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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1594 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1594

  To improve the Federal flight deck officers program, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 2015

   Mr. Paul introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To improve the Federal flight deck officers program, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Arm All Pilots Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FACILITATION OF AND LIMITATIONS ON TRAINING OF FEDERAL FLIGHT 
              DECK OFFICERS.

    (a) Improved Access to Training Facilities.--Section 
44921(c)(2)(C)(ii) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The training of'' and inserting the 
        following:
                                    ``(I) In general.--The training 
                                of''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                                    ``(II) Access to training 
                                facilities.--Not later than 180 days 
                                after the date of the enactment of the 
                                Arm All Pilots Act of 2015, the 
                                Secretary shall--
                                            ``(aa) designate 5 
                                        additional firearms training 
                                        facilities located in various 
                                        regions of the United States 
                                        for Federal flight deck 
                                        officers relative to the number 
                                        of such facilities available on 
                                        the day before such date of 
                                        enactment;
                                            ``(bb) designate firearms 
                                        training facilities approved 
                                        before such date of enactment 
                                        for recurrent training of 
                                        Federal flight deck officers as 
                                        facilities approved for initial 
                                        training and certification of 
                                        pilots seeking to be deputized 
                                        as Federal flight deck 
                                        officers; and
                                            ``(cc) designate additional 
                                        firearms training facilities 
                                        for recurrent training of 
                                        Federal flight deck officers 
                                        relative to the number of such 
                                        facilities available on the day 
                                        before such date of 
                                        enactment.''.
    (b) Firearms Requalification for Federal Flight Deck Officers.--
Section 44921(c)(2)(C)(iii) of such title is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Under Secretary shall'' and inserting 
        the following:
                                    ``(I) In general.--The Secretary 
                                shall'';
            (2) in subclause (I), as designated by paragraph (1), by 
        striking ``the Under Secretary'' and inserting ``the Secretary, 
        but not more frequently than once every 6 months,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                                    ``(II) Use of facilities for 
                                requalification.--The Secretary shall 
                                allow a Federal flight deck officer to 
                                requalify to carry a firearm under the 
                                program through training at a private 
                                or government-owned gun range certified 
                                to provide firearm requalification 
                                training.
                                    ``(III) Self-reporting.--The 
                                Secretary shall determine that a 
                                Federal flight deck officer has met the 
                                requirements to requalify to carry a 
                                firearm under the program if--
                                            ``(aa) the officer reports 
                                        to the Secretary that the 
                                        officer has participated in a 
                                        sufficient number of hours of 
                                        training to requalify to carry 
                                        a firearm under the program; 
                                        and
                                            ``(bb) the administrator of 
                                        the facility at which the 
                                        officer conducted the 
                                        requalification training 
                                        verifies that the officer 
                                        participated in that number of 
                                        hours of training.''.
    (c) Limitations on Training.--Section 44921(c)(2) of such title is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) Limitations on training.--
                            ``(i) Initial training.--The Secretary may 
                        require--
                                    ``(I) initial training of not more 
                                than 5 days for a pilot to be deputized 
                                as a Federal flight deck officer;
                                    ``(II) the pilot to be physically 
                                present at the training facility for 
                                not more than 2 days of such training; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) not more than 3 days of 
                                such training to be in the form of 
                                certified online training administered 
                                by the Department of Homeland Security.
                            ``(ii) Recurrent training.--The Secretary 
                        may require--
                                    ``(I) recurrent training of not 
                                more than 2 days, not more frequently 
                                than once every 5 years, for a pilot to 
                                maintain deputization as a Federal 
                                flight deck officer;
                                    ``(II) the pilot to be physically 
                                present at the training facility for a 
                                full-day training session for not more 
                                than one day of such training; and
                                    ``(III) not more than one day of 
                                such training to be in the form of 
                                certified online training administered 
                                by the Department of Homeland 
                                Security.''.
    (d) Other Measures To Facilitate Training.--Section 44921(e) of 
such title is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Pilots participating'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) In general.--Pilots participating''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Facilitation of training.--
                    ``(A) Time off for training.--An air carrier shall 
                permit a Federal flight deck officer or a pilot seeking 
                to be deputized as a Federal flight deck officer to 
                take a reasonable amount of leave from work to 
                participate in initial and recurrent training for the 
                program. An air carrier shall not be obligated to 
                provide such an officer or pilot compensation for such 
                leave.
                    ``(B) Practice ammunition.--At the request of a 
                Federal flight deck officer, the Secretary shall 
                provide to the officer sufficient practice ammunition 
                to conduct at least one practice course every month.''.

SEC. 3. CARRIAGE OF FIREARMS BY FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICERS.

