Congress·In Committee·H.R. 9543

To amend the Act of July 5, 1884 to permit the imposition of taxes on vessels operating as tourist accommodations, and for other purposes.

Cruise Ships: New Local Tax Authority

Jun 30·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

This bill is in the early stages of the legislative process and was sent to the House Judiciary and Transportation and Infrastructure committees on June 29, 2026. These committees must review the bill before it can move forward, but no further action has occurred since that date. Most bills do not receive a committee vote, so this proposal is currently stalled.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

This bill was introduced by a single member and faces a long process in two different committees. Bills that allow for new taxes on major industries often face strong opposition from business groups.

Key Points

This bill would change a law from 1884 to allow state and local governments to charge taxes on cruise ships. Currently, federal law limits how these large vessels can be taxed when they use public waterways and ports.
The new rules would apply to any ship that docks at a U.S. port and charges people for a place to sleep. This includes taxes on the ship itself, the passengers who are traveling, and the crew members working on board.
Many port cities face high costs for maintaining docks and providing services to thousands of tourists at once. This change would give those communities a way to collect money from the cruise industry to help pay for local infrastructure and services.
If this becomes law, travelers might see new fees or higher prices on their cruise tickets to cover these local taxes. It would give states more power to manage the financial impact that the cruise industry has on their local economies.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones3 actions

Jun 30, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jun 30, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Jun 30, 2026

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E638)

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

To amend the Act of July 5, 1884 to permit the imposition of taxes on vessels operating as tourist accommodations, and for other purposes.

Bill NumberHR 9543

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.