b'LEGISLATIVEREPORTor areas with other potential heatsouthern California. Given the loomingnot contain the Coast Guard-related sources; and end of the 116th Congress at the end ofprovisions. The House and Senate must The handling, storage, andthe year, lawmakers feel a political needreconcile their differences. Its not clear operation of flammable items, suchto act now. exactly how long those discussions will as rechargeable batteries, includingThe U.S. Senate has approvedtake, but it is likely that this language lithium ion batteries utilized forits own version of the Defenseresponding to the Conception tragedy commercial purposes. Authorization legislation, but it doeswill be enacted into law by this fall. nIn addition, for a covered small passenger vessel with overnight ac-commodations for passengers, the regulations should address:Installation and use of monitoringattention to detaildevices to ensure the wakefulness of the required night watch;No less than two independent avenues of escape that allow for free and unobstructed egress from all general areas accessible to passen-gers. They are to be located so that if one avenue of escape is rendered unusable, another avenue of escape is available. No avenue of escape is to be located directly above, or dependent on, a berth;Passenger emergency egress drills which shall occur prior to the vessel beginning each excursion; and Each passenger is to a copy of the vessels emergency egress plan. www.beurteaux.comSenator Feinsteins original bill proposed a new role for third party organizations, limitations on public notice and comment on proposed regulations, and safety management system mandates beyond the require-ment of the existing 2010 law. These provisions are no longer in the legis-lation. Allied with associations repre-senting charter boat operators, PVA worked with elected officials in the House and Senate to obtain changes that largely responded to PVAs sug-gestions.One might wonder why Congress wishes to legislate before it has the benefit of the findings of the ongoing Conception casualty inves-tigations being performed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. Those investigations have been delayed, in part because the possibility of criminal charges by the U.S. Attorney in AUGUST 2020FOGHORN 33'