(4)). 10
77	77	‘‘(2) C
78	78	OVERED VESSEL .—The term ‘covered 11
79	79	vessel’ means— 12
80	80	‘‘(A) commercial vessel; or 13
81	81	‘‘(B) a recreational vessel that was pre-14
82	82	viously a commercial vessel. 15
83	83	‘‘(3) S
84	84	PECIFIED EXPENSES.—The term ‘speci-16
85	85	fied expenses’ mean, with respect to a sunken ves-17
86	86	sel— 18
87	87	‘‘(A) damages attributable to the sinking 19
88	88	of the vessel; and 20
89	89	‘‘(B) expenses relating to— 21
90	90	‘‘(i) removal of the vessel and any de-22
91	91	bris; 23
92	92	‘‘(ii) clean-up of any pollution attrib-24
93	93	utable to the sinking of the vessel; and 25
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96	96	•HR 2500 IH
97	97	‘‘(iii) any shut down of, or repairs or 1
98	98	maintenance to, a water intake pump as a 2
99	99	result of pollution attributable to the sink-3
100	100	ing of the vessel. 4
101	101	‘‘(4) R
102	102	ECREATIONAL VESSEL .—The term ‘rec-5
103	103	reational vessel’ has the meaning given such term in 6
104	104	section 2101 of title 46, United States Code.’’. 7
105	105	(b) C
106	106	LERICALAMENDMENT.—The table of sections 8
107	107	for chapter 301 of title 46, United States Code, is amend-9
108	108	ed by adding at the end the following new item: 10
109	109	‘‘30107. Liability for specified expenses resulting from sinking of certain decom-
110	110	missioned commercial vessels.’’.
111	111	Æ
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