Shipping Act of 1984

The U.S. Shipping Act, was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on March 20, 1984.^[1][2] The purpose of the Act was to: (1) establish a nondiscriminatory regulatory process for the common carriage of goods by water in the foreign commerce of the United States with a minimum of government intervention and regulatory costs; (2) provide an efficient and economic transportation system in the ocean commerce of the United States that is, insofar as possible, in harmony with, and responsive to, international shipping practices; (3) encourage the development of an economically sound and efficient liner fleet of vessels of the United States capable of meeting national security needs; and (4) promote the growth and development of United States exports through competitive and efficient ocean transportation and by placing a greater reliance on the marketplace.^[3]

Shipping Act of 1984

Long title	An Act to improve the international ocean commerce transportation system of the United States.
Nicknames	Shipping Act of 1983
Enacted by	the 98th United States Congress
Effective	March 20, 1984
Citations
Public law	98-237
Statutes at Large	98 Stat. 67
Codification
Titles amended	46 U.S.C.: Shipping
Legislative history
Introduced in the Senate as S. 47 by Slade Gorton (R–WA) on January 26, 1983 Committee consideration by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Passed the Senate on March 1, 1983 (64-33) Passed the House on October 17, 1983 (Passed voice vote) Reported by the joint conference committee on February 22, 1984; agreed to by the Senate on February 23, 1984 (74-12) and by the House on March 6, 1984 (Agreed voice vote) Signed into law by President Ronald W. Reagan on March 20, 1984