Memphis Standard

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), the Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, today applauded the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s unanimous passage of the five-year Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act. The bill contains many of his priorities, including safety and consumer protection provisions, aviation workforce development, and airport infrastructure improvements. The vote to send the bill to the House floor was 63 to 0.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“I am pleased to see a bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act receive approval by the Committee and look forward to its passage by the whole House soon. This transformative legislation had the enthusiastic cooperation and support of so many members who know that the safety of the flying public will be improved, good jobs will be created, and local economies will be bolstered. This is a good bill and I am proud to support it.”

In his opening statement at the beginning of the markup on Tuesday, Congressman Cohen said in part:

“This is a very important bill and one of the most important bills we’ll get through Congress… ‘Bipartisan’ is a word you hear a lot because people want it and it’s important to have it because getting the sides together is how you create legislation. Bipartisanship is not surrendering your values; it’s massaging your values and it’s moving America forward, and that’s what this bill does.”

See the entire opening statement here.

Congressman Cohen especially applauds the inclusion of several of his priorities including:

• Language that he developed with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to assist airports, such as the Memphis International Airport, that move from a small to medium hub and face substantial economic challenges as they forgo Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding in exchange for what is presumed to be a windfall of future passenger facility charge (PFC) funding due to growth
• Language that he developed with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) that would direct the FAA to complete its rulemaking as mandated by their SEAT Act from the 2018 FAA Reauthorization bill or report to Congress on its decision to not pursue the rulemaking
• Provisions based on his Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin (EVAC) Act that he introduced with U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). This language would direct the Federal Aviation Administration to task the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee with reviewing and proposing updates to the evacuation requirements accounting for children, including infants, passengers who do not speak English, passengers with disabilities and service animals.
• The Mobility Aids on Board Improve Lives and Empower All (MOBILE) Act that he introduced with Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN-8) and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and John Thune (R-SD) to improve air travel for passengers with disabilities, notably passengers who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
• The Prioritizing Accountability and Accessibility for Aviation Consumers Act that he introduced with Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) to ensure that passengers with disabilities have up-to-date data on the Department of Transportation’s effectiveness in resolving disability-related complaints ranging from untrained staff at the ticket counter to lost or damaged mobility aids to passenger injuries
• Provisions from his Safe Aviation and Flight Enhancement (SAFE) Act that he introduced with Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN). This language  would require aircraft be equipped with a cockpit voice recorder and a cockpit video recorder each capable of recording at least 25 hours of data and would direct the FAA to review regulations related to flight data recovery for aircraft used in extended overwater operations, issue consensus recommendations and initiate a rulemaking if warranted
• Language that he developed with Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) to direct the FAA to review cabin temperature standards
• Language based on his Airport Infrastructure Resilience Act that he introduced with Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) that creates AIP eligibility for airport resiliency projects
• Language that addresses reimbursements related to significantly delayed or cancelled flights and family seating, which are issues he has worked on through his Fair Fees Act with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) and his Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
• Key provisions of the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act that he co-led with Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) that would establish aircraft accessibility standards, set a timeline for DOT to investigate and respond to disability-related complaints, and make airline mobile applications more accessible

Original source can be found here.