S. 89, a bill to amend title 46, United States Code, to exempt old vessels that only operate within inland waterways from the fire-retardant materials requirement if the owners of such vessels make annual structural alterations to at least 10 percent...

The U.S. Coast Guard administers a wide range of maritime safety laws and is responsible for inspecting vessels to ensure compliance with safety standards. Under current law, passenger vessels with overnight accommodations for more than 50 passengers must be constructed of fire-retardant materials. S. 89 would amend current law to exempt from that requirement (through 2028) vessels that operated before 1968, provided that owners operate them only within inland waterways and make certain structural alterations to them each year. CBO estimates that the proposed exemption would affect one vessel, a historic steamboat currently located in Louisiana.

CBO estimates that enacting S. 89 would have no effect on the federal budget because the proposed exemption would not affect the U.S. Coast Guard’s costs to meet its underlying responsibility to inspect vessels; spending for such inspections is provided in annual appropriation acts.

Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 89 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.

S. 89 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.