I am asking for your support in this congressional issue. We must make the Department of Transportation’s Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation subcommittee aware of the situation. They can leverage the Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips to institute the change.

The first two ships (Empire State and Patriot State) have already been built and delivered. This leaves the last three. At a minimum, my main concern is the final ship: Golden State for California Maritime. To make it accessible to the disabled and mobility impaired, we would like to get two staterooms combined into a single. This would increase the stateroom space as well as the shower and head. The ship access would be by the railroad deck and the elevator. Those alone allow access to the cafeteria, classrooms, meeting spaces, and the crew's living quarters.

Why am I doing this? To prove the feasibility and provide the benefits of a diverse and well-rounded crew on a cruise to teach the students. The cost of modifying these two staterooms has been estimated at less than $50k and this seems reasonable. It opens the possibilities to an entire class of disabled people.

If you are willing to help, I ask you to reach out to your congressperson and let them know your concerns. I have prepared a letter with the pertinent information. My Congressman Scott Peters has already been informed. I met with his director of constituent services in June of this year. They have written a letter to the Maritime Administrator, Ann Phillips. I want to reinforce this with as much congressional support as I can get.

Find your congressperson and copy the letter into a message form on their website. Typically, they do not allow messaging unless you are a direct constituent in their district. Since this is an issue of the Coast Guard & Maritime subcommittee, I feel it is only right to expand on that. The messages may be limited to 2,000 characters, so the letter template is already. If you want to make changes, feel free. Please ask for feedback and a response. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me. If they have any questions, please have them do the same.

Thank you!

Regards,

Chris Freeman

CMA ME-92

619-972-5673