“A bill to improve passenger vessel security and safety, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section (a) cites the Act as the “Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2025”; and (b) specifies that, unless otherwise provided, references in the Act to sections or provisions being amended or repealed are to title 46, United States Code.
This section establishes within the Department of Transportation's Office of the General Counsel the Office of Maritime Consumer Protection, headed by an Assistant General Counsel, to serve as the primary entity for consumer protection issues relating to covered passenger vessels (i.e., passenger vessels and small passenger vessels, excluding federal and state vessels). The Office must carry out this chapter's requirements; provide industry compliance assistance; process consumer complaints; inspect vessels for owner awareness of requirements; investigate and enforce violations; and implement specified duties under the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2025. This section further directs the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Assistant General Counsel and no later than 180 days after recommendations from an advisory committee under the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2025, to develop standards for a conspicuous summary of key terms (e.g., undisclosed costs and fees, indemnification, waivers, limitations on liability, notice of claims, time limitations, arbitration, forum, and jurisdiction) in passage contracts for covered passenger vessels, to be provided to prospective applicable passengers (i.e., U.S. citizens) before the terms are binding. The standards must clearly identify a statute of limitations for lawsuits against owners of at least three years; include recommendations for clear, uniform, and conspicuous formatting and terminology; and be periodically reviewed and updated. Beginning 180 days after the standards are developed, owners must provide the summary to prospective applicable passengers, include a prominent link on relevant websites, and incorporate it into specified U.S.-based promotional materials or advertising for ocean voyages worldwide.
This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Assistant General Counsel for the Office of Maritime Consumer Protection, within 180 days of enactment to (1) determine which rights in the 2013 international cruise line passenger bill of rights, adopted by the Cruise Lines International Association, are enforceable under federal law; and (2) include in standards under 46 U.S.C. §16104(a) a statement informing prospective passengers of such enforceable rights and enforcement methods (e.g., private cause of action or administrative action). This section further establishes an advisory committee on consumer protection for covered passenger vessels (i.e., passenger vessels or small passenger vessels subject to 46 U.S.C. chapter 161), to be formed within 180 days of enactment with one representative each from passenger vessel owners, small passenger vessel owners, international industry associations, state or local consumer protection experts, consumer protection nonprofits, victim assistance nonprofits, and relevant federal agencies. The committee, which meets at least annually and terminates 15 years after enactment, must (1) evaluate existing consumer protection programs and recommend improvements or new ones; (2) within one year, recommend key passage contract terms to highlight prior to becoming binding (e.g., undisclosed onboard costs, vessel flag country, potential foreign law applicability, healthcare service disclaimers, lost property reimbursement limits, claim filing locations); and (3) review and update recommendations annually for five years and periodically thereafter. Within 30 days of receiving recommendations, the Secretary must report them to Congress, including industry implementation status and reasons for non-implementation.
This section establishes a Director of Victim Support Services within the Department of Transportation to serve as the primary federal point of contact for applicable passengers who are alleged victims of certain crimes on board passenger vessels (i.e., incidents described in 46 U.S.C. §3523(g)(3)(A)(i)), including coordination with nonprofits to provide immediate, free, and confidential support services such as reporting assistance, mental health counseling, and criminal justice advocacy. (1) Requires the Secretary to designate an interim director within 30 days of enactment of the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2025 and appoint a permanent director, in consultation with the Department of Justice and other agencies, within 180 days, along with public outreach on a 24/7 toll-free hotline and available services; (2) directs the director to develop guidance for passenger vessel security guides (under 46 U.S.C. §3523(c)(1)) and serve as liaison with vessel owners, agencies, embassies, and others; (3) requires, within 180 days of enactment, a written summary of victims' rights (e.g., contacting the FBI, the director, or victim advocates confidentially without vessel personnel present) and a process to provide it promptly; and (4) authorizes services for guardians or relatives if the victim is deceased, a minor, or under other necessary circumstances.
This section makes clerical amendments to tables of contents in Title 46, U.S. Code, by (1) adding Part L—Office of Maritime Consumer Protection (chapter 161) to the table of chapters for subtitle II and (2) adding section 16106—Assistance to victims of crimes on board certain passenger vessels—to the table of sections for chapter 161.
This section reorganizes Chapter 35 by inserting subchapter headings ("I—General provisions" and "II—Cruise vessels") and redesignating §§3507–3510 as §§3523–3526. It adds new §3521 to apply the subchapter to passenger vessels authorized to carry 250 or more passengers, with overnight accommodations for 250 or more passengers, on voyages that embark or disembark passengers in the United States—excluding vessels operated by the federal government or owned and operated by a state. It also adds new §3522 to define terms including (1) exterior deck (any exterior weather deck accessible to passengers, including balconies and promenades); (2) owner (owner, charterer, managing operator, master, or individual in charge); (3) applicable passenger (U.S. citizen passenger); (4) physician (doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine with at least three years of post-graduate experience in general and emergency medicine, or certified in emergency, family, or internal medicine); and (5) qualified medical staff member (medical professional certified in advanced cardiovascular life support and advanced trauma life support).
