Salud Ortiz Carbajal: “This important measure reauthorizes the Coast Guard and adopts important safety reforms for small passenger boats based…”

“This important measure reauthorizes the Coast Guard and adopts important safety reforms for small passenger boats based on legislation I sponsored. Last September, we tragically lost 34 lives when the Conception dive boat caught on fire in the waters off Santa Cruz Island in my district. This is one of the worst maritime disasters in recent history. We have now learned that NTSB had previously made recommendations to the Coast Guard to improve maritime safety operations. This amendment would require implementation of some of those reforms to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. Madam Speaker, I am grateful to the Coast Guard and to local law enforcement for their help with search and rescue and to Chair DeFazio and Chair Maloney for their support on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.”