[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3921 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3921

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to facilitate information 
   sharing between helicopter operators and the Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration regarding helicopter noise complaints, 
 to establish additional requirements on individuals and entities that 
             register a helicopter, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 2023

  Mr. Pascrell (for himself, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Nadler, Ms. 
   Velazquez, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Raskin) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 49, United States Code, to facilitate information 
   sharing between helicopter operators and the Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration regarding helicopter noise complaints, 
 to establish additional requirements on individuals and entities that 
             register a helicopter, 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 ``Reduce Excessive Decibels and 
Unwanted Commotion and Emissions to Heighten Enforcement and Limitation 
of Intrusive Chopper Operations to Protect Towns and Enhance Residents 
from Noise Act of 2023'' or the ``REDUCE HELICOPTER Noise Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. HELICOPTER NOISE COMPLAINT ENFORCEMENT.

    Section 46301 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``or section 47133'' and inserting ``section 47133, or section 
47512''.

SEC. 3. HELICOPTER NOISE COMPLAINT INFORMATION SHARING DATABASE.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 475 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 47512. Helicopter noise complaint information sharing database
    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall establish and maintain a database for the Aircraft 
Noise Ombudsman to receive, collect, and provide access to information 
regarding helicopter noise complaints in accordance with this section.
    ``(b) Submissions.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Aircraft Noise Ombudsman shall 
        establish a process to receive complaint information in 
        accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3) for the input of 
        complaint information as required by subsection (c).
            ``(2) Required submissions.--Such process shall provide 
        that, not later than 48 hours after an owner or operator of a 
        helicopter receives a complaint from an individual, regardless 
        of whether the owner or operator who received such complaint is 
        the subject of that complaint, such owner or operator shall 
        submit to the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman such information 
        provided in the complaint and any other information as may be 
        specified by the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman, including--
                    ``(A) whether such owner or operator is the subject 
                of the complaint; and
                    ``(B) to the extent that the owner or operator is 
                the subject of the complaint that is being submitted, a 
                description of any action such owner or operator is 
                taking or plans to take to address the complaint.
            ``(3) Public submissions.--Such process shall provide for a 
        mechanism by which individuals may directly submit a complaint 
        pertaining to helicopter noise to the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman.
    ``(c) Inputs Required.--Not later than 48 hours after receiving a 
submission described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (b), the 
Aircraft Noise Ombudsman shall--
            ``(1) determine which owner or operator is the subject of 
        the submission;
            ``(2) determine whether the complaint that is the subject 
        of such submission is meritorious; and
            ``(3) input, with respect to any claim determined to be 
        meritorious under paragraph (2), information pertaining to such 
        submission into the database established by subsection (a).
    ``(d) Access.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration shall provide access to the database 
        established by subsection (a) to owners or operators of 
        helicopters to view submissions of complaints pertaining to 
        such owners or operators.
            ``(2) Privacy and indications of actions being taken.--
        Access pursuant to paragraph (1) may be extended only to the 
        extent necessary for an owner or operator to--
                    ``(A) view information included in submissions 
                pertaining to such owner or operator; and
                    ``(B) pursuant to subsection (e)(2), add 
                information relating to actions that may be taken or 
                intended to be taken to address such complaints.
    ``(e) Notification.--
            ``(1) Notification by aircraft noise ombudsman.--In the 
        case the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman inputs a complaint into the 
        database that was not submitted by an owner or operator of a 
        helicopter that is the subject of the complaint, not later than 
        48 hours after such complaint is so inputted, the Aircraft 
        Noise Ombudsman shall notify such owner or operator that the 
        complaint has been input into the database.
            ``(2) Response by owner or operator.--Not later than 48 
        hours of being notified of a complaint pursuant to paragraph 
        (1), that is a meritorious complaint, as determined by the 
        Aircraft Noise Ombudsman, an owner or operator of a helicopter 
        shall input into the database an indication as to whether such 
        owner or operator is taking an action to address such 
        complaint.
    ``(f) Exception.--Subsections (b)(2), (d), and (e) shall not apply 
with respect to complaints relating to helicopters owned or operated by 
a military department (as defined in section 102 of title 5) or the 
Coast Guard.
    ``(g) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this section, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure for the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation for the Senate a report that 
includes the following:
            ``(1) The number of complaints received by the Aircraft 
        Noise Ombudsman that were then directed to the owner or 
        operator of a helicopter who was the subject of such complaint.
            ``(2) The number of complaints received by the Aircraft 
        Noise Ombudsman in which the appropriate owner or operator of a 
        helicopter could not be identified.
            ``(3) The number of complaints received by the Aircraft 
        Noise Ombudsman that were reported by--
                    ``(A) an owner or operator of a helicopter; and
                    ``(B) an individual.
            ``(4) The number of instances an owner or operator of a 
        helicopter indicated such owner or operated took an action to 
        address a complaint.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis of subchapter I of chapter 
475 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``47512. Helicopter noise complaint information sharing database.''.

SEC. 4. HELICOPTER REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS.

    Section 44102 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection--
    ``(c) Submission and Verification of Information.--
            ``(1) Individuals.--Any individual who has registered a 
        helicopter under subsection (a), and any individual who has an 
        ownership interest of at least 10 percent in a helicopter 
        registered under such subsection, shall submit to the 
        Administrator the name, address, date of birth, driver's 
        license or pilot's license, or both, of such individual, and 
        any information necessary as determined by the Administrator.
            ``(2) Entities.--Any entity that has registered a 
        helicopter under subsection (a), and any entity that has an 
        ownership interest of at least 10 percent in a helicopter 
        registered under such subsection, shall submit to the 
        Administrator the name, physical address, principal place of 
        business, and taxpayer identification number of such entity, 
        and any information necessary as determined by the 
        Administrator.
            ``(3) Verification.--The Administrator shall verify the 
        information submitted and eligibility of entities registered 
        under this subsection through an independent review.''.

SEC. 5. DEALERS' CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION.

    Section 44104 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Administrator'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator'';
            (2) in paragraph (1) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in paragraph (2) by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) in the public interest for verifying any information 
        dealers submit for the issuance of a dealer's certificate.
    ``(b) Information for the Issuance of Dealers' Certificates.--For 
any regulations prescribed under subsection (a)(2) for the issuance of 
a dealer's certificate of registration, the Administrator shall 
additionally require the dealer to furnish such information as may be 
required by the Administrator.''.
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