United States 115th Congress Status: Passed Senate 1 D cosponsors

S 89 — 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 and for other purposes.

Last action — Held at the desk.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.) (Sec. 1) This bill revises the requirements for passenger vessels that are exempt from fire-retardant materials standards. Vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, that operate within inland waterways are exempted from the new requirements until December 1, 2028. Exempt vessel operators must follow certain requirements including notifying prospective passengers in writing prior to the sale of any ticket for boarding and making annual structural alterations to at least 10% of areas of the vessel that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials. Additionally, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must conduct an annual inspection of any vessel that is exempted from fire-retardant materials standards. DOT may withdraw a certificate of inspection for any vessel that does not comply with requirements under this bill.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

6 added · 17 removed

Plain-language change summary

The text indicates that certain lines were added to the bill that confirm its passage by the Senate and its attestation by the Secretary. Additionally, lines that included the introduction and reporting details of the bill in its earlier form have been removed. This change matters because it streamlines the document by emphasizing its current status and omitting previous legislative process details.

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Latest
89 Reported in Senate (RS)] <DOC> Calendar No.
89 Engrossed in Senate (ES)] <DOC> 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
18 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
89 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT 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 and for other purposes.
89 [Report No.
115-5] 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 and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 10, 2017 Mrs.
McCaskill (for herself, Mr.
Blunt, Mr.
Brown, Mr.
Portman, Mr.
Cassidy, Mr.
Cotton, and Mr.
Boozman) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation March 21, 2017 Reported by Mr.
Thune, without amendment _______________________________________________________________________ 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 and for other purposes.
Calendar No.
Passed the Senate April 3, 2017.
18 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
Attest:
89 [Report No.
Secretary.
115-5] _______________________________________________________________________ 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 and for other purposes.
115th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
_______________________________________________________________________ March 21, 2017 Reported without amendment
89 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT 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 and for other purposes.
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How this bill changes current law

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Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill exempts certain old passenger vessels operating solely within inland waterways from the fire-retardant materials requirement if they make specified annual structural alterations.

  • 46 U.S.C. § 3503

    (iii) is operating boilers and main electrical generators that are contained within noncombustible enclosures equipped with fire suppression systems. → (iii) has multiple forms of egress off the vessel's bow and stern.

    The requirement for vessels to have noncombustible enclosures with fire suppression systems is replaced with a requirement for multiple egress points.

  • 46 U.S.C. § 3503

    the vessel is constructed of fire-retardant materials; and → When a vessel is exempted from the fire-retardant standards of subsection (a)--

    The bill introduces a framework for exempting vessels from the fire-retardant materials requirement under certain conditions.

  • 46 U.S.C. § 3503

    Before December 1, 2028, this subsection does not apply to any vessel in operation before January 1, 1968, and operating only within the Boundary Line. → Before December 1, 2028, this section does not apply to any vessel in operation before January 1, 1968, and operating only within the Boundary Line.

    This specific exemption for older vessels remains unchanged, but is now under a new structure for exemptions.

  • 46 U.S.C. § 3503

    and comply with any noncombustible material requirements prescribed by the Coast Guard; → and comply with any noncombustible material requirements prescribed by the Coast Guard;

    This requirement for compliance with noncombustible material regulations is retained under the new exemption conditions.

  • 46 U.S.C. § 3503

    The penalties provided in section 3504(c) of this title shall apply to a violation of this subsection. → The penalties provided in section 3504(c) of this title apply to a violation of this subsection;

    The application of penalties for violations remains applicable under the new framework.

Action History

  1. Message on Senate action sent to the House.

  2. Received in the House.

  3. Held at the desk.

  4. Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S2159-2163, S2164-2168)

  5. Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 85 - 12. Record Vote Number: 102.

  6. Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 85 - 12. Record Vote Number: 102.

  7. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune without amendment. With written report No. 115-5.

  8. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune without amendment. With written report No. 115-5.

  9. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 18.

  10. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

  11. Introduced in Senate

  12. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

transportation
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 89 do?
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.) (Sec. 1) This bill revises the requirements for passenger vessels that are exempt from fire-retardant materials standards. Vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, that operate within inland waterways are exempted from the new requirements until December 1, 2028. Exempt vessel operators must follow certain requirements including notifying prospective passengers in writing prior to the sale of any ticket for boarding and making annual structural alterations to at least 10% of areas of the vessel that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials. Additionally, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must conduct an annual inspection of any vessel that is exempted from fire-retardant materials standards. DOT may withdraw a certificate of inspection for any vessel that does not comply with requirements under this bill.
Who sponsors S 89?
S 89 is sponsored by McCaskill, Claire (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 89?
This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track S 89?
Track S 89 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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