[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 82 (Thursday, May 16, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE DUCK BOAT SAFETY ACT, TO IMPLEMENT SAFETY 
   REGULATIONS RELATED TO AMPHIBIOUS PASSENGER VESSELS AND FOR OTHER 
                                PURPOSES

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                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 2019

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to reintroduce the 
Duck Boat Safety bill, to implement safety regulations for amphibious 
passenger vessels. These safety recommendations were made by federal 
agencies to address known problems associated with duck boats that have 
resulted in far too many injuries and fatalities.
  I became aware of these problems when my constituents, the Coleman 
family, were involved in a horrible duck boat accident on July 19, 2018 
in Branson, Missouri. Tia Coleman was one of only two survivors in her 
family of 11, losing her husband Glenn and her children Reece (nine 
years old), Evan (seven years old), and Arya (one year old). Tia's 13-
year-old nephew, Donovan Coleman, was the other surviving family 
member, losing his mother Angela, his younger brother Maxwell (two 
years old), his uncles Ervin (76 years old) and Butch (70 years old), 
and his aunt Belinda (69 years old). Boarding a duck boat on Table Rock 
Lake started out as a fun outing for this family, but it turned into an 
unspeakable tragedy when the boat capsized and sank. Seventeen of the 
31 passengers on board were killed.
  Investigations by state and federal authorities are still underway, 
and lawsuits are pending over the specifics of this incident. But there 
is a long record of problems associated with duck boat operations that 
should be addressed now. Since 1999, more than 40 people have died in 
duck boat accidents, the vast majority of them from drowning when the 
vessel sinks. In 2002, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 
issued recommendations to improve the safety of the vessels in cases of 
flooding or sinking, but little has been done to implement those 
measures. We know from these past incidents that more can be done to 
make these vessels safe. Congress does not need to wait to act.
  While we wait to learn more about the specific circumstances and 
causes that led to the tragedy on Table Rock Lake, this legislation 
would implement the NTSB's past recommendations to improve the ability 
of duck boats (officially referred to as ``amphibious passenger 
vessels'') to stay afloat in a flooding or sinking situation.
  Specifically, this bill would direct the Coast Guard to issue 
regulations within one year of enactment to require operators of 
amphibious passenger vessels to retrofit their vessels to provide 
reserve buoyancy. Vessel operators would have no longer than two years 
to comply with the requirements.
  While vessel operators work to comply with the reserve buoyancy 
requirements, this bill directs them to implement interim measures to 
improve vessel safety, including:
  a. Removing canopies from vessels for waterborne operations, or 
replacing canopies with structures that do not restrict escape in the 
event of flooding or sinking;
  b. If canopies are removed, requiring that all passengers wear a 
personal flotation device while the vessel is on the water;
  c. Permanently closing all unnecessary access plugs and reducing 
through-hull penetrations to the minimum number and size necessary;
  d. Installing independently-powered electric bilge pumps;
  e. Installing no fewer than four independently-powered bilge alarms;
  f. Mandating inspection of vessels in water after each through-hull 
penetration;
  g. Verifying watertight integrity of vessels in the water at the 
outset of each waterborne departure; and
  h. Otherwise complying with existing Coast Guard regulations related 
to the inspection, configuration, and operation of such vessels.
  Those vessels that do not meet the one-year deadline to implement 
interim safety measures, as well as those that do not meet the two-year 
deadline to install reserve buoyancy systems, would be prohibited from 
operating on U.S. waterways until they are compliant.
  Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this 
bill to make common-sense corrections to the persistent safety problems 
facing duck boats so that no other family must face the kind of tragedy 
experienced by my constituents on Table Rock Lake. I urge the House to 
support this bill

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