CRUISE Act
Bill: H.R.2554 | Sponsor: Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira (R-FL)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements Act or the CRUISE Act
This bill requires various activities to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the operation of cruise ships.
Specifically, the bill establishes a working group comprised of specified federal departments and industry stakeholders to develop recommendations for resuming cruise ship operations.
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must issue (within 30 days) separate recommendations on mitigating the introduction, transmission, and spread of COVID-19 onboard cruise ships and to communities onshore. The CDC must consult with the working group on these recommendations.
Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services must revoke by July 4, 2021, its order issued on November 4, 2020, which restricts the operation of cruise ships in U.S. waters.

To provide COVID-19 mitigation instructions for cruise ships, and other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Careful Resumption Under Improved 
Safety Enhancements Act'' or the ``CRUISE Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) On March 14, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 
        pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
        issued the ``No Sail Order and Suspension of Further 
        Embarkation'' which prohibited all cruise ships with capacity 
        to carry 250 or more individuals from embarking passengers in 
        the United States.
            (2) Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the cruise industry 
        supported nearly 450,000 American jobs and contributed over 
        $55,500,000,000 to the United States economy annually. More 
        than 300,000 jobs have been lost in the United States due to 
        the suspension of cruises. The majority of the individuals 
        impacted are independent business owners or individuals 
        employed by small- to medium-sized businesses, including travel 
        agents, taxi drivers, port employees, baggage handlers, and 
        longshore workers, as well as airline, hotel, and restaurant 
        employees.
            (3) On October 30, 2020, the CDC issued the ``Framework for 
        Conditional Sailing Order'' for cruise ships that laid out a 4-
        phase approach for the resumption of cruise activity. At that 
        time, the CDC released technical instructions for only the 
        first phase of this conditional sailing order. On April 2, 
        2021, more than 5 months later, CDC released the technical 
        instructions for half of the second phase. Without the complete 
        technical instructions for all 4 phases of this framework, no 
        large cruise ships are able to resume operations in the United 
        States under the CDC's conditional sailing order.
            (4) The cruise industry is the only segment of the United 
        States economy that is completely prohibited from operations by 
        the CDC due to COVID-19. For every other sector of the economy, 
        CDC provides recommendations for how to mitigate the spread of 
        COVID-19 without issuing orders to prohibit operations.
            (5) Since July 2020, cruising has continued in Asia, 
        Europe, and the South Pacific with nearly 400,000 passengers 
        sailing with health protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-
        19.
            (6) The increasing availability of vaccines provides a path 
        to the resumption of pre-pandemic activities. On March 2, 2021, 
        President Biden stated: ``We're now on track to have enough 
        vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May. . 
        . . The more people who get vaccinated, the faster we're going 
        to overcome this virus and get back to our loved ones, get our 
        economy back on track, and start to move back to normal.''.
            (7) As of March 11, 2021, 65 percent of people over the age 
        of 65 and more than 70 percent of people over the age of 75 in 
        the United States were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, 
        leading President Biden to state: ``All adult Americans will be 
        eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1. . . . After this 
        long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day something 
        truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a 
        nation but we begin to mark our independence from this 
        virus.''.

SEC. 3. COVID-19 MITIGATION GUIDANCE FOR CRUISE SHIPS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than the earlier of 30 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act or June 1, 2021, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary''), 
acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (referred to in this Act as the ``Director'') and in 
consultation with the interagency working group established under 
subsection (c), shall issue recommendations for how to mitigate the 
risks of COVID-19 introduction, transmission, and spread among 
passengers and crew onboard cruise ships and ashore to communities. The 
Secretary may later update or modify such recommendations as necessary 
to mitigate such risks.
    (b) Applicability.--The recommendations issued under subsection (a) 
shall be applicable to all cruise ships subject to the order entitled 
``No Sail Order and Suspension of Further Embarkation'', issued by the 
Director on March 24, 2020 (85 Fed. Reg. 16628), or any modification 
to, or extension of, such order.
    (c) Working Group.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is hereby established an 
        interagency working group, for purposes of developing, not 
        later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
        recommendations described in subsection (a), in order to 
        facilitate the resumption of passenger cruise ship operations 
        in the United States not later than July 4, 2021.
            (2) Members.--The interagency working group shall consist 
        of--
                    (A) the Secretary (or designee) serving as Chair;
                    (B) the Secretaries (or designees) of 
                Transportation, of Homeland Security, and of Commerce; 
                and
                    (C) industry stakeholders appointed by the 
                Secretary.
            (3) Scope of recommendations.--In developing the 
        recommendations described in subsection (a), the interagency 
        working group shall consider public health safety needs; risk 
        mitigation strategies and health protocols for passengers and 
        crew that are consistent with, and not substantially more 
        burdensome than, the guidance applied by the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention to other business sectors and 
        travel-related industries; and overall economic impacts, costs, 
        and benefits of the recommendations.

SEC. 4. RESUMPTION OF CRUISE SHIP OPERATIONS.

    Not later than July 4, 2021, the Secretary shall revoke the order 
entitled ``Framework for Conditional Sailing and Initial Phase COVID-19 
Testing Requirements for Protection of Crew'', issued by the Director 
on November 4, 2020 (85 Fed. Reg. 70153), under the authority of 
sections 361 and 365 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 264; 
268), and any other order or regulation that prohibits the operation of 
all cruise ships in United States waters, requires such ships to obtain 
approval from the Director prior to operating, or otherwise acts as a 
de facto prohibition for cruise ship operations in the United States.

SEC. 5. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act shall limit the authority of the Secretary to 
make and enforce such regulations that, in the judgment of the 
Secretary, are necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or 
spread of communicable diseases on any individual cruise ship 
presenting a public health threat by reason of the existence of any 
communicable disease.
                                 <all>