ABSTRACT
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986,1 which was enacted one year after the wreck’s discovery. The key components of the 1986 Act are intended to encourage international efforts to designate the RMS Titanic as an international maritime memorial; direct the United States to develop guidelines for the research, preservation, and, if appropriate, salvage of RMS Titanic in consultation with the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, and other interested nations; and negotiate a treaty to protect the wreck with those same nations. Negotiations with the United Kingdom, France, and Canada were concluded in 2003 with adoption of the International Agreement Concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMS Titanic. The United Kingdom signed the Agreement early on, and the United States signed it in June of 2004. Although the terms of the Agreement call for it to come into force after two countries have signed it, the United States’ signature will not put the Agreement into force until implementing legislation
is enacted. Therefore, the purpose of the proposed legislation is to implement the Agreement.
