Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce the ``Small Passenger Vessel Liability Fairness Act of 2021.'' This bill would help the families of 34 people who were tragically killed in the Conception boat fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California on September 2, 2019, and other victims and their families of similar tragedies. This was the worst maritime disaster in modern California history, and my thoughts continue to be with the victims and their loved ones. In December of last year, my bill, the Small Passenger Vessel Safety Act, passed as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act. It goes a long way toward improving passenger vessel safety, but the families of the victims are still unable to seek compensation for the great loss of life they have suffered. The victims of the Conception boat fire were killed when a fire started onboard the boat, while passengers and crewmembers were sleeping below deck after a nighttime swim. The National Transportation Safety Board's final investigation report for the fire indicates that the victims were awake and trying to escape before they were overcome with smoke. Both exits from the bunkroom were blocked by flames, and coroner reports list smoke inhalation as the cause of death for all passengers. The same NTSB investigation also determined that the owner and operator of the boat was at fault for failing to provide effective safety oversight.…”