[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3229 Introduced in Senate (IS)]


110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3229

  To increase the safety of the crew and passengers in air ambulances.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 8, 2008

 Ms. Cantwell  introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To increase the safety of the crew and passengers in air ambulances.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Air Medical Service Safety 
Improvement Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. INCREASING SAFETY FOR HELICOPTER AND FIXED WING EMERGENCY 
              MEDICAL SERVICE OPERATORS AND PATIENTS.

    (a) Compliance Regulations.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), not 
        later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this 
        Act, all pilots of a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft 
        providing emergency medical services shall comply with part 135 
        of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, if there is a medical 
        crew on board, without regard to whether there are patients on 
        board.
            (2) Exception.--If an aircraft described in paragraph (1) 
        is operating under instrument flight rules or is carrying out 
        training therefor--
                    (A) the weather minimums and duty and rest time 
                regulations under such part 135 of such title shall 
                apply; and
                    (B) the weather reporting requirement at the 
                destination shall not apply until such time as the 
                Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 
                determines that suitable, cost-effective, portable, and 
                accurate ground-based weather measuring and reporting 
                systems are available.
    (b) Implementation of Flight Risk Evaluation Program.--
            (1) Initiation.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration shall initiate a rulemaking--
                    (A) to create a standardized checklist of risk 
                evaluation factors based on Notice 8000.301, which was 
                issued by the Administration on August 1, 2005; and
                    (B) to require helicopter and fixed wing aircraft 
                emergency medical service operators to use the 
                checklist created under subparagraph (A) to determine 
                whether a mission should be accepted.
            (2) Completion.--The rulemaking initiated under paragraph 
        (1) shall be completed not later than 18 months after it such 
        initiation.
    (c) Comprehensive Consistent Flight Dispatch Procedures.--
            (1) Initiation.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration shall initiate a rulemaking--
                    (A) to require that helicopter and fixed wing 
                emergency medical service operators formalize and 
                implement performance based flight dispatch and flight-
                following procedures; and
                    (B) to develop a method to assess and ensure that 
                such operators comply with the requirements described 
                in subparagraph (A).
            (2) Completion.--The rulemaking initiated under paragraph 
        (1) shall be completed not later than 18 months after it such 
        initiation.
    (d) Improving Situational Awareness.--Any helicopter or fixed-wing 
aircraft used for emergency medical service operations that is ordered 
after the date of the enactment of this Act shall have on board a 
device that performs the function of a terrain awareness and warning 
system that meets the requirements of the applicable Federal Aviation 
Administration Technical Standard Order or other guidance prescribed by 
the Administration.
    (e) Improving the Data Available to NTSB Investigators at Crash 
Sites.--
            (1) Study.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration shall issue a report that indicates the 
        availability, survivability, size, weight, and cost of devices 
        that perform the function of recording voice communications and 
        flight data information on existing and new helicopters and 
        existing and new fixed wing aircraft used for emergency medical 
        service operations.
            (2) Rulemaking.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration shall issue regulations that require 
        devices that perform the function of recording voice 
        communications and flight data information on board aircraft 
        described in paragraph (1).
                                 <all>