Congressman Cohen Outlines Priorities as Ranking Member of Aviation Subcommittee

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the newly appointed Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, today questioned expert witnesses at a full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.  Congress periodically reauthorizes the FAA and other Federal civil aviation programs through an FAA reauthorization bill. The FAA was last reauthorized when Congress passed and the President signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. Its provisions expire on October 1, 2023.

In his opening statement, Congressman Cohen said in part:

“I look forward to working on our next FAA reauthorization bill. In the 2018 FAA Reauthorization law, Congress included more than 90 safety-focused provisions ranging from flight attendant fatigue to secondary flight deck barriers on passenger aircraft, to the integration of uncrewed aircraft systems into our national airspace system (NAS) and more.  It also included another important provision that I authored to require the FAA to establish minimum dimensions for passenger seats on airplanes to protect the safety of the flying public…

“As we begin our work on our next reauthorization bill, I believe it is imperative that this issue be reexamined.”

Congressman Cohen also noted that he and Senator Tammy Duckworth plan to reintroduce the Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act, or the EVAC Act, to ensure that aircraft evacuation standards do a better job of taking real life conditions into account to ensure all passengers can safely evacuate in an emergency. He also outlined several other safety priorities such as improving conditions for passengers with disabilities, establishing airplane temperature standards on flights, and implementing a long-standing NTSB recommendation to address deficiencies in commercial aviation black box requirements.

Witnesses at today’s hearing were:

    Mr. Dave Boulter, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety (Acting), Federal Aviation Administration;
    The Honorable Jennifer Homendy, Chair, National Transportation Safety Board;
    Captain Jason Ambrosi, President, Air Line Pilots Association, International;
    Mr. Pete Bunce, President and Chief Executive Officer, General Aviation Manufacturers Association;
    Mr. Ed Bolen, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Business Aviation Association; and
    Kerry Buckley, Ph.D., Vice President, Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, MITRE Corporation