Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan calling for the law requiring new safety standards for DUKW amphibious vehicles, also known as “duck boats,” to be properly implemented. New standards are intended to help prevent future tragedies following the 2018 accident on Table Rock Lake that claimed the lives of 17 people.
“When I joined the Senate, one of the first bills I introduced was the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act of 2020. This legislation aimed to prevent similar accidents in the future by requiring amphibious vehicles meet minimum buoyancy requirements, weather preparedness standards, and new canopy regulations,” wrote Senator Hawley. “It is critically important that we ensure the safety of all passengers and prevent future accidents.”
Senator Hawley introduced his Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act originally in 2019, and through a series of reintroductions it passed the House and Senate. The new standards were signed into law as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. That law gave the Coast Guard six months to take action on implementing the additional safety standards—a deadline that has now passed.
Read the full letter here or below.
July 18, 2023
Admiral Linda Fagan
Commandant
U.S. Coast Guard
2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE
Washington, DC 20032
Dear Commandant Fagan,
I write concerning the United States Coast Guard’s statutory obligation to issue new safety regulations for DUKW amphibious vehicles, also known as “duck boats.”
As you may know, on July 19, 2018, Missouri experienced one of the deadliest boating accidents in U.S. history. An amphibious duck boat capsized during a severe thunderstorm on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, tragically claiming the lives of 17 people. That is why, when I joined the Senate, one of the first bills I introduced was the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act of 2020. This legislation aimed to prevent similar accidents in the future by requiring amphibious vehicles meet minimum buoyancy requirements, weather preparedness standards, and new canopy regulations.
As you know, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 included this legislation, which requires you to “initiate a rulemaking to establish additional safety standards for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels” within “6 months.” President Biden signed this into law on December 23, 2022. It has now been over six months.
While there are some indications you have begun work on these new standards, I urge you to complete this process and issue the new guidance as soon as possible. It is critically important that we ensure the safety of all passengers and prevent future accidents. By August 1, 2023, please provide my office an update on the status of this regulation and your expected timeline for issuing the rule.
Sincerely,
Josh Hawley
United States Senator