Record fuel prices and a struggling economy aren't the only problems facing the $35.7-billion cruise industry these days. Victims of crime on cruise ships are loudly and persistently calling for increased government oversight -- and they're starting to get help from lawmakers.
In California, the Assembly Judiciary Committee voted 7 to 1 on Tuesday in favor of a bill to place peace officers aboard cruise ships, bringing the legislation closer to a full vote in the chamber; it has already passed the state Senate.
Meanwhile, in Washington, a U.S. Senate subcommittee will hold its first hearing on the issue Thursday, a possible precursor to federal legislation to tighten crime reporting requirements.
Currently, cruise ships are not required to have law enforcement on board and there is only a voluntary agreement in place to report the most serious crimes, such as homicide and rape, to the FBI.
"When you climb on a cruise ship, you have alcohol, gambling, ambiguous jurisdiction, no law enforcement and a strong public relations incentive to deny the problem," said state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), coauthor of SB 1582. "Under that set of circumstances, every trip is a tragedy waiting to happen."
The industry is aggressively fighting the California legislation, which would place a certified peace officer on board ships sailing from California ports, funded by a $3 passenger fee. It hired a second lobbying firm to help its usual lobbying team oppose the measure and has recruited high-powered backers to its side.
Three lawmakers told Simitian they had received phone calls from former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante urging them to oppose the measure. In 2003, the industry contributed $52,700 to Bustamente's election campaigns, according to Ross A. Klein, author of the book "Cruise Ship Squeeze: The New Pirates of the Seven Seas." Royal Celebrity Tours and Holland America contributed $40,000 in 2003 to Bustamante's campaign against Proposition 54, a measure that would have stopped the state from collecting and using most racial and ethnic data, Klein said. (The measure would have had no effect on cruise ships.)
"Every time I turn a corner in the Capitol, there's another lobbyist for the cruise lines buttonholing a member," Simitian said. "We're a little outgunned. . . . What is it the industry doesn't want the public to know about the way they do business?"