This section revises crime reporting requirements for owners (or designees) of passenger vessels subject to the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act by— (1) expanding the records that must be made available to law enforcement investigators to include the Captain’s log, security log, engine room log, and all other logs and entries regardless of whether maintained on board or off the vessel (removing prior centralized location requirement); (2) requiring FBI notification, subject to new provisos, not later than 4 hours after a vessel employee is notified of an alleged incident involving specific crimes (previously after the incident's occurrence on board), with such crimes now expressly including any reported to the FBI through the Uniform Crime Reporting Program; (3) requiring FBI contact before vessel departure (whichever is earlier) if notified of an incident while en route to or at a U.S. port within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the U.S. (as defined in 18 U.S.C. §7); (4) requiring contact with the U.S. consulate at the next port of call not later than 4 hours after arrival if the incident allegedly involves an offense by or against a U.S. national; (5) requiring that any records or information provided under these requirements also be provided to the State fusion center (i.e., DHS-partnered entity under the DHS State, Local, and Regional Fusion Center Initiative) for the embarkation port or nearest disembarkation port when the incident occurs (supplementing, not replacing, other reporting laws); and (6) making technical changes to references, security guide posting requirements, and subsection structure.
This section revises crime prevention, documentation, and response requirements for passenger vessels under section 3523 by (1) requiring video surveillance systems to incorporate feedback from independent third-party risk assessments for optimum coverage; (2) broadening access to video records by removing restrictions tied to law enforcement or court orders and sexual assault incidents; (3) extending general video retention to 1 year after voyage completion (from 20 days after footage obtained) and sexual assault footage retention to 5 years (from 4 years); (4) directing the Coast Guard Commandant, in consultation with the FBI, to issue interim video retention standards within 180 days of enactment and final standards within 1 year, considering crime investigations, vessel types, privacy, and technology; (5) mandating overboard detection technology certified by an independent third party accepted by a classification society; (6) expanding the criminal activity prevention and response guide to include victim support services, rights summaries, hotlines, and complaint websites, requiring its submission to the Secretary of Transportation and FBI, and immediate provision to alleged crime victims with notice of FBI reporting rights; and (7) requiring sexual assault kits to account for voyage length and vessel capacity.
This section revises passenger vessel (i.e., cruise ship) design, equipment, construction, and retrofitting requirements by (1) extending applicability to all vessels under the subchapter; (2) requiring each exterior deck to meet minimum height standards unless they interfere with lifesaving or emergency equipment deployment; (3) mandating entry doors with peep holes or equivalent providing unobstructed exterior views (with interior privacy covers permitted); (4) eliminating the prior limitation of certain equipment requirements to high-risk areas; and (5) authorizing the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such requirements, with records maintained including justifications. The section further amends medical standards by (1) requiring sufficient qualified medical staff based on passenger numbers (as regulated in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services); (2) mandating crew training on automated external defibrillators and medical emergency reporting; (3) requiring repatriation of a deceased U.S. citizen's remains to the U.S. on the vessel upon next-of-kin request (absent foreign jurisdictional mandates or if return exceeds 21 days, with vessel owner covering costs); (4) requiring all crew to hold basic life support and CPR certification; and (5) requiring passenger-facing crew on vessels from or to U.S. ports to demonstrate basic English listening and speaking proficiency (e.g., "Basic" on TOEFL, "4 Skill Level" on IELTS, or equivalent). The medical amendments take effect 180 days after enactment.
This section revises enforcement of passenger vessel security and safety requirements (i.e., under 46 U.S.C. ch. 35, subch. II) as follows: (1) eliminates the exception capping civil penalties at $50,000; (2) requires the Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Attorney General to share necessary information without waiving applicable privileges; and (3) authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to withhold or revoke required vessel clearance (under 46 U.S.C. 60105) and the Coast Guard to deny U.S. entry for vessels whose owners commit violations or fail to pay penalties under the subchapter or 46 U.S.C. ch. 161.
This section makes technical and conforming amendments to chapter 35 of title 46, United States Code (governing passenger vessel security and safety), and related provisions, including (1) in sections 3523–3526, replacing references to "this section" or "section 3507" with "this subchapter" and striking certain provisions in section 3526; (2) striking paragraph (4) of section 3523(g) on availability of incident data via the Internet; (3) in section 3106(e), updating the cross-reference to "3523(f)" (from "3507(f)"); (4) in section 8440(c)(2) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, updating the citation to "3523" (designated as "3507" before enactment of the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2025); and (5) revising the table of contents to add subchapter I (General provisions) and subchapter II (Cruise vessels) designations and new section numbers 3521–3528 (striking prior items for sections 3507–3510).
This section revises the limitations on nonpecuniary damages (i.e., damages for pre-death pain and suffering and loss of care, comfort, and companionship) under 46 U.S.C. § 30307 to also apply to cruise ship voyages, in addition to commercial aviation accidents. It defines a cruise ship as a passenger vessel (other than one operated by the U.S. government or owned and operated by a state) authorized to carry at least 250 passengers, with onboard sleeping facilities for each passenger, on a voyage that embarks or disembarks passengers in the U.S.; revises the section heading to "Limitations in certain cases"; and makes conforming clerical amendments.