[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 87 (Thursday, June 10, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4865-S4866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CRUISE VESSEL SECURITY AND SAFETY ACT OF 2010
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed
to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 211, H.R. 3360.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 3360) 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.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to support the Cruise Vessel
Security and Safety Act of 2010 and glad to join the full Senate today
in passing this important bill. This legislation will improve the
safety of Americans traveling on cruise ships by increasing security
and crime reporting regulations.
Far too many incidents of sexual assault and other serious crimes
continue to occur on board cruise ships despite ongoing media and
Congressional attention to this problem. I have long worked to improve
protections for crime victims through landmark legislation including
the Victims of Crime Act and the Violence Against Women Act. I applaud
Senator Kerry for his leadership in ensuring those protections extend
to Americans traveling aboard cruise ships.
This important legislation will require the cruise industry to comply
with a number of commonsense security provisions, such as providing
peep holes and locks in sleeping cabins, and it mandates cruise vessel
personnel to contact both the FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard as soon as a
serious crime is reported.
I am particularly pleased to see that the legislation will improve
the treatment and protections victims receive on board a cruise ship
following a crime. For example, a licensed medical practitioner will be
required on board all ships to provide immediate treatment, including
medications to prevent sexually transmitted diseases after an assault
and to conduct forensic examinations to help collect critical evidence
for later prosecution. I have worked hard to ensure that these kinds of
services to assist victims and to facilitate successful prosecution of
those who commit terrible crimes are available throughout the country.
I am glad that this bill will help ensure that Americans traveling at
sea receive these same vital services.
These important commonsense provisions will help prevent further
crimes from happening by improving security measures on our country's
cruise ships, while also improving our ability to hold the perpetrators
of these serious crimes accountable. I am pleased to support this
important legislation.
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Rockefeller
substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as
amended, be read a third time, the bill be passed, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon
[[Page S4866]]
the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be
printed in the Record as if read.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, this is the Statement of
Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation for H.R. 3360, the
Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010, as amended.
This statement has been prepared pursuant to Section 4 of the
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-139), and
is being submitted for printing in the Congressional Record
prior to passage of H.R. 3360, as amended, by the Senate.
Total Budgetary Effects of H.R. 3360, as amended, for the
5-year Statutory PAYGO Scorecard: $0.
Total Budgetary Effects of H.R. 3360, as amended, for the
10-year Statutory PAYGO Scorecard: $0.
Also submitted for the Record as part of this statement is
a table prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, which
provides additional information on the budgetary effects of
this Act.
CBO ESTIMATE OF THE STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO EFFECTS FOR H.R. 3360, THE CRUISE VESSEL SECURITY AND SAFETY ACT OF 2010, AS PROVIDED TO CBO BY THE SENATE
BUDGET COMMITTEE ON JUNE 9, 2010
[Version: June 8, 2010 4:53 pm]
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By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
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2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2010-2015 2010-2020
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Net Increase or Decrease (-) in the Deficit
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Impact. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Note: H.R. 3360 would address the safety of passengers and crew members on vessels. The bill would establish new criminal and civil penalties, but CBO
estimates that any new revenues or direct spending would be less than $500,000 annually.
The amendment (No. 4339) was agreed to.
(The text of the amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text
of Amendments.'')
The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a
third time.
The bill (H.R. 3360), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
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