Legislation Introduced To Repeal The Passenger Act To Alaska

On September 23, 2021, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced legislation entitled the "Cruising for Alaska's Workforce Act" to exempt from certain U.S. domestic maritime transportation restrictions voyages of large passenger vessels between a port in Alaska and another U.S. port. 

 The U.S. has had an express law restricting the transportation of "passengers" between two ports in the United States to qualified U.S.-flag vessels since 1886 under what came to be known as the "Passenger Vessel Services Act" or "PVSA."  Prior law going back to 1838 impliedly limited such carriage to U.S.-flag vessels.  Most vessels in the 19^th century carried both cargoes and passengers and so earlier laws limiting the carriage of cargoes to U.S.-owned vessels effectively also restricted the carriage of passengers.  The PVSA is sometimes lumped together with other domestic maritime restrictions and referred to as the "Jones Act," which more accurately relates to the transportation