Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act
Latest action · Feb 1, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 31, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act
This bill allows the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to assess civil penalties against motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders for violations related to the interstate transportation of household goods and provides states with additional related authorities.
As background, a broker is the “middle person” between a shipper and a motor carrier and arranges for the transportation of household goods. A freight forwarder organizes shipments for individuals or corporations. Unlike a broker, freight forwarders assume responsibility for transportation and may transport the freight itself.
The bill expands the FMCSA registration requirements to require motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders to designate a principal place of business (i.e., a single physical location where management officials report to work, a significant portion of the transportation business is conducted, and records are maintained). FMCSA may withhold, suspend, amend, or revoke any part of a registration for failure to designate.
In addition, brokers and freight forwarders must disclose any common ownership, management, control, or familial relationship with any other carrier, freight forwarder, broker, or applicant in the previous three years. Under current law, motor carriers must disclose this information.
Further, states may use certain grant funds to enforce federal household goods statutes and regulations for the interstate transportation of these goods by motor carriers and brokers. This applies to Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grant funds and MCSAP High Priority discretionary grant funds. A state shall retain collected fines that are a result of enforcement.
Cosponsors 26
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 31, 2025 to Sep 3, 2026; 8 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-TX | Henry Cuellar | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| D-MI | Hillary J. Scholten | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| R-AR | J. French Hill | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| D-CA | John Garamendi | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| R-MS | Mike Ezell | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| R-TN | Tim Burchett | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| D-LA | Troy A. Carter | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| R-PA | Daniel Meuser | Feb 4, 2025 | |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Feb 4, 2025 | |
| R-MS | Trent Kelly | Feb 4, 2025 | |
| D-NM | Gabe Vasquez | Feb 6, 2025 | |
| R-MS | Michael Guest | Feb 6, 2025 | |
| R-WI | Derrick Van Orden | Feb 11, 2025 | |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Feb 27, 2025 | |
| R-PA | Robert P. Bresnahan, Jr. | Mar 18, 2025 | |
| R-KS | Tracey Mann | May 15, 2025 | |
| R-OH | David J. Taylor | May 29, 2025 | |
| R-FL | Scott Franklin | May 29, 2025 | |
| D-AL | Shomari Figures | May 29, 2025 | |
| R-AR | Bruce Westerman | Sep 3, 2025 | |
| D-FL | Darren Soto | Sep 16, 2025 | |
| D-NH | Chris Pappas | Sep 19, 2025 | |
| R-WI | Tony Wied | Oct 8, 2025 | |
| R-IA | Ashley Hinson | Nov 4, 2025 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Sep 3, 2026 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Jan 31, 2025 |
| Highways and Transit Subcommittee | Referred Feb 1, 2025 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 1, 2025Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- Jan 31, 2025Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E80-81)
- Jan 31, 2025Introduced in House
- Jan 31, 2025Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E80 | Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC | Jan 31, 2025 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 21, January 31, 2025, page H434.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R48759 | Surface Transportation Reauthorization: Commercial Trucking Issues | Report | Sep 11, 2026 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 337 | Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act | Identical bill | Feb 23, 2026 |
| HR 8870 | BUILD America 250 Act | Related bill | May 22, 2026 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to clarify the authority of the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration relating to the shipping of household goods, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 31, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
