Legislation that would have required the Centers for Disease Control to lift its 'Conditional Sail Order' and issue guidance for cruise lines to begin sailing this summer was blocked in the U.S. Senate this week.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who introduced the Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements (CRUISE) Act with Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), said the attempt to advance the bill was blocked by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who objected and prevented the bill from passing.
It was a dramatic day on the Senate floor as Sullivan and Scott held a colloquy to press the urgency of getting the cruise industry back underway and how much it means to their respective states.
The CRUISE Act would have:
- Required the CDC to issue recommendations for how to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 to passengers and crew on board cruise ships.
- Established an interagency "Working Group" that will develop recommendations to facilitate the resumption of passenger cruise ship operations in the United States.
- Facilitated the resumption of passenger cruise ship operations in the U.S. no later than July 4, 2021.
- Required the CDC, no later than July 4, 2021, to revoke the order entitled "Framework for Conditional Sailing and Initial Phase COVID-19 Testing Requirements for Protection of Crew."
- Ensured that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CDC retain all appropriate authorities to make and enforce regulations necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission or spread of communicable diseases on any individual cruise ship.
"The issue that we're here to talk about today, madam President, is tourism. It is so important to Alaska, so important to Florida. That's what I want to talk about with my good friend, Senator Scott, to bring relief to our fellow Americans, Floridians, and Alaskans, to work to immediately pass the CRUISE Act," Sullivan said on the Senate floor. "That is our bill which would provide relief to coastal communities in our country, in Alaska and Florida, to enable responsible return of cruise ship activities that are so important to the small business owners in our states whose livelihoods depend on a robust tourism sector."
Said Scott: "Every visitor to our state supports small businesses, fuels job growth, and boosts tax revenue, helping to increase state and local investments in the environment, transportation, public safety, and education. It's not just Florida and Alaska. Tourism including our all-important cruise industry-- it has huge impacts for states across our nation and the thousands of jobs that rely on its success. ... The CDC is treating the cruise sector unfairly while other industries are open for business. There is no reason why America's cruise industry and the thousands of jobs that rely on its success should continue to suffer."
But when the Senate was asked if there any objections, Murray jumped in.
Saying that she, too, would like to see cruising restart on July 4 since the cruise industry in her home state supports over 5,500 jobs and creates $900 million in annual local business revenue, she nonetheless blocked the progression of the bill through the Senate.
"We have to ensure the safety of our friends and our families on these cruises before they disembark. We have seen firsthand how devastating COVID outbreaks on cruise ships can be," Murray said. "...Cruise ships require specific focus and protocols in place to prevent future outbreaks. While I am as eager as anyone else to see a return to travel, we cannot cut corners. Doing so risks lives and will only further delay returning to normal, hurting our economy more in the long run."
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