Doris Matsui: “Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendments to H.R. 3360, the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendments to H.R. 3360, the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, legislation that I introduced and which passed the House by a strong bipartisan vote of 416-4 in November of last year. The bill received similar support in the Senate, which passed it with unanimous consent earlier this month. The Senate amendments to this legislation are also bipartisan in nature, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill before us that would send critical consumer protection language to the President for his consideration. For far too long American families have unknowingly been at risk when embarking on cruise vacations. Four years ago, one of my constituents, Laurie Dishman, wrote to me for help. Laurie was the victim of a sexual assault while on a cruise vacation. She was given no assistance by the cruise line in properly securing evidence of the assault, no assistance in identifying her attacker, no assistance in prosecuting the crime once back on shore. Devastated, Laurie reached out to me, and I immediately worked with Chairman Cummings, who committed to me to hold hearings on this issue and began to work on this critical legislation. These hearings made apparent the gross inadequacies of current cruise safety provisions. And with ongoing news coverage of rapes on cruise ships, it is clear that this legislation is both urgent and necessary.”