Lawmakers Push for Final FMC Rule on Demurrage, Detention
Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and John Garamendi, D-Calif., urged the Federal Maritime Commission on Jan. 26 to finalize its proposed rule on demurrage and detention billing requirements “as expeditiously as possible.”
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In a letter to FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei, the lawmakers said the final rule is needed to increase transparency in billing terms, avoid illegally invoiced charges and ensure timely resolution of disputes. “Without a final rule from the commission, American shippers continue to be subjected to troubling billing practices,” they wrote.
The rule is required by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which Johnson and Garamendi co-authored and which President Joe Biden signed into law in June 2022 (see 2206160064). Johnson and Garamendi endorsed the proposed rule (see 2210070079) in a January 2023 letter to the FMC.
FMC Commissioner Carl Bentzel in September said the FMC was "very close" to finalizing the rule (see 2309110033). The FMC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.