WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the bipartisan Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years. The bill contains numerous provisions spearheaded by U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) to make emergency medications easier for flight attendants to access during flights, allow opportunities for communities to voice concerns about excessive aviation noise, and improve access to mental health services for pilots. The bill also includes provisions to improve safety standards, protect consumers and increase accessibility, strengthen the aviation workforce, and invest in sustainability and resiliency efforts.
“The airline industry affects so many Coloradans, from regular commuters and once-a-year vacationers, to the hundreds of thousands of workers, flight attendants, and pilots serving in airports like Denver International. This bill is a historic chance for Congress to make airlines and airports cleaner, safer, and more supportive to workers,” said Pettersen. “In addition to the broad achievements in this bill around modernization and workforce development, I was proud to have four of my amendments included to help prevent overdoses on planes, allow resident feedback on noise and pollution, and improve mental health services for pilots.”
The FAA includes the following Pettersen-led provisions:
Requires the FAA, within 1 year of enactment, to develop guidance on what medications should be readily available on flights without additional approval on in-flight medical kits. This will address barriers that flight attendants may have when accessing life-saving medications on flights, like the overdose-reversal drug naloxone.
Expands avenues for constituents to relay concerns to the Aviation Noise Officer about noise pollution from airports, pollution, and safety in their communities. It would allow the Aviation Noise Officer to relay concerns from the public to the Administrator outside of just the NEPA process and new procedures.
Directs the Pilot Mental Health Task Force, also established in the FAA, to consider implementing recommendations to improve pilot mental health from the Department of Transportation Inspector General's report on Comprehensive Evaluations of Pilots with Mental Health Challenges.
Requires the Pilot Mental Health Task Group to review protocols of allowable antidepressants for a pilot's medical certification. It would address the estimated 12 percent of pilots who meet the depression threshold who are not seeking treatment because of the current certification requirements.
The bill also includes provisions to:
Improve safety standards across the board, including addressing the recent uptick in runway incursions. It also includes a provision Pettersen has been calling for to review and update emergency medical kits on planes to ensure they include overdose reversal medications, Epi-pens, updated defibrillators and more, and reviews the required training for flight crew to use such equipment.
Increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program, which includes airport environmental resiliency projects, programs to address airport noise, and requires the FAA to develop a plan to ensure general aviation aircraft can transition away from leaded fuels by 2030.
Expand consumer protections by addressing mass flight disruptions and implementing improvements for parents flying with children and passengers with delayed or canceled flights. The bill also includes provisions Pettersen called for to improve accessibility for air passengers with disabilities, including better training for staff, improvements to the DOT complaint process, and research into safe and secure in-cabin wheelchair restraint systems.
Strengthen and diversify the aviation workforce by increasing development programs for pilots, technical workers, and manufacturing workers, including outreach and educational opportunities in underrepresented communities. It also includes the creation of a committee to advise on the recruitment, retention, education, and treatment of women in U.S. aviation.
