Klobuchar Statement on Passage of FAA Reauthorization Bill

Press Release

Today U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a member on the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, released the following statement after the Senate passed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill.

"Our aviation system is a crucial part of our national infrastructure and vital to our economy," Klobuchar said. "This bill upgrades air traffic control technology, improves passenger rights, and helps make our air-transport system the safest in the world. Now is the time when the rubber meets the runway, and I look forward to its passage in the House and being signed into law."
The FAA Reauthorization Bill includes many provisions from a bill drafted by Klobuchar and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) that would:
* Establish a whistleblower office in the FAA;
* Establish a cooling-off period for FAA inspectors before they can work for airlines and interact with FAA;
* Establish a roving "National Review Board" that will travel around to various FAA inspection offices to conduct safety audits; and
* Require that Review Board inspections of maintenance facilities be periodic and random.

The bill also includes a Passenger Bill of Rights, originally cosponsored by Klobuchar, that would require that airlines provide passengers with food, water, and adequate restrooms during a tarmac delay. It would also require airlines to return to the gate after a plane has sat on the ground for three hours or 3.5 hours if the pilot thinks the plane will take off before that time.

Source