JUNE 2017 • FOGHORN 33 NEWSWIRE Senate Committee Votes in Favor of Three PVA Legislative Goals During the week of May 15, three of the Passenger Vessel Association’s legislative goals for 2017 moved forward when the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved the Coast Guard Authorization Act for 2017 (S. 1129) and the Maritime AdministrationAuthorization for 2017 (S. 1096). PVA wants Congress to relieve domestic passenger-carrying vessels from having to carry and make specific entries into an “official logbook” by amending a law previously enacted in 2010. PVA believes that the “official logbook” requirement (when it is im- plemented by the Coast Guard) will be unnecessary, redundant, and burden- some. Section 302 of the Coast Guard legislation will achieve PVA’s goal. Another PVA effort is to make permanent the existing statutory exemption that shields passenger vessels of less than 79 feet with no ballast water discharges from having to comply with the EPA’s Vessel General Permit for incidental waste- water discharges. This “small vessel” statutory exemption will run out in December, unless Congress acts before then. Title VIII of the Coast Guard bill will make the exemption permanent. R e n e w a l o f t h e M a r i t i m e Administration’s Small Shipyard Grant Program is another PVA priority. Sections 2 and 9 of the Maritime Administration authoriza- tion bill will ensure that the program continues through 2020 at an annual funding level of up to $7.5 million for training grants and as much as $27.5 for capital grants. The next step for these bills is con- sideration by the full U.S. Senate. It could happen in June. Those individuals who participat- ed in the annual PVA Congressional Fly-In to Washington in late April brought each of these issues to the attention of the lawmakers and staff representatives that they visited. n Liberty State Park Mr. Jonathan Luk Jersey City, NJ Associate Member Torqeedo Ms. Tess Smallridge Crystal Lake, IL Associate Member www.torqeedo.com PVA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS