JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — More than four years after a tourist boat sank on Table Rock Lake killing 17 passengers, Congress has approved a set of stricter safety regulations for the vessels.
As part of a massive national defense funding measure approved in the U.S. Senate Thursday, duck boat operators like the ones involved in the Branson sinking would have to require passengers to wear life jackets and boost the buoyancy standards for the amphibious vehicles.
It also requires the World War II-era vehicles, which can travel on land and water, to have removable canopies that make it easier for passengers to escape during a crisis.
