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Improved Great Lakes Icebreaking: Boosting Winter Commerce and Transport

New rules aim to ensure Great Lakes waterways are more consistently open for commercial vessels and ferries during winter. This means fewer delays for goods and passenger transport, potentially impacting product prices and service availability in the region. The act also increases funding for a new icebreaker, enhancing the Coast Guard's ability to maintain navigability.
Key points
The Coast Guard must keep Great Lakes waterways open for commercial vessels and ferries at least 90% of the time in winter, or 70% in severe ice years.
Funding for a new icebreaker is increased from $160 million to $350 million, accelerating its acquisition.
The Coast Guard will report annually to Congress on its icebreaking operations, ensuring greater transparency and accountability.
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Status:
Expired
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Additional Information
Print number: 117_HR_1561
Sponsor: Rep. Gallagher, Mike [R-WI-8]
Process start date: 2021-03-03
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-05-20
Source data: api.congress.gov
AI work logs for this document launch

OFFICIAL LEGAL TITLE

Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act of 2021

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is 117_HR_1561.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the House of Representatives.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2021-03-03.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • The Coast Guard must keep Great Lakes waterways open for commercial vessels and ferries at least 90% of the time in winter, or 70% in severe ice years.
  • Funding for a new icebreaker is increased from $160 million to $350 million, accelerating its acquisition.
  • The Coast Guard will report annually to Congress on its icebreaking operations, ensuring greater transparency and accountability.
What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Rep. Gallagher, Mike [R-WI-8].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2025-12-27.

What is the impact of this bill?

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge.

CATEGORIES

Transport Public Investments