There has been a lot of news coverage lately about Senator’s Rockefeller’s new cruise crime law. For the first time, the cruise lines will be forced to disclose the full range of assaults, rapes and other crimes which occur on cruise ships, and inform the public which cruise ships the crimes were the alleged crimes
Nine years ago, I attended my first Congressional hearing regarding dangers to cruise passengers on the high seas. George Smith, of the Greenwich Connecticut area, had disappeared in the Aegean Sea during his honeymoon cruise. I represented Mr. Smith’s widow. Senator Chris Shays (R-CT) convened a hearing to inquire into the disturbing circumstances surrounding Mr. Smith’s
In July of 2013, Senator Rockefeller introduced the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2013. The bill was designed to provide the Department of Transportation (DOT) with greater authority to protect consumers and investigate complaints of unsafe conditions and ill-treatment on cruise ships.
The cruise industry opposed the proposed cruise legislation because it was designed to
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On July 23rd, Senator John (Jay) Rockefeller convened a hearing regarding the “Cruise Passenger Protection Act (S.1340): Improving Consumer Protections for Cruise Passengers." We attended the hearing, together with our friend and former client, Laurie Dishman who testified about the way she was treated after being sexually assaulted during a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Senator Rockefeller
At the hearing today before Senator John (Jay) Rockefeller regarding the “Cruise Passenger Protection Act (S.1340): Improving Consumer Protections for Cruise Passengers," three women told the committee their horrific experiences on cruise ships.
All of their accounts involve the common theme of a lack of basic consumer protections. Laurie Dishman was a victim of rape, Amanda
This afternoon, Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced the witness list for its Full Committee hearing this Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at 2:45 p.m. titled “The Cruise Passenger Protection Act (S.1340): Improving Consumer Protections for Cruise Passengers.”
Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Hearing Start Time:
Senator John D. Rockefeller has scheduled another hearing to address legislation designed to protect cruise passengers. The hearing is scheduled for next week.
The hearing is scheduled for July 23, 2014 at 2:30 PM before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in 253 Russell Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. (Some media sources erroneously report
As promised, Senator Jay Rockefeller announced that he has introduced legislation seeking to eliminate the Section 883 exemption for cruise industry income derived from cruises that embark or disembark passengers in the U.S. Senator Rockefeller stated in a press release:
“The cruise industry can’t operate for free here in the U.S. It costs money to
Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Washington DC. attending the hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation titled “Recent Incidents Show Need for Stronger Focus on Consumer Protection.”
I have attended seven Congressional hearings on cruise ship safety issues from December 2005 through March 2012. This is my eight hearing.
A year ago, following the Costa Concordia disaster, Senator Rockefeller convened a Senate hearing of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to inquire into the safety and security of cruise ship passengers and environmental practices of the cruise ship industry.
I attended the hearing where Senator Rockefeller asked appropriately tough questions to the
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Cruise lines hate U.S. governmental scrutiny of their business operations.
The whole purpose of incorporating their businesses and flagging their cruise ships in foreign countries is to avoid U.S. taxes and the scrutiny of federal regulators. This business model permits the cruise lines to pay virtually no U.S. taxes and to avoid U.S. wage, labor
Under public criticism and pressure initiated by U.S. Senator Rockefeller, Carnival announced today that it will reimburse the federal government for costs of over $4,000,000 incurred by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy in responding to its Triumph and Splendor cruise ships.
Senator Rockefeller set his sights on the cruise industry at a Senate
As I mentioned earlier, Carnival responded to Senator Rockefeller’s letter inquiring into the cruise line’s avoidance of U.S taxes and its refusal to reimburse federal agencies for services rendered with what I characterized the other day as a "screw you!" letter.
Today news sources are reporting that Senator Rockefeller characterized Carnival’s response as "shameful."
Tonight Seatrade Insider published an article about Carnival CEO Micky Arison’s letter to Senator Rockefeller who has been critical of Carnival cruise line’s avoidance of taxes and non-payment of services to federal agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard.
You will recall that Senator Rockefeller, who convened a hearing last year after the Carnival-owned Costa Concordia
Tonight NBC will take a hard look at Carnival CEO Micky Arison who I have written about on this blog.
Micky Arison is well liked here in Miami, mostly for bringing a couple of NBA basketball championships to South Florida – first with Shaq and later with D-Wade and Lebron James who he has spent
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Twitter Smack Down!
A few minutes ago Senator John Rockefeller tweeted to Carnival CEO Mickey Arison:
".@USCoastGuard responded to 90 incidents with Carnival ships in 5yrs- with passengers onboard. This needs to change" http://1.usa.gov/152nF2x "
Senator Rockefeller linked his tweet to a letter he sent to Micky Arison today expressing his deep concerns regarding the
