H.R. 4183 · Passed House · Transportation and Public Works
Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act of 2025
Sponsor: Dusty Johnson (R-SD)
What it does
- Reauthorize the Federal Maritime Commission through FY2029 with expanded authority to regulate anticompetitive practices in international ocean transportation.
- Expand the definition of controlled carriers to include carriers legally or financially tied to nonmarket economy countries or entities subject to U.S. Trade Representative monitoring.
- Require the Federal Maritime Commission to accept and investigate complaints about alleged anticompetitive practices by registered shipping exchanges.
- Mandate the Federal Maritime Commission to publish annual reports on anticompetitive and nonreciprocal trade practices by controlled carriers and marine terminal operators.
Official summary
Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act of 2025 This bill reauthorizes the Federal Maritime Commission through FY2029 and expands the commission’s authority to regulate anticompetitive practices within the international ocean transportation system. Specifically, the bill expands the definition of controlled carrier (a category of carriers that are subject to additional regulatory oversight) to include carriers legally or financially related to a corporation based or headquartered in, or otherwise significantly linked to, a nonmarket economy country or a country subject to monitoring by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Additionally, the bill requires the commission to accept and investigate complaints concerning alleged anticompetitive practices by registered shipping exchanges. (A shipping exchange is a data platform that enables businesses shipping goods to connect with carriers to transport those goods.) The bill also requires the commission to report annually on anticompetitive and nonreciprocal trade practices by controlled carriers or marine terminal operators. Further, the bill establishes a National Port Advisory Committee and a National Ocean Carrier…
Latest action
Dec 16, 2025: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation