WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today spoke on the Senate floor about the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.  

Excerpt of Thune’s remarks (as prepared for delivery):

“Mr. President, every few years, Congress has to pass legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, the government agency responsible for everything from overseeing the safety of the national airspace to providing grants for critical infrastructure needs at airports.

“And passing that reauthorization bill gives us the opportunity to take a look at aviation as a whole and hear from manufacturers, airport administrators, airlines, and the flying public.

“And that’s exactly what we did with the reauthorization bill before the Senate today.

“In the lead-up to this bill, we spent months conducting research, holding hearings in the Commerce Committee, which I chair, and listening to the aviation community and to airline passengers.

“And then we took that information and used it to develop legislation that will strengthen aviation, promote economic growth, enhance transportation safety and security, and improve the flying experience for the traveling public.

“I’m proud of the bill before us today and grateful for the hard work done by members of both parties in both the House and the Senate.”

Click here for Sen. Thune’s full Senate floor remarks.

Highlights of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018

Modernizing airport infrastructure 

• Provides funding for airport development.
• Increases flexibility to finance projects.
• Requires TSA to make available, in airports and online, real-time information on security line waits.

Improving service for the flying public

• Prohibits involuntary bumping of passengers who have already boarded.
• Directs FAA to set minimum standards for airline seat sizes.
• Requires private rooms for nursing mothers in large and medium airports.
• Ensures airlines promptly return fees for services (seat assignments, early boarding, etc.) not received.

Enhancing safety and security

• Strengthens aviation training, reporting, tracking, and cybersecurity.
• Provides new risk-mitigation authorities for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
• Authorizes more canine security teams and, to meet demand, expands ways to test and certify dogs.

Boosting innovation

• Streamlines certifications for design and delivery of aircraft to boost competitiveness of aviation manufacturing. 
• Furthers efforts to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the airspace through traffic management system advancements and research.
• Creates an Office of Spaceports to support licensing and promote infrastructure improvements.
• Authorizes approval for civil supersonic aircraft that reduce sonic booms.

Disaster assistance

• Provides $1.68 billion in supplemental appropriations for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Florence.
• Reforms Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs to help communities better prepare for and respond to disasters of all types.

To view the section by section of H.R. 302, click here.

To view the joint Senate/House highlights summary, click here. 

To view the full text of H.R. 302, click here.