[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 25, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E76]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCING THE AIRLINE FIRST RESPONDER WORKPLACE FAIRNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 25, 2012

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of a bill that I'm 
introducing today, the Airline First Responder Workplace Fairness Act.
  As the world's most geographically isolated archipelago, my home 
State of Hawaii is uniquely dependent upon air travel. It is the 
primary mode of transportation for people travelling to Hawaii from the 
U.S. mainland and other countries--as well as from island to island.
  Flights to and from Hawaii are long. They cover vast expanses of 
ocean and cross several time zones. Because of these unique 
circumstances, I am acutely aware of the importance of ensuring that 
the members of every flight crew are rested and alert while doing their 
duties.
  The legislation that I'm introducing today is designed to strengthen 
necessary workplace protections for flight attendants to enhance the 
safety of the travelling public.
  This bill will help put in place common-sense policies to prevent 
flight attendant fatigue. These are the same types of policies that the 
Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 
2010 required for pilots. That legislation passed the House by voice 
vote and the Senate by unanimous consent.
  I believe passage of that legislation was a strong statement that 
Congress recognizes fatigue is clearly detrimental to air crews' 
ability to do their jobs safely--and to ensure the safety of the 
travelling public.
  Unfortunately, the legislation and rulemaking that provided pilots 
with standards to guard against fatigue failed to include flight 
attendants.
  However, Congress had previously enacted legislation that directed 
the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Civil Aerospace Medical 
Institute (CAMI) to study the topic of flight attendant fatigue. 
Funding to carry out this study has already been appropriated and the 
study has been completed. The results of the Civil Aerospace Medical 
Institute's study support the conclusion that action on this front is 
needed.
  The study has found that ``fatigue is a pervasive condition across 
the flight attendant community.'' Moreover, in June of 2007, the former 
international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, 
Patricia Friend, testified before the House Aviation Subcommittee on 
flight attendant fatigue. She indicated that since 9/11 the security 
responsibilities of flight attendants have greatly increased. Flight 
attendants must always be vigilant of what is going on in the aircraft 
cabin--and, as I'm sure we all know, fatigue seldom makes one more 
vigilant.
  To underscore this point, I'd like to highlight a quote from a flight 
attendant's safety report filed with NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting 
System. This person said, ``I am filing this report because I was so 
tired I don't know if I made any mistakes. I know the trip was legal, 
but it wasn't humane.'' Another flight attendant reported that she had 
to pinch herself just to stay awake.
  That quote should be a chilling call to arms. No one, in any 
occupation, should ever be so exhausted that they have to pinch 
themselves to stay awake, or be unable to remember if they've made a 
mistake at work. That type of environment is bad for workers and bad 
for the people who are depending on these workers to safely do their 
job.
  My legislation will move past the study stage and take the next step 
toward ensuring the safety of both our in-flight workforce and the 
travelling public, while doing so in a collaborative manner that 
includes input from the aviation industry.
  The bill does this by directing the Federal Aviation Administrator to 
establish an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) comprised of aviation 
industry stakeholders, labor representatives, and safety experts.
  This ARC would then have 1 year to examine the findings and 
recommendations of the CAMI study, and develop its own recommendations 
for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to utilize in developing 
a final regulation. The FAA would then have 1 year to issue a notice of 
proposed rulemaking on the issue, and would then be required to issue a 
final rule 18 months after that.
  I believe that this legislation sets out a fair, collaborative 
timeline for dealing with this important issue and ensuring the safety 
of both our in-flight workforce and the travelling public.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to see this important 
legislation advanced.

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