A bipartisan bill in Congress aims to amend the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA).

DOHSA was enacted in 1920 and allowed for wrongful death action suits for workers that died in international waters. The law was amended in 2000 to allow the same for family members of airline passengers who died in international waters. Supporters of this new bill to amend DOHSA again say the 2000 amendment didn’t go far enough.

Supporters want to amend DOHSA to include provisions that hold cruise ship operators legally and financially accountable for wrongful deaths of passengers. 

H.R. 3788, or Hammers’ Law, was introduced by Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ).