H.R. 1696: Ocean Shipping Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2023

118th Congress · introduced 2023-03-22 · Commerce · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2023-03-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] · 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

Ocean Shipping Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2023

Plain summary

Ocean Shipping Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2023 This bill generally applies federal antitrust laws to ocean common carriers. It also provides statutory authority for the current exemption from such laws for assessment agreements involving collectively bargained fringe benefit obligations. The bill also authorizes the Federal Maritime Commission to formally comment on mergers and acquisitions of common carriers and marine terminal operators that are under review by the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.

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

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Ocean Shipping Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2023

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

John Garamendi (D-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Josh Harder (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] reported raising $1.7 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 (4)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

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-118hr1696.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/118/hr>

Record fed-us-cong118-hr1696 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong118 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong118