Political Quotes

“I am pleased to support the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 and glad to join the full Senate today in passing this important bill. This legislation will improve the safety of Americans traveling on cruise ships by increasing security and crime reporting regulations. Far too many incidents of sexual assault and other serious crimes continue to occur on board cruise ships despite ongoing media and Congressional attention to this problem. I have long worked to improve protections for crime victims through landmark legislation including the Victims of Crime Act and the Violence Against Women Act. I applaud Senator Kerry for his leadership in ensuring those protections extend to Americans traveling aboard cruise ships. This important legislation will require the cruise industry to comply with a number of commonsense security provisions, such as providing peep holes and locks in sleeping cabins, and it mandates cruise vessel personnel to contact both the FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard as soon as a serious crime is reported. I am particularly pleased to see that the legislation will improve the treatment and protections victims receive on board a cruise ship following a crime.”