AUGUST 2018 • FOGHORN 25 LEGISLATIVEREPORT report of findings about the casualty and made numerous recommendations to the Commandant of the Coast Guard about actions that it and other entities could take to prevent similar casualties and to improve future response actions. This past December, the Commandant issued his action memo in response, concurring in whole or in part all but three of the 36 recom- mendations. The National Transportation Safety Board has also published a compre- hensive report on the El Faro casualty. One of the NTSB’s recommendations is that “all personnel employed on vessels in coastal, Great Lakes, and ocean service be provided with a personal locator beacon to enhance their chances of survival” in the event they find themselves in the water. Earlier this summer, the Maritime Safety Act of 2018 was introduced and approved by the House committee. One can view the text of the legislation by going to www. congress.gov and typing “H.R. 6175” in the search box. Most aspects of the bill deal with issues that were iden- tified during the casualty investigation of the sinking of the El Faro cargo vessel. The legislation focuses on safety on freight vessels, and some of its requirements will apply only to them. Most provisions will not apply directly to PVA members, but the following ones are of interest. Section 4 directs the Coast Guard every year to make public on website information documenting domestic vessel compliance with Coast Guard inspection and safety require- ments. There will be informa- tion about all domestic vessels, including those carrying pas- sengers. The website should highlight the exemplary safety record of the domestic passenger vessel sector. Of course, in the unfortunate instance of a future casualty, the annual compilation will highlight that as well. Section 5 tells the General Accountability Office (GAO is an investigative arm of Congress) to do an audit of the “implementation and effectiveness” of legally-required vessel safety management systems (SMS). This audit will inevitably bring to light the fact that the Coast Guard has UES Installation and Maintenance UES offers premium maritime seating and installation services with extended warranties PVA always supports efforts to enhance the Coast Guard’s marine safety function, especially its prevention activities.