    (a) General Authority.--Section 44921(f) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs 
        (4) and (5), respectively; and
            (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall authorize a Federal 
        flight deck officer to carry a firearm while engaged in 
        providing air transportation or intrastate air transportation. 
        The authority provided to a Federal flight deck officer under 
        this paragraph includes the authority to carry a firearm--
                    ``(A) on the officer's body, loaded, and holstered;
                    ``(B) when traveling to a flight duty assignment, 
                throughout the duty assignment, and when traveling from 
                a flight duty assignment to the officer's home or place 
                where the officer is residing when traveling; and
                    ``(C) in the passenger cabin and while traveling in 
                a cockpit jump seat.
            ``(2) Concealed carry.--A Federal flight deck officer shall 
        make reasonable efforts to keep the officer's firearm concealed 
        when in public.
            ``(3) Purchase of firearm by officer.--Notwithstanding 
        subsection (c)(1), a Federal flight deck officer may purchase a 
        firearm and carry that firearm aboard an aircraft of which the 
        officer is the pilot in accordance with this section if the 
        firearm is of a type that may be used under the program.''.
    (b) Carriage of Firearms on International Flights.--Paragraph (5) 
of section 44921(f) of such title, as redesignated by subsection 
(a)(1), is amended to read as follows:
            ``(5) Carrying firearms outside united states.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In consultation with the 
                Secretary of State, the Secretary--
                            ``(i) may take such action as may be 
                        necessary to ensure that a Federal flight deck 
                        officer may carry a firearm in a foreign 
                        country whenever necessary to participate in 
                        the program; and
                            ``(ii) shall take such actions as are 
                        within the authority of the Secretary to ensure 
                        that a Federal flight deck officer may carry a 
                        firearm while engaged in providing foreign air 
                        transportation.
                    ``(B) Consistency with federal air marshal 
                program.--The Secretary shall work to make policies 
                relating to the carriage of firearms on flights in 
                foreign air transportation by Federal flight deck 
                officers consistent with the policies of the Federal 
                air marshal program for carrying firearms on such 
                flights.''.
    (c) Carriage of Firearm in Passenger Cabin.--
            (1) Rule of construction.--Section 44921 of title 49, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
    ``(l) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to require a Federal flight deck officer to place a firearm 
in a locked container, or in any other manner render the firearm 
unavailable, when the cockpit door is opened.''.
            (2) Conforming repeal.--Section 44921(b)(3) of title 49, 
        United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) by striking subparagraph (G); and
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (H) through (N) 
                as subparagraphs (G) through (M), respectively.
    (d) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall--
            (1) prescribe regulations on the proper storage of firearms 
        when a Federal flight deck officer is at home or where the 
        officer is residing when traveling; and
            (2) revise the procedural requirements established under 
        section 44921(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code, to 
        implement the amendments made by subsection (c).

SEC. 4. PHYSICAL STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICERS.

    Section 44921(d)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as 
        clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively, and by moving such 
        clauses, as so redesignated, 2 ems to the right;
            (2) by striking ``A pilot is'' and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--A pilot is''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Consistency with requirements for certain 
                medical certificates.--In establishing standards under 
                subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary may not establish 
                medical or physical standards for a pilot to become a 
                Federal flight deck officer that are inconsistent with 
                or more stringent than the requirements of the Federal 
                Aviation Administration for the issuance of a first- or 
                second-class airman medical certificate under part 67 
                of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 
                corresponding similar regulation or ruling).''.

SEC. 5. TRANSFER OF FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICERS FROM INACTIVE TO 
              ACTIVE STATUS.

    Section 44921(d) of such title is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
            ``(5) Transfer from inactive to active status.--A pilot 
        deputized as a Federal flight deck officer who moves to 
        inactive status may return to active status after completing 
        one program of recurrent training described in subsection 
        (c).''.

SEC. 6. FACILITATION OF SECURITY SCREENING OF FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK 
              OFFICERS.

    Section 44921 of title 49, United States Code, as amended by 
section 3(c)(1), is further amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Facilitation of Security Screening of Federal Flight Deck 
Officers.--
            ``(1) Eligibility for expedited screening.--The Secretary 
        shall allow a Federal flight deck officer to be screened 
        through the crew member identity verification program of the 
        Transportation Security Administration (commonly known as the 
        `Known Crew Member program') when entering the sterile area of 
        an airport.
            ``(2) Prohibition on paperwork.--The Secretary may not 
        require a Federal flight deck officer to fill out any forms or 
        paperwork when entering the sterile area of an airport.
            ``(3) Sterile area defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        `sterile area' has the meaning given that term in section 
        1540.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 
        corresponding similar regulation or ruling).''.

SEC. 7. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.

    Section 44921 of title 49, United States Code, as amended by this 
Act, is further amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``Under Secretary of 
        Transportation for Security'' and inserting ``Secretary of 
        Homeland Security'';
            (2) in subsection (d)(4), by striking ``may,'' and 
        inserting ``may'';
            (3) in subsection (i)(2), by striking ``the Under Secretary 
        may'' and inserting ``may'';
            (4) in subsection (k)--
                    (A) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); and
                    (B) by striking ``Applicability'' and all that 
                follows through ``This section'' and inserting 
                ``Applicability.--This section'';
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(n) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Pilot.--The term `pilot' means an individual who has 
        final authority and responsibility for the operation and safety 
        of the flight or any other flight deck crew member.
            ``(2) All-cargo air transportation.--The term `air 
        transportation' includes all-cargo air transportation.''; and
            (6) by striking ``Under Secretary'' each place it appears 
        and inserting ``Secretary''.

SEC. 8. REFUNDS OF CERTAIN SECURITY SERVICE FEES FOR AIR CARRIERS WITH 
              FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICERS ON ALL FLIGHTS.

    Section 44940 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(j) Refund of Fees for Air Carriers With Federal Flight Deck 
Officers on All Flights.--From fees received in a fiscal year under 
subsection (a)(1), each air carrier that certifies to the Secretary of 
Homeland Security that all flights operated by the air carrier have on 
board a pilot deputized as a Federal flight deck officer under section 
44921 shall receive an amount equal to 10 percent of the fees collected 
under subsection (a)(1) from passengers on flights operated by that air 
carrier in that fiscal year.''.

SEC. 9. TREATMENT OF INFORMATION ABOUT FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICERS AS 
              SENSITIVE SECURITY INFORMATION.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall revise section 
15.5(b)(11) of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, to classify 
information about pilots deputized as Federal flight deck officers 
under section 44921 of title 49, United States Code, as sensitive 
security information in a manner consistent with the classification of 
information about Federal air marshals.

SEC. 10. REGULATIONS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall prescribe such 
regulations as may be necessary to carry out this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act.
                                 <all>
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