[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8712 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8712

   To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a national 
aviation preparedness plan for communicable disease outbreaks, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 2020

  Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself and Mr. Beyer) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a national 
aviation preparedness plan for communicable disease outbreaks, 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 ``National Aviation Preparedness Plan 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL AVIATION PREPAREDNESS PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, and the heads of such other Federal departments or agencies 
as the Secretary of Transportation considers appropriate, shall develop 
a national aviation preparedness plan for communicable disease 
outbreaks.
    (b) Contents of Plan.--The plan developed under subsection (a) 
shall, at a minimum--
            (1) provide airports and air carriers with an adaptable and 
        scalable framework with which to align the individual plans, 
        including the emergency response plans, of such airports and 
        air carriers and provide guidance as to each individual plan;
            (2) improve coordination among airports, air carriers, U.S. 
        Customs and Border Protection, the Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention, other appropriate Federal entities, and State 
        and local governments and health agencies with respect to 
        developing policies that increase the effectiveness of 
        screening, testing, quarantining, and contact-tracing with 
        respect to air carrier passengers;
            (3) to the extent practicable, improve coordination among 
        relevant international entities;
            (4) ensure that at-risk employees are equipped with 
        appropriate personal protective equipment to reduce the 
        likelihood of exposure to a covered communicable disease;
            (5) ensure aircraft and enclosed facilities owned, 
        operated, or used by an air carrier or airport are cleaned, 
        disinfected, and sanitized, and can have installed and 
        maintained protective infrastructure where appropriate, in 
        accordance with CDC guidelines for preventing and containing 
        the spread of covered communicable diseases;
            (6) identify and assign Federal agency roles in the 
        development and deployment of emerging and existing solutions 
        to reduce covered communicable diseases in the aviation 
        ecosystem;
            (7) clearly delineate the responsibilities of the sponsors 
        and operators of airports, air carriers, and Federal agencies 
        in responding to a covered communicable disease;
            (8) incorporate the recommendations made by the Comptroller 
        General of the United States to the Secretary of Transportation 
        contained in the report titled ``Air Travel and Communicable 
        Diseases: Comprehensive Federal Plan Needed for U.S. Aviation 
        System's Preparedness'' issued in December 2015 (GAO-16-127);
            (9) consider the latest peer-reviewed scientific studies 
        that address communicable disease with respect to air 
        transportation; and
            (10) consider funding constraints.
    (c) Consultation.--When developing the plan under subsection (a), 
the Secretary of Transportation shall consult with aviation industry 
and labor stakeholders, including representatives of--
            (1) air carriers;
            (2) airport operators, including with respect to large hub, 
        medium hub, small hub, and nonhub commercial service airports;
            (3) labor organizations that represent airline pilots, 
        flight attendants, air carrier airport customer service 
        representatives, and air carrier maintenance, repair, and 
        overhaul workers;
            (4) the labor organization certified under section 7111 of 
        title 5, United States Code, as the exclusive bargaining 
        representative of air traffic controllers of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration;
            (5) the labor organization certified under such section as 
        the exclusive bargaining representative of airway 
        transportation systems specialists and aviation safety 
        inspectors of the Federal Aviation Administration;
            (6) trade associations representing air carriers and 
        airports; and
            (7) such other stakeholders as the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the plan is developed 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 
report that includes such plan.
    (e) Review of Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which 
a report is submitted under subsection (d), and every year thereafter, 
the Secretary shall review the plan included in such report and make 
changes by rule as the Secretary considers appropriate.
    (f) GAO Study.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall conduct and submit 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a study assessing the national aviation 
preparedness plan developed under subsection (a), including--
            (1) whether such plan--
                    (A) is responsive to any previous recommendations 
                relating to aviation preparedness with respect to an 
                outbreak of a covered communicable disease or global 
                health emergency made by the Comptroller General; and
                    (B) meets the obligations of the United States 
                under international conventions and treaties; and
            (2) the extent to which the United States aviation system 
        is prepared to respond to an outbreak of a covered communicable 
        disease.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) At-risk employee.--The term ``at-risk employee'' 
        means--
                    (A) an individual whose job duties require 
                interaction with air carrier passengers on a regular 
                and continuing basis and who is an employee of--
                            (i) an air carrier;
                            (ii) an air carrier contractor;
                            (iii) an airport; or
                            (iv) the Federal Government; and
                    (B) an air traffic controller or systems safety 
                specialist of the Federal Aviation Administration.
            (2) Covered communicable disease.--The term ``covered 
        communicable disease'' means a communicable disease that has 
        the potential to cause an epidemic or pandemic of infectious 
        disease that would constitute a public health emergency of 
        international concern as declared by the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d).
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