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Alaska Tourism Recovery Act Passes U.S. Senate

joepeka

By joepeka,
in Princess Cruises

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NavArch64

NavArch64

Posted
Posted (edited)

Also, I would expect that the Biden Administration would be asked for an opinion prior to House action. This probably would be coordinated by .... 

 

Lucinda Lessley who was sworn in as Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration on January 20, 2021. She has been serving as Acting Administrator since her appointment. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Lessley worked in the U.S. House of Representatives for approximately 16 years.

 

Previously, Ms. Lessley worked in a variety of positions for the late Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, including as Policy Director of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Legislative Director in the Congressman’s personal office, and as Professional Staff on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

 

Ms. Lessley has a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Science from Washington University in St. Louis and was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany

 

Note: Normally, the Maritime Administrator is "sworn" to uphold the Jones Act/PVSA under "pain of political death". 

Edited by NavArch64
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LawDog61 "Live from...." Rare

LawDog61

Posted
Posted

I think this could go either way.  For sure the maritime union will oppose it. On the other hand-cruise ships bring lots of well paying work to the Longshoreman union.  The Biden Administration claims to be very pro-union but it’s a little like asking which of your children do you love the most.

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Sunwanabe

Sunwanabe

Posted
Posted
On 5/13/2021 at 5:13 PM, joepeka said:

One step closer to cruises resuming to Alaska without calling on a foreign port during the itinerary:

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/25000-2021-alaska-cruise-season-may-be-saved-as-senate-passes-key-bill.html

Being from BC, it's a joke that the provincial and Fed government haven't tuned into addressing this. Even having ships dock at this stage and not disembark would be an alternative for the time being. Glad to see that US government is working on a solution for travelers. Your gain and our loss. 

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caribill

caribill

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, Thrak said:

Sadly, our May 2022 Alaska cruise is round-trip from Vancouver. Not only is the proposed bill set to expire before then but, if Canada is still denying cruise ships access by that time, we still won't be able to sail. D'Oh!

 

Proposed bill does not affect in any way in any year cruises that originate or terminate in Vancouver.

 

 

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voljeep

voljeep

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Princess Cruises Fann said:

The bill just passed the House by unanimous consent. Looks like Alaska cruises will happen this summer. 

wonder if the cruisetours will also open back up

 

really good news IF ... doesn't the CDC still have to approve ??

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4hunters

4hunters

Posted
Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, Princess Cruises Fann said:

The bill just passed the House by unanimous consent. Looks like Alaska cruises will happen this summer. 

Please post a link.  Thank you.

 

Edit:  I'm still only seeing the info from last week about the passage in the Senate. 

“S. 593 — 117th Congress: Alaska Tourism Restoration Act.” www.GovTrack.us. 2021. May 20, 2021 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/s593>

Edited by 4hunters
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Princess Cruises Fann

Princess Cruises Fann

Posted
Posted (edited)
11 minutes ago, 4hunters said:

Please post a link.  Thank you.

 

Edit:  I'm still only seeing the info from last week about the passage in the Senate. 

“S. 593 — 117th Congress: Alaska Tourism Restoration Act.” www.GovTrack.us. 2021. May 20, 2021 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/s593>

I work in government affairs and closely monitor activity in the House and Senate. House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio brought the bill up and asked for unanimous consent. There was no objection and the bill was passed. The exchange will be in the Congressional Record which should be printed sometime tomorrow, but I’m sure you will see a whole bunch of stories on this coming out shortly. 

Edited by Princess Cruises Fann
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4hunters

4hunters

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Princess Cruises Fann said:

I work in government affairs and closely monitor activity in the House and Senate. House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio brought the bill up and asked for unanimous consent. There was no objection and the bill was passed. The exchange will be in the Congressional Record which should be printed sometime tomorrow, but I’m sure you will see a whole bunch of stories on this coming out shortly. 

Appreciate the feedback. Good news indeed!

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NavArch64

NavArch64

Posted
Posted

Surprise .... surprise!

12:22 PM Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
12:22 PM On passage Passed without objection.
12:22 PM On agreeing to the DeFazio amendment; Agreed to without objection.
12:22 PM An amendment, offered by Mr. DeFazio, to strike all after the enacting clause and insert new text.
12:21 PM Considered by unanimous consent. H.R. 1318 — "To restrict the imposition by the Secretary of Homeland Security of fines, penalties, duties, or tariffs applicable only to coastwise voyages, or prohibit otherwise qualified non-United States citizens from serving as crew, on specified vessels transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska, to address a Canadian cruise ship ban and the extraordinary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Alaskan communities, and for other purposes."
12:21 PM Mr. DeFazio asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.

 

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ceilidh1 "Live from...." Rare

ceilidh1

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, NavArch64 said:

Surprise .... surprise!

12:22 PM Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
12:22 PM On passage Passed without objection.
12:22 PM On agreeing to the DeFazio amendment; Agreed to without objection.
12:22 PM An amendment, offered by Mr. DeFazio, to strike all after the enacting clause and insert new text.
12:21 PM Considered by unanimous consent. H.R. 1318 — "To restrict the imposition by the Secretary of Homeland Security of fines, penalties, duties, or tariffs applicable only to coastwise voyages, or prohibit otherwise qualified non-United States citizens from serving as crew, on specified vessels transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska, to address a Canadian cruise ship ban and the extraordinary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Alaskan communities, and for other purposes."
12:21 PM Mr. DeFazio asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.

 

Wonder what the "for other purposes" could be....?

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ceilidh1 "Live from...." Rare

ceilidh1

Posted
Posted
On 5/18/2021 at 2:31 PM, Sunwanabe said:

Being from BC, it's a joke that the provincial and Fed government haven't tuned into addressing this. Even having ships dock at this stage and not disembark would be an alternative for the time being. Glad to see that US government is working on a solution for travelers. Your gain and our loss. 

Agreed - also from BC and my view is that we (BC and Canada as a whole) really screwed up on this! Fingers crossed it truly IS just a temporary measure...

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Barry ATL

Barry ATL

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, voljeep said:

7/3/21 - 

possible ??

 

As it stands today (rules changing daily), if they go with a CDC defined fully vaxed cruise (98/95) then it is theroitically possible to do a 7/3/21 but not likely.  The ship would need to be in place, already bringing in crew, and vaxed.

 

But, who knows.  There have been wild swings in the rules.  The cruise lines seem to know what is coming but are not talking.

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jeeper2

jeeper2

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, voljeep said:

7/3/21 - 

possible ??

 

I hate being on the edge!  May we hear some realistic information soon!  I actually do not desire to be the first cruise out, with the potential for undesirable restrictions...

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Astro Flyer

Astro Flyer

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 minutes ago, Locobill49 said:

I can’t determine if the bill passed just the subcommittee on transportation or the whole house?

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill that would allow cruise ships to sail Alaska itineraries this summer.  

 

H.R. 1318, which was sponsored by Alaska House Rep. Don Young and Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, passed by a voice vote without opposition on Thursday. It has now passed both chambers and could be signed by President Joe Biden as soon as later today.

 

http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/House-Passes-Bill-That-Would-Save-Alaska-Cruise-Season?utm_term=Read More&utm_campaign=New TMR Email Template&utm_content=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email&cm_mmc=Act-On Software-_-email-_-News Alert%3A House Passes Bill That Would Save Alaska Cruise Season-_-Read More

 

Included in this article are more details including this link to the bill.

 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/593/text

Edited by Astro Flyer
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