Davids Votes for Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization to Improve Consumer Protections, Safety for Air Travelers

Today,Representative Sharice Davids voted for bipartisan legislation to improve customer protections and accessibility while flying, increase America’s aviation safety standards, and strengthen domestic aviation workforce and manufacturing. Included in today’s bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was two Davids-sponsored amendments to improve safety outcomes for aviation companies like Garmin and modernize control tower/pilot communications – both of which passed with bipartisan support.

“Our entire economy relies heavily on reliable air travel of people and goods to keep our communities moving and maintain a strong domestic supply chain,” said Davids. “The bill we passed today includes many priorities I’ve pushed for, including more protections for consumers, updated safety regulations, and incentives to boost domestic aviation manufacturing and workforce. While I don’t agree with everything included, like raising the pilot retirement age, I hope the bipartisan support continues as the Senate considers its version of the bill and I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats on the final compromise.”

The bipartisan Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, which Davids voted for today,will fund the FAA for the next five years and provide new guidance and standards for the agency. Specifically, it:

• Improves airline customer protections and accessibility by directing the Department of Transportation (DOT) to:
  • Develop policies for airlines to reimburse passengers for meal and hotel costs incurred when a flight is cancelled;
  • Require airlines to create plans to prevent and limit the impact of mass flight cancelations;
  • Establish policies allowing passengers to sit next to their young child.
• Increases America’s aviation safety standards by:
  • Decreasing the risk of airport near-collisions;
  • Reviewing airplane passenger emergency medical kits and evacuation procedures;
  • Requiring the FAA to update security measures to help prevent assaults against flight crews and passengers.
• Strengthens U.S. aviation workforce and manufacturing by:
  • Hiring more air traffic controller agents;
  • Boosting American manufacturing through limiting Chinese-owned companies from accessing federal dollars.

Davids, who has served on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee since being elected to Congress, has prioritized consumer protections and safety throughout the FAA reauthorization process. Last week, Davids introduced an amendment to the FAA reauthorization package to ensure transparency of airline fees for consumers throughout the ticketing process.

During a March committee hearing, Davids spoke with airline professionals about how the overall flying experience, including safety and transparency of those hidden fees, could be improved. She also called on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg to provide answers for January’s aviation safety notification system meltdown and to hold airlines accountable for recent mass cancellations.

Today’s FAA reauthorization includes additional priorities Davids has pushed for in the past, including advanced air mobility (AAM) regulations. Davids’ legislation to promote AAM, an emerging sector of the aviation industry that creates an entirely new mode of transportation using specialized vehicles to transport people and cargo, was signed into law by President Biden last year.

The vote today follows a series of House Transportation and Infrastructure hearings on various aviation issues and the solicitation of input from Members of Congress and the aviation stakeholder community. The Senate has released a separate, bipartisan legislative plan to reauthorize the FAA. The House and Senate will likely prioritize a combination of the two bills that will pass in both chambers before the 2018 FAA reauthorization expires on September 30, 2023.