Today, the New York State Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill S9241, relating to the duty to inspect vessels operated on non-navigable underground waters. This important legislation resulted from the tragic incident at the Lockport Cave and Boat Tour that sadly took the life of a Niagara Falls man and injured nearly a dozen others last year. In the course of the investigation, it was determined no local, county or state agency was tasked with overseeing these types of attractions.
“With the passage of this bill, it is now clear that the Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic preservation will oversee these types of businesses and inspect these vessels to ensure patrons can safely enjoy the unique attractions New York has to offer, ” said Senator Ortt. “Senate Bill S.9421, which I co-sponsor, is in alignment to the bill that I originally introduced immediately after the incident occurred. Over the course of this past year, I have had many conversations with the Executive’s office and my colleagues across the aisle, using no uncertain terms that ensuring proper oversight at the Lockport Cave and similar sites was among my top priorities this session so that an incident like this can be prevented in the future.”
This bill in the Assembly, which is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Michael Norris, has passed both the Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development and Codes Committees and is on the Assembly Ways and Means Agenda for tomorrow’s meeting.
