An act to revitalize the pleasure cruise industry by clarifying and waiving certain restrictions in the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, and the Merchant Marine Act, 1920, to permit the entry of the steamship vessel "United States", steamship vessel "Oceanic Independence", steamship vessel "Santa Rosa", and the steamship vessels "Mariposa" and "Monterey" into the trade.
Public Law 96-111 · S. 1281 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Nov 15, 1979 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Spark Matsunaga
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to cause the vessel Oceanic Independence and the steamship Santa Rosa to be documented as vessels of the United States entitled to engage in the coastwise trade. Limits the trade for such vessels to the carrying of passengers, their accompanying baggage, and 1,000 measurement tons of cargo per annum.
Authorizes the vessel United States to engage in the domestic and foreign commerce of the United States and/or between foreign ports so long as the vessel's domestic trade is limited to the carriage of passengers, their baggage and 1,000 measurement tons of cargo per annum.
Stipulates that the steamships Mariposa and Monterey may, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, be allowed to remain under the American flag and operate totally in both the domestic and foreign commerce of the United States and/or between foreign ports.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee · House · discharged from, referred to
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Nov 15, 1979Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-111.
- Nov 7, 1979PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Nov 1, 1979Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Oct 30, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H. R. 5472.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- Sep 10, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- Sep 6, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Aug 2, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Jun 5, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.