[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2657-H2658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ACPAC MODERNIZATION ACT
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5663) to modify the termination of the Aviation Consumer
Protection Advisory Committee, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5663
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 ``ACPAC Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. AVIATION CONSUMER PROTECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
Section 411 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012
(49 U.S.C. 42301 prec. note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (3) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(B) in paragraph (4) by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) ticket agents.''; and
(2) in subsection (i) by striking ``ticket agents,''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Taylor) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
General Leave
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that members have 5
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert
extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 5663.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, travel advisers and ticket agents serve as a critical
consumer-facing component of our Nation's air transportation system.
Collectively, they sell more than 780,000 airline tickets each day and
were responsible for over the $99 billion in airline ticket sales last
year.
Because they work directly with travelers, they understand firsthand
what works well for consumers and what does not. Their perspective
deserves to be included when shaping consumer protection regulations.
This bill builds on the bipartisan work of this committee during the
last Congress. In the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, we reauthorized
the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, or ACPAC.
A similar provision to the ACPAC Modernization Act was included in
the House-passed FAA reauthorization but was ultimately removed during
conference negotiations.
This legislation simply ensures that a representative of ticket
agents has a seat on the advisory committee.
Madam Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5663, the ACPAC Modernization Act,
bipartisan legislation introduced by my friend from Nevada
Representative Titus.
Congress has delivered several key victories to the flying public to
help them have a better flying experience. This included requirements
for passengers to receive automatic refunds; requiring airlines to
develop policies to reimburse passengers for travel, meals, and hotel
accommodations when experiencing a flight disruption; and requiring
airlines to allow young children to sit next to their parents.
The Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, or ACPAC,
established by Congress during the 2012 FAA reauthorization, has helped
implement these reforms, as it advises the Transportation Secretary on
aviation consumer protection issues.
However, the advisory committee is currently missing a critical
voice, the voice of ticket agents.
In 2024, ticket agents sold over 781,000 airline tickets a day,
totaling nearly $100 billion in annual sales. Their expertise in the
aviation consumer experience and industry is vital to the ACPAC's work.
However, even as a substantial portion of the flying public relies on
their services, ticket agents are currently not represented on the
committee. This means they will be implementing many of the rules that
fall directly on them, since they are the point of sale, but have no
input on how these rules will be implemented. Their voices simply are
not currently heard.
This could potentially leave consumers who purchase tickets from
online ticket agents worse off.
That is why I support H.R. 5663, as amended. This commonsense bill
would rectify this oversight by adding a representative of ticket
agents to the ACPAC, allowing them to advise on the very rules they
will be responsible for implementing.
This would put ticket agents at the same level on the commission as
air carriers, travel management companies, nonprofits with expertise in
disability and accessibility issues, and other important industry
advisers to the DOT.
This bill builds upon section 508 of the 2024 FAA reauthorization,
which extended the authorization of ACPAC through September 30, 2028.
Madam Speaker, I support this bill now to fulfill the potential of
ACPAC and urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am
prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Nevada (Ms. Titus).
Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama for
yielding me the time and for his eloquent defense of this legislation,
H.R. 5663, the ACPAC Modernization Act.
The Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, or ACPAC,
provides recommendations to the Department of Transportation for
improving consumer protection in aviation.
My bill would simply, as you have heard, expand the committee's
membership to include a representative for ticket agents.
There are 2,700 travel advisers in Nevada, and in 2024 alone, they
generated over $1 billion in sales. These same travel advisers are an
integral part of our travel and tourism economy.
For example, in 2024, Las Vegas welcomed 41.7 million visits,
yielding over $86 billion in economic impact.
In my district alone, the travel industry also supports $1.6 billion
in State and local taxes and is the top industry for employment.
Supporting our tourism economy is one of my top priorities in
Congress, and that effort is more important than ever now that the
Trump slump has hit our travel destinations.
This bill will give travel agents a seat at the table as a voting
member of ACPAC alongside air carriers, airport operators, and other
stakeholders.
Ticket agents build their business on their unmatched expertise
dealing with what the public needs and wants when traveling.
Accordingly, they will provide valuable insights into ACPAC's work.
[[Page H2658]]
When we prioritize consumer protection and the passenger experience
in aviation, everyone wins and everyone enjoys the trip even more.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am
prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, Congress has delivered victories for the
flying public before, and it is time we do so again by modernizing the
ACPAC.
Ticket agents are in many cases the face and the voice of airlines.
They have to deal with so much as it relates to implementing the rules,
to delivering bad news, to hearing the attitudes, to hearing the
feedback of customers. That is why I support H.R. 5663, as amended, to
give them the voice that they deserve in this process, and I urge my
colleagues to do the same.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 5663 reflects a simple but important principle.
Those who work directly with consumers should have a voice in the
policies that affect them.
Travel advisers and ticket agents interact with travelers every day,
helping families, small businesses, and communities navigate an
increasingly complex aviation marketplace. Their practical, real-world
experience is invaluable.
By adding a representative of ticket agents to the Aviation Consumer
Protection Advisory Committee we strengthen the advisory process
without expanding bureaucracy or imposing new mandates.
This is a measured, bipartisan step that builds on the work we began
in the last Congress and ensures the committee benefits from a more
complete range of industry and consumer perspectives.
Madam Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Bice). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) that the House suspend
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5663, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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