WASHINGTON — Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) released the following statement Tuesday in response to the grounding and subsequent capsizing of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off Italy’s coast:
“The Costa Concordia tragedy underlines the critical need for greater regulation of the cruise line industry. The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 made great strides in putting forth both physical and reporting requirements to protect cruise ship passengers from danger, and ensure that crimes are reported in a timely manner.
“While this was a major step forward in oversight of the highly unregulated cruise line industry, the incident in Italy shows that still more must be done to protect passengers. I will continue working with my colleagues to see that there is greater regulation of, and accountability for, the cruise industry, so that a tragedy like this does not occur again.”
Matsui was sponsor of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in July 2010.