Polis introduces amendments to protect families and children while flying -- and ensure safer Flight for Life helicopters

Statement

Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., will introduce several amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization in the Committee on Rules in the House of Representatives today.

Polis's amendment to protect families and children is based on the Lasting Improvements to Family Travel (LIFT) Act, which is sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., in the Senate. It would allow children under 13 to sit next to a caregiver at no additional cost; add pregnant women to airline nondiscrimination policies, granting them priority boarding; and study how lengthy flight delays impact passenger health, assessing how access to water, bathrooms, and air circulation in the cabin may impact health.

"As a father of a three and six year old, I know that flying with the family can be challenging. Parents shouldn't have to rely on the generosity of others to sit next to their children, and pregnant women shouldn't have to rely on the thoughtfulness of flight attendants to board comfortably. My amendment eliminates the worry and uncertainty families sometimes have to endure when travelling," said Polis.

Polis will also introduce a pair of amendments regarding helicopter safety. He co-authored an amendment with Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., to require the FAA to install crash resistant fuel systems in newly manufactured helicopters. In addition, he authored an amendment to provide a tax incentive to EMS companies that install safer fuel systems.

Polis's advocacy for safer helicopter fuel systems is in direct response to a Flight for Life crash that occurred in Frisco in 2015. Following the deadly crash, the National Transportation Security Board (NTSB) recommended to the FAA that crash-resistant fuel systems be a requirement for all civil rotorcrafts.

"My hope is that we can all agree that Flight for Life helicopters, as well as other civilian helicopters, should be equipped with the highest safety standards available," said Polis. "Requiring crash-resistant fuel safety systems will save lives."

Karen Mahany, whose husband did not survive the Frisco crash, has been a champion for safer fuel systems, meeting with Polis and Perlmutter regularly.

"The July 3, 2015 Frisco helicopter crash not only changed the lives of the EMS helicopter industry, it exposed a loophole allowed by the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) since 1989/94. In learning of this loophole, Rep. Jared Polis and Rep. Ed Perlmutter stepped forward to protect EMS helicopter crews. By mandating crash-resistant fuel tanks on EMS helicopters, it will mean the difference of life and death for EMS helicopter crews," said Mahany.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the FAA reauthorization later in the week.

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