Not monumental, but great work by Kerry and his office

[karynnj]

he Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act has been opposed by the cruise industry for years, but after the valiant efforts of Senator John Kerry and Congresswoman Doris Matsui, the International Cruise Line Association has finally seen the light and agreed to support this initiative. The law is a great start in providing some much-needed safety and security provisions to protect passengers, but this is only one small step in taming the wild, wild seas. Ken Carver, president of the International Cruise Victims Association, sits down with executive producer and host of TravelTalkRADIO (eTN partner), Sandy Dhuyvetter to explain why.
<snip>
Carver: Absolutely. I mean, we needed leadership in both the House and the Senate. And I’ll just go to the Senate for a minute and how John Kerry got involved. My daughter lived in Cambridge. So I just walked into his office, a cold call, a couple of years ago in Washington and met the receptionist. And there was nobody there to talk to me. And a week later somebody called and said, “What’s this all about?” And I told them and they researched it and came back in a month and said, "We’re going to take this on, and we are going to pass legislation." And what’s unique about that, is I'm also working with the staff in the Senate who helped John craft the bill for the Senate, and they said, "Two people are willing to take it on." And John Kerry stepped to the plate and took this issue on, and I tell you we will always be indebted. And then in the House, we originally started with Christopher Shays, who really gets a lot of credit for originally picking up from the story. But then, the Republicans lost power, and he was defeated. And then, Doris Matsui, a couple of years ago, because of a victim in California, really stepped to the plate on this issue. So, that brought us what we needed in the House and what we needed in the Senate, and it’s been phenomenal. I might just mention in the Senate, I just checked on it in the last couple of days, Kerry took this on by himself with no co-sponsors. And right now, added to his list since the Senate subcommittee passed the preliminary bill by 100, everybody voted for it - Senator Lautenberg has signed on, who is Chairman of that subcommittee; Senator Nelson from Florida, which is most unusual; Lieberman from Connecticut; and Rockefeller, who is overall chairmen of the Transportation Committee in the Senate. So, you couldn’t ask for five better senators to join on with John Kerry in sponsoring this legislation.



http://www.eturbonews.com/10700/new-cruise-law-about-set-sail

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From Thomas:

S.588
Title: A bill to amend title 46, United States Code, to establish requirements to ensure the security and safety of passengers and crew on cruise vessels, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. (introduced 3/12/2009) Cosponsors (1)
Related Bills: H.R.1485
Latest Major Action: 7/8/2009 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Jump to: Summary, Major Actions, All Actions, Titles, Cosponsors, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments
SUMMARY AS OF:
3/12/2009--Introduced.

Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 - Sets forth cruise vessel security and safety requirements concerning: (1) vessel design and construction; (2) crew access to passenger staterooms; (3) log book entry and reporting of deaths, missing individuals, and alleged crimes; (4) a database of crewmembers terminated due to commission of a crime; (5) maintenance of rape kits on board; (6) crime scene investigation training and certification for vessel crewmembers; (7) video surveillance to monitor crime; and (8) posting of certain safety information.

Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act.

Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to revise the authority of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating (Secretary) to dispatch Coast Guard personnel on vessels to deter or respond to terrorism or transportation security incidents. Authorizes use of such personnel to act as: (1) environmental observers to monitor compliance with federal laws regarding the discharge of waste into U.S. waters; and (2) public safety officers to assist vessel passengers and crew with reporting and investigation of crimes, securing of suspects, and collection of crime evidence.

Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the security needs of a passenger vessel depending on the number of passengers on the vessel, with recommendations for security improvements.

Amends the Death on the High Seas Act to extend from 3 to 12 miles from the U.S. shore the high seas jurisdiction wherein a death by a wrongful act, neglect, or default of a person or vessel will allow the personal representative of the decedent to bring a civil action in admiralty.
MAJOR ACTIONS:

***NONE***

ALL ACTIONS:

3/12/2009:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

7/8/2009:
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

***NONE***

COSPONSORS(1), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)


Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. - 7/8/2009

COMMITTEE(S):

Committee/Subcommittee: Activity:
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Referral, Markup, In Committee

RELATED BILL DETAILS: (additional related bills may be indentified in Status)

Bill: Relationship:
H.R.1485 Identical bill identified by CRS
H.R.1485 Related bill as identified by House committee

[BlueIris]

1. Nice work, Senator K. Thanks for keeping us up to date, karynnj. nt