[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8526 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8526
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a health smart
air travel pilot program to improve the application of public health
risk mitigation measures related to the public health risks presented
by COVID-19 in airports and on passenger aircraft.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 2, 2020
Mr. Van Drew introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the
Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Homeland Security, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a health smart
air travel pilot program to improve the application of public health
risk mitigation measures related to the public health risks presented
by COVID-19 in airports and on passenger aircraft.
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 ``Health Smart Air Travel Act'' or the
``HSAT Act''.
SEC. 2. HEALTH SMART AIR TRAVEL PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation, jointly with the
Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland
Security, shall establish a pilot program (in this section referred to
as the ``Program'') to improve the application of public health risk
mitigation measures related to the public health risks presented by
COVID-19 in airports and on passenger aircraft. In carrying out the
Program, the Secretary shall pursue initiatives informed by--
(1) the guidance issued by the Department of
Transportation, jointly with the Department of Health and Human
Services and the Department of Homeland Security, titled
``Runway to Recovery: The United States Framework for Airlines
and Airports to Mitigate the Public Health Risks of
Coronavirus'' and dated July 2020; and
(2) any additional guidance that the Department of
Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services,
and the Department of Homeland Security may issue in relation
to measures necessary to mitigate the public health risks
presented by COVID-19 in airports and passenger aircraft.
(b) Objectives.--The purpose of the Program established under this
section is to--
(1) accelerate integration of public health risk mitigation
measures related to the public health risks presented by COVID-
19 in airports and passenger aircraft;
(2) identify and address technical, regulatory, and policy
challenges to integration of these risk mitigation measures;
(3) develop, test, and evaluate smart airport technology
and processes as they relate to mitigating public health risks
presented by COVID-19 in airports and passenger aircraft; and
(4) leverage concentrations of aviation, transportation
security, and public health capital to accelerate innovation in
airports and passenger aircraft.
(c) Grant Awards.--The Secretary of Transportation, in consultation
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of
Homeland Security, may provide grants under the Program to eligible
entities to carry out development, testing, or evaluation of public
health risk mitigation measures related to the public health risks
presented by COVID-19 in airports and passenger aircraft.
(d) Publication of Notice of Grant Opportunity.--Not later than 90
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Transportation publish in the Federal Register a notice of grant
opportunity for grants available under the Program.
(e) Eligible Entities.--Entities eligible to receive funding under
the Program may include--
(1) State, local, and Tribal governments;
(2) commercial airline operators;
(3) airports;
(4) hospitals and other public health institutions;
(5) institutions of higher education;
(6) relevant research and development nonprofit
organizations that are exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(7) relevant labor organizations;
(8) relevant private-sector manufacturers and service
providers; and
(9) a consortia of any of the entities described in
paragraphs (1) through (8).
(f) Application Submission.--The Secretary of Transportation,
jointly with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the
Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish application
requirements for grants from the Program and shall require applicants
to include the following information in such application:
(1) Identification of the entities proposed to be involved
in the development, testing, or evaluation of public health
risk mitigation measures.
(2) Whether the proposed development, testing, or
evaluation pertain to public health mitigation measures related
to public health risks presented by COVID-19 in airports,
passenger aircraft, or both.
(3) A description of such development, testing, or
evaluation.
(4) A description of the financial cost of such
development, testing, or evaluation, including the requested
grant amount.
(5) How such development, testing, or evaluation will
accomplish the objectives of the pilot program and inform wider
adoption in airports and passenger aircraft.
(6) Identification of available infrastructure and
capabilities to support such development, testing, or
evaluation.
(7) A description of the capabilities and expertise related
to the proposed project with respect to aviation, airline
operations, airport operations, smart airport technology,
transportation security, and public health.
(8) A description of any existing relationships with
relevant Federal agencies.
(g) Evaluation of Applicants.--Upon receipt of applications under
this section by the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary shall
evaluate such applications jointly with the Secretary of Health and
Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(h) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary of Transportation shall make
selections, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security, for participation in
the Program, taking into consideration the following:
(1) The effectiveness of the proposal of development,
testing, or evaluation of public health risk mitigation
measures at accomplishing the objectives under subsection (b).
(2) The involvement of relevant aviation, transportation
security, and public health infrastructure.
(3) The involvement of the private sector in the proposal,
including whether the proposal leverages existing commercial
technologies.
(4) The agreement of the entities involved in the proposal
to comply with such requirements as the Secretary of
Transportation, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and
the Secretary of Homeland Security determine necessary for
purposes of aviation safety, public health safety, and
transportation security.
(5) The agreement of the entities involved in the proposal
to share data collected and experience gained over the course
of the development, testing, or evaluation of public health
mitigation measures with the Secretary of Transportation,
Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of
Homeland Security.
(i) Designation of Data Reporting Facilities.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, the
Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, shall each--
(A) designate a Federal facility or Federal
facilities for receiving, processing, and analyzing
data collected and experience gained by recipients of
grants under the Program; and
(B) begin reporting the information described in
subparagraph (A) to the remaining Secretaries listed in
this paragraph.
(2) Scope of information collected.--With respect to the
information collected and analyzed under subparagraph (A)--
(A) the Secretary of Transportation shall collect,
analyze, and report information on public health risk
mitigation measures in passenger aircraft;
(B) the Secretary of Homeland Security shall
collect, analyze, and report information on public
health risk mitigation measures in airports; and
(C) the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall collect, analyze, and report information on
public health risk mitigation measures in airports and
on passenger aircraft.
(j) Implementation.--The Secretary of Transportation shall, jointly
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of
Homeland Security, use the data collected and experience gained under
subsection (i) to--
(1) identify technical, regulatory, or policy challenges to
the integration of public health risk mitigation measures
related to the public health risks created by COVID-19 in
airports and on passenger aircraft; and
(2) inform ongoing initiatives by the Federal Aviation
Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, and
the Centers for Disease Control to develop operational
standards and procedures to mitigate public health risks
presented by COVID-19 in airports and passenger aircraft.
(k) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and annually thereafter through fiscal year 2023, the
Secretary of Transportation, jointly with the Secretary of Health and
Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall brief
Congress on the recipients of funding and activities carried out under
the Program.
(l) Funding.--
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated $77,000,000 to carry out this section, to
remain available through fiscal year 2023.
(2) Use of funds.--Of the amounts made available under
paragraph (1)--
(A) not more than $7,000,000 may be used jointly by
the Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Health
and Human Services, and the Secretary of Homeland
Security for the administration of the Program; and
(B) not less than $70,000,000 shall be awarded
through the issuance of grants.
(3) Grant amounts.--The amount of a grant awarded under
this section shall be not less than $50,000 and not more than
$5,000,000.
(m) Sunset.--The authority to provide grants under this section
shall terminate on the last day of fiscal year 2023.
(n) Smart Airport Technologies Defined.--In this section, ``smart
airport technologies'' means the technologies described in section 145
of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-254).
<all>