Phoenix -- A law proposed by a Phoenix father whose daughter disappeared on a cruise is awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate after passing the U.S. House of Representatives last week.

The Cruise Security and Safety Act of 2009 would require cruise line employees to report crimes and implement other security measures.

Ken Carver has been lobbying lawmakers to strengthen security regulations on cruise lines since his daughter, Merrian Carver, 40, disappeared after boarding a Royal Caribbean Cruise to Alaska in 2004.

“Hopefully,” Carver said, “this will be something in her memory that will go on forever and affect a lot of people.”

Carver said cruise line officials never reported his daughter’s disappearance to the FBI or her family.

Carver also said the cruise line destroyed videotapes from the time Merrian was on board the ship.

“They weren't breaking laws by doing that,” Carver said. “That’s rather incredible.”

Carver soon learned other cruise ship victims’ families had similar experiences.

“Initially, you think you’re the only person, you're the victim in the world,” he said. “Then, you find out they’re just all over the place.”

He and the family of George Smith, the Connecticut man who disappeared during his honeymoon in 2005, formed the International Cruise Victims Association and began lobbying lawmakers to help prevent other families from suffering losses like theirs.

“You have a choice. You either walk from it and say 'There's nothing I can do about it' or you try to change it,” Carver said. “I couldn't walk away from it.”

U.S. Sen. John Kerry agreed to sponsor the Cruise Security and Safety Act of 2009, which is expected to pass the Senate.

Carver is still searching for his daughter. He does not expect to every find out how she disappeared from the cruise ship.

"The answer is: we'll never know for sure, but we haven't totally closed the door,” he said.