# 119-hr-3940: Open America's Waters Act

119-hr-3940, Open America's Waters Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5] (R-CA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3940
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3940
- Congress: 119
- Title: Open America's Waters Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-06-12
- Sponsor: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5] (R-CA)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Opens U.S. coastwise trade to more vessels.** The bill would broaden which vessels can receive a coastwise endorsement and remove several statutory cross‑references that limit coastwise trade eligibility.

## Provisions PRIA read

- More coastwise access for vessel owners: benefit, medium. If enacted, you would be able to seek a coastwise endorsement for your vessel if it qualifies under U.S. law. The Coast Guard would have 90 days after enactment to write rules that require safety and security standards. The bill would also remove the law that let the government take away coastwise…
- Changes to vessel documentation rules: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would remove certain documentation conditions in two maritime rules. It would strike a conditional phrase that limited which vessels a rule covered. It would also remove a clause linking some tank vessel construction standards to whether a vessel was documented as wrecked. Owne…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-8324: Great American Healthcare Plan
- 119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-hr-2709: Save Our Sequoias Act
- 119-hr-4811: Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8443: End H–1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2395: SHORT Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3940 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3940)

## Related
- [119-hr-8324: Great American Healthcare Plan](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8324)
- [119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-471)
- [119-hr-2709: Save Our Sequoias Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2709)
- [119-hr-4811: Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4811)
- [119-hr-8443: End H–1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8443)
- [119-hr-2395: SHORT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2395)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3940 (as of 2026-04-21).