II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 516 

To plan for and coordinate efforts to integrate advanced air mobility aircraft 

into the national airspace system, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 1, 2021 

Mr. MORAN (for himself and Ms. SINEMA) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation 

A BILL 

To plan for and coordinate efforts to integrate advanced 

air mobility aircraft into the national airspace system, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advanced Air Mobility 

5 Coordination and Leadership Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY WORKING GROUP. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

8 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor9 tation shall establish an advanced air mobility interagency 


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1 working group (in this section referred to as the ‘‘working 

2 group’’). 

3 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con4 gress that Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) represents a key 

5 area of sustainable transportation and economic growth 

6 for the United States and globally, and that it is impera7 tive that the United States take a leadership role in the 

8 adoption and furtherance of this technology. Therefore, 

9 given the path to initial operations is taking place utilizing 

10 today’s regulatory framework, it is critical that govern11 ment agencies collaborate and focus on taking this vital 

12 industry to the next level. 

13 (c) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the working group es14 tablished under this section is to plan for and coordinate 

15 efforts related to the physical and digital security, safety, 

16 infrastructure, and Federal investment necessary for mat17 uration of the AAM ecosystem in the United States in 

18 order to— 

19 (1) further United States leadership; 

20 (2) grow new transportation options; 

21 (3) amplify economic activity and jobs; 

22 (4) advance environmental sustainability and 

23 new technologies; and 

24 (5) support emergency preparedness and com25 petitiveness. 


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1 (d) MEMBERSHIP.—The working group shall be com2 prised of at least 1 representative of each of the following 

3 Federal departments and agencies: 

4 (1) Department of Transportation. 

5 (2) Federal Aviation Administration. 

6 (3) National Aeronautics and Space Adminis7 tration. 

8 (4) Department of Commerce 

9 (5) Department of Defense. 

10 (6) Department of Energy. 

11 (7) Department of Homeland Security. 

12 (8) Department of Agriculture. 

13 (9) Department of Labor. 

14 (10) Such other departments or agencies as the 

15 Secretary of Transportation determines appropriate. 

16 (e) COORDINATION.—The working group shall en17 gage with aviation industry and labor stakeholders, certi18 fying organizations, and others determined appropriate by 

19 the Secretary of Transportation, including— 

20 (1) manufacturers of avionics, AAM aircraft, 

21 propulsion systems, structures, and air traffic man22 agement systems; 

23 (2) operators of AAM aircraft; 

24 (3) air carriers and general aviation operators; 

25 (4) airports; 


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1 (5) fixed-based operators; 

2 (6) labor representatives of pilots, air traffic 

3 controllers, and aviation safety inspectors; 

4 (7) State, local, and Tribal officials or public 

5 agencies, with representation of both urban and 

6 rural areas; 

7 (8) first responders; 

8 (9) groups representing environmental interests; 

9 (10) electric utilities, energy providers and mar10 ket operators; 

11 (11) academia with experience working with in12 dustry on new technology and commercialization; 

13 and 

14 (12) training and maintenance providers. 

15 (f) REVIEW AND EXAMINATION.—Not later than 1 

16 year after the working group is established under sub17 section (a), the working group shall complete a review and 

18 examination of, at a minimum— 

19 (1) the steps which will mature AAM past ini20 tial operations; 

21 (2) the evaluation of physical and digital secu22 rity and safety requirements involved with future air 

23 traffic control concepts which might be considered as 

24 part of evolving AAM to higher levels of traffic den25 sity; 


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1 (3) current Federal programs and policies that 

2 could be leveraged to advance the maturation of the 

3 AAM industry; 

4 (4) infrastructure, including aviation, surface 

5 and energy infrastructure, physical and digital secu6 rity, and utilities necessary to accommodate and 

7 support expanded operations of AAM after initial 

8 implementation; 

9 (5) anticipated benefits associated with AAM 

10 aircraft operations, including economic, environ11 mental, emergency response, and transportation ben12 efits; and 

13 (6) other factors that may limit the full poten14 tial of the AAM industry, including community ac15 ceptance of such operations. 

16 (g) AAM NATIONAL STRATEGY.—Based on the re17 view and examination performed under subsection (f), the 

18 working group shall develop an AAM National Strategy 

19 that includes— 

20 (1) recommendations regarding the safety, se21 curity, infrastructure, air traffic concepts, and other 

22 Federal investment or actions necessary to support 

23 the evolution of early AAM to higher levels of activ24 ity and societal benefit; and 


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1 (2) a comprehensive plan detailing the roles and 

2 responsibilities of each Federal department and 

3 agency necessary to facilitate implementing the rec4 ommendations developed under paragraph (1). 

5 (h) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the com6 pletion of the review and examination performed under 

7 subsection (f), the working group shall submit to the ap8 propriate committees of Congress a report— 

9 (1) detailing the review and examination per10 formed under subsection (f); and 

11 (2) providing the AAM National Strategy, in12 cluding the plan and associated recommendations, 

13 developed under subsection (g). 

14 (i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY; AAM.—The terms 

16 ‘‘advanced air mobility’’ and ‘‘AAM’’ mean an air 

17 transportation system that moves people and cargo 

18 between places using new aircraft designs including 

19 electric aircraft and electric vertical take-off and 

20 landing aircraft (eVTOL), which are integrated into 

21 existing airspace operations as well as operated in 

22 local, regional, intraregional, rural, and urban envi23 ronments, and which may include unmanned or re24 motely piloted vehicles. 


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1 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON2 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con3 gress’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

5 and Transportation of the Senate; 

6 (B) the Committee on Armed Services of 

7 the Senate; 

8 (C) the Committee on Appropriations of 

9 the Senate; 

10 (D) the Committee on Transportation and 

11 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; 

12 (E) the Committee on Armed Services of 

13 the House of Representatives; and 

14 (F) the Committee on Appropriations of 

15 the House of Representatives. 

16 (3) ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT.—The term ‘‘electric 

17 aircraft’’ means any fixed-wing airplane, rotorcraft, 

18 or VTOL aircraft with a fully electric or hybrid (fuel 

19 and electric) driven propulsion system used for 

20 flight. 

21 (4) VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AND LANDING; 

22 VTOL.—The terms ‘‘vertical take-off and landing’’ 

23 and ‘‘VTOL’’ mean an aircraft with lift/thrust units 

24 used to generate powered lift and control and with 


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1 more than two lift/thrust units used to provide lift 

2 during vertical take-off or landing. 

Æ 


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