This bill strengthens federal oversight of companies that move household goods, such as moving companies and brokers that arrange shipments for people relocating. It expands the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's authority to directly assess civil penalties against companies that violate household goods shipping laws or regulations, following notice and a hearing. States would be allowed, at their own discretion, to use existing federal grant funds to enforce these federal household goods rules for both interstate and compatible intrastate moves, and any fines collected through state enforcement actions would go to and be kept by the state that issued them. The bill also tightens registration requirements for movers, brokers, and freight forwarders by requiring them to designate a genuine principal place of business and disclose any ownership, management, or family ties to other registered carriers or brokers over the past three years, a measure aimed at preventing bad actors from evading penalties by simply reopening under a different name. These changes are intended to give consumers stronger protections against fraud and abuse in the moving industry, with no specific new appropriations or implementation deadlines outlined beyond the effective date of enactment.
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