Frederica Wilson: “Today, I join with my colleague and friend, Representative Duncan Hunter, in offering an amendment to the maritime…”

“Today, I join with my colleague and friend, Representative Duncan Hunter, in offering an amendment to the maritime administration title in the NDAA. The cruise industry, which is a vital source of economic opportunity for my constituents, has come to me with concerns about lawsuits it says are clogging U.S. courts and making it more difficult to conduct business and create opportunities in my district and elsewhere. I take these concerns seriously and want to help address them, but I also want to make sure that they are protecting workers and that we don't shut off opportunities for them to be fairly compensated if they become ill or injured in the course of their employment. The Hunter-Wilson amendment is intended to do just that. It safeguards U.S. courts against further crowding of court dockets, while not denying foreign crewmembers remedies. This provision has been passed in the House five times in the past 3 years, and most recently, the Senate Commerce Committee included it in the maritime administration title of the Defense Authorization bill for FY 2017. I want to thank Chairman Hunter and Chairman Shuster for their work on this amendment. I urge my colleagues to support the Hunter-Wilson amendment.”