The Noncontiguous Shipping Competition Act would ease restrictions on shipping goods between U.S. states and territories that are not connected by land, such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico. It would allow more foreign-flagged ships to transport cargo on these routes, potentially increasing competition and reducing shipping costs for consumers and businesses in these areas.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
The Noncontiguous Shipping Competition Act would ease restrictions on shipping goods between U.S. states and territories that are not connected by land, such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico. It would allow more foreign-flagged ships to transport cargo on these routes, potentially increasing competition and reducing shipping costs for consumers and businesses in these areas.
Last updated: 12/30/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>Noncontiguous Shipping Competition Act </strong></p><p>This bill revises coastwise laws, commonly known as the Jones Act, that govern domestic transportation of merchandise or passengers by vessels.</p><p>The Jones Act generally requires that a vessel transporting merchandise or passengers from one U.S. point to another U.S. point be (1) built in the United States, (2) at least 75% owned by U.S. citizens, and (3) mostly crewed by U.S. citizens. The act also includes several exemptions and exceptions.</p><p>The bill exempts carriage on a route in noncontiguous trade from Jones Act requirements unless (1) at least three owners or operators of coastwise qualified vessels regularly operate such a vessel on the route, (2) each of such owners or operators transports at least 20% of the volume of goods on that route, and (3) none of such owners or operators are under common ownership. (Generally, <em>noncontiguous trade</em> is trade between two U.S. points where at least one of the points is in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or an insular territory or U.S. possession.)</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Exempts shipping routes between noncontiguous U.S. states/territories (like Hawaii and Puerto Rico) from Jones Act requirements, unless at least 3 U.S.-flagged ships operate on the route and none are under common ownership.
The Jones Act generally requires ships transporting goods between U.S. ports to be built in the U.S., owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed mostly by U.S. citizens.
This could increase competition and lower shipping costs for goods transported to and from isolated U.S. states and territories not connected by land.
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
This bill would primarily impact businesses and consumers in states and territories like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and U.S. island possessions. Reducing shipping restrictions could lead to lower prices for imported goods in these areas. However, it could also hurt U.S. shipbuilding and maritime industries that benefit from the Jones Act protections.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Transportation and Public Works
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
2586, 119th Congress (2025). "Reentry Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-2586
