Bill · S. 4090· Senate(119-S-4090)
Protecting Access to American Products Act
- Introduced
- 3/12/2026
- Last activity
- 3/12/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Mike Lee
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Protecting Access to American Products Act" creates a process to temporarily waive coastwise endorsement requirements. These waivers can be granted if a person shows that no available product carrier meets the requirements and a good faith effort was made to find one. Waivers must have a specific expiration date and can be extended if circumstances have not changed. The head of the agency must approve or deny requests within 60 days. If the agency fails to respond in time, the request is automatically deemed granted for 30 days. The agency must also notify Congress of all waiver requests and issuances.
Yes· 3 of 8
Would business owners be better off under this?+4
Business owners who import or ship bulk goods benefit from increased flexibility in sourcing carriers.
Does this make it easier to do business across state lines?+3
The bill aims to improve the movement of goods between US ports when domestic capacity is lacking.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+3
Requires reports for denied waivers and notifications to Congress regarding all waiver requests.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Access to Goods: By allowing waivers when there is a scarcity or unavailability of product carriers, the bill may help ensure specified goods can still be transported (Section 2(c)(1)).
-
Accountability for Agency Delays: The bill requires the agency head to respond to requests within 60 days and automatically grants the waiver if the agency fails to act, preventing indefinite delays (Section 2(c)(4)(A) and (C)).
-
Transparency in Denials: If a waiver is denied, the requester must receive a report explaining the findings that led to the denial within 14 days (Section 2(c)(4)(B)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts for individuals or groups of people were explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+3Improves Interstate Commerce+3Improves Due Process+2
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Business Owners+4Good For Farmers+3
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Economic Growth+2Improves Small Business Support+2
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves International Trade+2
- 3/24/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/12/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Cynthia LummisRepublican · Wyoming