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Washington, DC – The U. S. House of Representatives is expected Tuesday evening to approve legislation to strengthen Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety standards in order to ensure the United States maintains the safest aviation system in the world.
The legislation, H.R. 6493, was introduced in the House earlier in July in response to concerns about the FAA’s oversight of airline maintenance programs.
Rep. Tom Petri, the ranking Republican on the Aviation Subcommittee, said that commercial air travel is the safest way to travel long distances in the United States, but that safety can never be taken for granted. "A praiseworthy record isn't good enough as long as we still have close calls and lapses in proper maintenance. The Aviation Safety bill will make our skies measurably safer," he said.
Following an extensive hearing with testimony from the Department of Transportation's Inspector General and 21 other witnesses, Petri worked with other Transportation Committee leaders of both parties to introduce the bill and move it through the House.
The safety legislation contains the following provisions:
· Creates an Aviation Safety Whistleblower Investigation Office;
· Requires modification of FAA’s Customer Service Initiative to eliminate references to airlines and certificate holders as “customers”;
· Establishes post-employment restrictions for FAA Flight Standards inspectors and managers: a two-year cooling off period before individuals can represent an airline in any matter before the FAA;
· Requires reassignment of FAA Principal Supervisory Inspectors (PSIs) every five years;
· Requires an FAA headquarters review of the Air Transportation Oversight System (ATOS) Database – this provision requires establishment of a team to review the ATOS database every month, a monthly report of any regulatory trends identified, corrective actions if appropriate, and a quarterly report to Congress.
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