# 119-hr-9650: Vessel Identification Protection Act of 2026

119-hr-9650, Vessel Identification Protection Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS); status introduced (as of 2026-07-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9650
- As of: 2026-07-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9650
- Congress: 119
- Title: Vessel Identification Protection Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-17

## Summary

**This bill would create new federal crimes to stop the removal, alteration, or falsification of vessel identification numbers and to punish dealing in vessels with altered or missing IDs.** It ties those crimes to Coast Guard rules and requires a connection to interstate commerce. - Boat buyers and owners: Buying, receiving, or possessing a vessel that you know has had its identification number removed, altered, or forged would be a federal trafficking offense punishable by fines or up to 10 years in prison. - People who tamper with identifiers: Knowingly removing, obliterating, forging, altering, covering, or otherwise obstructing hull or identification numbers or decals would be a crime punishable by fines or up to 5 years in prison. - Manufacturers, importers, and regulators: The bill bars affixing identification numbers or decals not issued by the appropriate manufacturer, importer, State, or Federal authority and anchors definitions and exceptions to Coast Guard regulations, including authorized removals and damage from collision or fire.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New criminal rules for boat IDs: cost, low. If enacted, this would make it a federal crime to knowingly remove, alter, cover, forge, or otherwise tamper with hull identification numbers, identification numbers, or ID decals on a vessel or vessel part in or affecting interstate commerce. It would also make it illegal to attach a hull ID, iden…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9650 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9650)

## Related
- [119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4275)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9650 (as of 2026-07-17).