[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 165 (Thursday, October 4, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6538-S6539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today in support of H.R. 302, the 
Aviation, Transportation Safety, and Disaster Recovery Reforms and 
Reauthorization Act, a long-term, bipartisan reauthorization of the 
Federal Aviation Administration, FAA.
  I am pleased that this bill includes multiple provisions designed to 
mitigate and alleviate community exposure to noise. Aircraft noise 
threatens the quality of life of Marylanders who live around Baltimore/
Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, BWI, and Ronald 
Reagan Washington National Airport, DCA, robbing them of sleep, 
cardiovascular health, and their children's learning.
  After anguished pleas from impacted constituents and concerned State 
and local elected officials, Senator Van Hollen and I drafted multiple 
noise impact mitigation provisions which are included in H.R. 302. 
After this bill is enacted, airports will have to submit updated noise 
exposure maps to the FAA, the FAA will have to consider noise concerns 
from affected communities when proposing new departure procedures, the 
FAA will be required to examine the community engagement process, the 
FAA will study how aircraft approach and takeoff speeds impact 
communities surrounding airports, airport land use compatibility 
guidelines will have to be revised, the FAA will create a pilot program 
to mitigate the impacts of aircraft noise, and the FAA and NASA will 
study the impact of technologies on fuel efficiency, noise, and 
aircraft weight.
  I am disappointed that my provision to require the FAA Administrator 
to implement new departure and arrival procedures to protect 
communities surrounding airports was not included in this bill, and I 
am determined to continue my efforts to improve the departure and 
arrival procedures.
  Outside of the noise context, H.R. 302 will make the skies safer and 
more dignified for airline passengers and professionals alike. Airports 
will be required to provide lactation rooms to be eligible for airport 
development project grants.
  Airline staff who have regular interaction with passengers will be 
required to have human trafficking identification training. The FAA 
must examine and improve response to onboard sexual assault 
allegations. The Attorney General of the United States will establish a 
process for individuals to report sexual misconduct on aircraft.
  The FAA will issue regulations creating minimum dimensions for 
passenger seats--width, leg room, and pitch--and prohibiting airlines 
from involuntarily removing passengers from flights after they have 
cleared the boarding gate.
  The bill makes aviation safer for first responders by directing the 
FAA to consider an airport's role in medical emergencies, medical 
evacuations, and community-related emergency or disaster preparedness 
when evaluating airport master plans.
  The bill restores power to passengers by directing the U.S. 
Department of Transportation to examine whether carriers are being 
upfront with consumers about flight times and requires Secretary of 
Transportation to develop the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill 
of Rights, listing rights and protections granted to airline 
passengers.
  The aviation industry is critical to the State of Maryland. According 
to the Alliance for Aviation Across America, Maryland is home to 25 
repair stations, 15 FAA-approved pilot schools, 1,389 flight 
instructors, 2,566 student pilots, 514 active Air Line Pilots 
Association pilots, 110 National Air Traffic Controller Association air 
traffic controllers, an aviation maintenance training school, and nine 
general aviation airports. More than 17 million passengers flew through 
BWI Marshall Airport in 2017. In 2017, the FAA's Airport Improvement 
Program, AIP, provided $26,307,253 in grants to airport improvement 
projects in Maryland.
  H.R. 302 balances the needs of Maryland residents, communities, 
airports and the aviation industry while ensuring continuity for the 
FAA programs which are vital to the safe operation and economic 
viability of Maryland's airports and aviation community. I support the 
bipartisan H.R. 302 which will modernize airport infrastructure, 
improve service for the flying public, enhance transportation safety 
and security, and boost aviation industry innovation.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, the Senate finally completed its work 
on a new longterm FAA Reauthorization bill. This 5-year bill will give 
the aviation industry the certainty it needs in order to plan for 
future investments and service enhancements. This bill also gives the 
FAA the direction and tools necessary to address customer and community 
concerns that arise from those activities.
  Stable funding for the Airport Improvement Program, AIP, is an 
essential program for both large and small airports. In this fiscal 
year, in my home State of Maryland, 13 airports received 16 separate 
grants to aid in construction related improvements. These are projects 
that likely would have been delayed or postponed if it were not for 
AIP.
  This bill contains language that I supported to address the negative 
effects of airplane noise on homeowners. Directing the FAA to review 
how they work with communities impacted by airplane noise and study the 
health impacts of noise is a step in the right direction toward 
tackling the impacts of NextGen implementation. I look forward to 
working with the FAA to ensure the provisions in this bill are 
implemented and to strive for additional ways to address the perpetual 
problem of noise in our communities.
  Reauthorizing the Essential Air Service Program and Small Community 
Air Service Development Program is important to make sure that the 
rural airports in our country, like Hagerstown Regional Airport in 
Maryland, receive the funding they need to maintain service in remote 
areas.
  I am also pleased that the bill contains S. 2792, a bill to modernize 
training programs at aviation maintenance technician schools and S. 
2506, a bill to establish an aviation maintenance workforce development 
pilot program. The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics has a satellite 
campus at Hagerstown Regional Airport where they are training the next 
generation of aviation technicians. As our airplanes modernize, so too 
must aviation technician curriculum.
  While the bill contains several provisions that seek to improve 
customer service including the language that I offered to the TICKETS 
Act that prevents the forcible removal of passengers after boarding, 
setting passenger seat size minimums, and improving accessibility for 
travelers with disabilities, I am disappointed that the bill does not 
include the Fair Fees Act. The Fair Fees Act would have protected 
consumers by prohibiting an air carrier from imposing fees for basic 
services like checking a bag or rescheduling a flight that are 
unreasonable or disproportional to the cost incurred by the air 
carrier.

[[Page S6539]]

  In addition, I am concerned about the potential impact of sections 
1602 and 1919 on privacy, press freedoms, and other civil liberties. I 
strongly urge the administration to implement these provisions in a 
manner consistent with the First and Fourth Amendments of the 
Constitution and other applicable provisions of Federal law. Providing 
for the security of the American people is one of our greatest 
responsibilities; however, we must equally ensure that we safeguard the 
individual liberties enshrined in our Constitution.

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