[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 596 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 596

 To direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to 
  prescribe regulations establishing minimum standards for space for 
       passengers on passenger aircraft, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 9, 2017

Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, and 
Mrs. Feinstein) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to 
  prescribe regulations establishing minimum standards for space for 
       passengers on passenger aircraft, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Seat Egress in Air Travel Act of 
2017'' or the ``SEAT Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. REGULATIONS RELATING TO SPACE FOR PASSENGERS ON AIRCRAFT.

    (a) Air Carrier Defined.--In this section, the term ``air carrier'' 
means an air carrier (as defined in section 40102 of title 49, United 
States Code) that transports passengers by aircraft as a common carrier 
for compensation.
    (b) Regulations Relating to Space for Passengers on Aircraft.--Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator shall prescribe regulations--
            (1) establishing minimum standards for space for passengers 
        on passenger aircraft, including the size, width, and pitch of 
        seats, the amount of leg room, and the width of aisles on such 
        aircraft for the safety and health of passengers; and
            (2) requiring each air carrier to prominently display on 
        the website of the air carrier the amount of space available 
        for each passenger on passenger aircraft operated by the air 
        carrier, including the size, width, and pitch of seats, the 
        amount of leg room, and the width of aisles on such aircraft.
    (c) Consultations.--In prescribing the regulations required under 
subsection (b), the Administrator shall consult with the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, passenger advocacy organizations, physicians, and ergonomic 
engineers.
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