H.R. 4975: Pay Back America Act of 2004

108th Congress · introduced 2004-07-22 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2004-07-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-6] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Pay Back America Act of 2004

Plain summary

Pay Back America Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a per passenger tax on covered international voyages of commercial passenger vessels. Establishes the Caribbean Ports and Infrastructure Protection Trust Fund (Caribbean Fund) and the Water and Marine Wildlife Protection Trust Fund (Wildlife Fund) in the Treasury. Appropriates to those funds a percentage of the above-referenced taxes. Authorizes the Secretary of of the Treasury to make specified payments from the Caribbean Fund to the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Anguilla, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Requires amounts in the Wildlife Fund to be used for ocean waste cleanup or enforcement of restrictions on ocean dumping. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue regulations requiring cruise vessels entering U.S. ports or places to have: (1) posted notice that passengers may report illegal dumping from the vessel by calling a toll-free number; and (2) included such notice on each ticket sold. Prohibits: (1) vessels from entering U.S. ports or places absent properly functioning pollution prevention equipment or compliance with notice requirements; (2) false entries in a vessel's oil record book or record of shore-side disposal; (3) operation of cruise vessels in U.S. foreign or domestic commerce that fail to comply with notice requirements. Requires biannual inspections of vessels.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Pay Back America Act of 2004

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-6] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-6] reported raising $2.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-108hr4975.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/108/hr>

Record fed-us-cong108-hr4975 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108