b"It would be impossible in any one article toSTEVEN E. BERS, ESQ.,identify, or attempt to detail, all the call topics. PVA GENERAL COUNSELStevenE.Bers,Esq.,chairsthe EmploymentLawandMarine A third series of questions, after 9/11 followedissueofwhethertorequirevaccinationbyLawSectionsoftheLawFirm GaryFrommelts,2003PVApresident,all employees. ofWhitefordTaylor&Preston., tremendous service by working diligently withBaltimore/Washington,D.C. Hehas the U.S. Coast Guard in developing the PVAAsthePVAlegalhotlineentersitsfourthservedasPVA'sGeneralCounsel, VesselSecurityprogram.Byanymeasure,decade,itisindeedachallengetopredictadvisingpassengervesselowners therequirementsforvesselanddockfacilitythenewtopicstobeanswered.Whentheinmattersrelatingtomarineand securityweresubstantialanddemanding.legalhotlinewasinitiatedin1991,issuesemployment matters since 1989. He ThelegalhotlinewasheavilyusedasdozensofADA,marijuanause,andvaccinationmay be contacted at 410-347-8724 orof calls from existing and proposed memberswere on nobody's radar. Thank you for thesbers@wtplaw.com.were received. opportunity to assist so many members.Itwouldbeimpossibleinanyonearticleto identify, or attempt to detail, all the call topics. Nevertheless,apartiallistingwouldinclude: propercalculationofwaitstaff tips,Coast Guard tickets, Coast Guard inspection issues, vesselpurchaseissues,vesselfi issues,nance federalvesselconstructionprograms,right-of-wayquestions,dockingcontractissues, Coast Guard incident reporting requirements, employeedisciplineissues,substanceabuse testing,websiteADAandcyber-squatting issues, and medical qualifi cation issues, just to name a few.One of the most memorable inquiries was made byavesselownerwhosefemalecaptainhad beenpreassignedtoacruisewhichwaslater revealed to involve exotic dancers. The vessel owner was perplexed as to whether to reassign thechartercruisetoadiff erentcaptain.He expressed concern that if he allowed the captain tocontinue,thecompanywouldbeexposed to a claim of an off ensive workplace, but if he removed the captain, the company would be accused of gender discrimination.Over the years, the legal hotline has logically trackedemergingissues.Mostrecently,the legalization of medical or recreational marijuana hasbroughtaboutsignifi cantchallengesto vesselowners.Inquiriesofthelegalhotline have not only involved responsive actions for substance use by passengers, but also the ability to address employees claiming to have medical usage permission.Finallyandmostrecently,thelegalhotline hasstartedtoreceivequestionsconcerning pandemic response, especially the challenging OCTOBER 2021 33 LEGAL MATTERS"