# 116-hr-5498: Noncontiguous Shipping Relief Act of 2019

116-hr-5498, Noncontiguous Shipping Relief Act of 2019, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-HI); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5498
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-5498
- Congress: 116
- Title: Noncontiguous Shipping Relief Act of 2019
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
- Introduced: 2019-12-19
- Sponsor: Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-HI)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Noncontiguous Shipping Relief Act of 2019 This bill revises coastwise laws, commonly known as the Jones Act, that govern domestic transportation of merchandise or passengers by vessels. The Jones Act requires that vessels transporting merchandise or passengers between Puerto Rico and other U.S. ports be built in the United States, be at least 75% owned by U.S. citizens, and be mostly crewed by U.S. citizens. The bill exempts foreign-flag vessels transporting merchandise on a route in noncontiguous trade from Jones Act requirements. The bill sets forth other requirements, including (1) labor standards, (2) minimum requirements for vessels engaging in the transportation of cargo or merchandise in domestic coastwise trade, (3) environmental standards, and (4) requirements for certain non-citizens that irregularly engage in domestic coastwise trade.

## Related bills

- 116-hr-8911: Compact Impact Fairness Act of 2020
- 116-hr-8899: Transatlantic Te­le­com­mu­ni­ca­tions Security Act
- 116-hr-8880: HONEST Enterprise Act
- 116-hr-8745: Innovation Centers Acceleration Act
- 116-hr-8729: Native American Language Resource Center Act
- 116-hr-8710: Veterans Community Care Fairness Act

## Sources
- [116-hr-5498 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5498)

## Related
- [116-hr-8911: Compact Impact Fairness Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8911)
- [116-hr-8899: Transatlantic Te­le­com­mu­ni­ca­tions Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8899)
- [116-hr-8880: HONEST Enterprise Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8880)
- [116-hr-8745: Innovation Centers Acceleration Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8745)
- [116-hr-8729: Native American Language Resource Center Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8729)
- [116-hr-8710: Veterans Community Care Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8710)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5498 (as of 2025-11-18).