Two years after Table Rock Lake tragedy, Senate passes duck boat safety bill
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation Thursday aimed at improving duck boat safety two years after the Table Rock Lake tragedy claimed 17 lives.
Duck boats are World War II era amphibious craft that have been widely used for tourism. But numerous accidents have proven them deadly, including in Missouri in 2018.
The bill, sponsored by Missouri Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt, will require duck boat operators to check conditions with the National Weather Service among other safety requirements aimed at preventing similar accidents.
“To the families and friends that lost loves one that day I’m sure that every one of those 875 days has come with a painful reminder of your loss,” Hawley said in a speech as he moved the bill for passage by unanimous consent.
Hawley’s bill, which builds on earlier legislation from his Democratic predecessor, former Sen. Claire McCaskill, will also require passengers to wear flotation devices while on the water and the installation of a least four electric bilge pumps on the boats.
These are recommendations first proposed by the National Transportation Safety Board after a 2002 duck boat accident in Arkansas killed 13 people. The recommendations did not gain traction in Congress until the tragedy in Missouri 16 years later.
The legislation still needs to pass the U.S. House before it can be signed into law by President Donald Trump.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 2:43 PM.
