WASHINGTON – Senator Josh Hawley has introduced legislation to improve the safety of duck boats after the tragedy that happened on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri.
In 2018, 17 people were killed when a duck boat capsized on the lake.
The ‘Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act of 2019’ includes stronger safety requirements and weather restrictions.
Sen. Hawley’s legislation would authorize previously-outlined National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, including commonsense provisions to require the use of life jackets and equipping all operating duck boats to be more buoyant in the case of emergency flooding.
“Missouri still mourns the lives lost on Table Rock Lake last summer. Sadly though, this tragedy wasn’t the first of its kind. For decades now, the NTSB has been making recommendations to make these rides safer, but Congress has failed to act. It’s my goal to change that by introducing this legislation today. We have to protect safety on the water,” Sen. Hawley said.
