I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9467 
To require the Federal Aviation Administration to establish evacuation 
standards for transport category airplanes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 8, 2022 
Mr. COHEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To require the Federal Aviation Administration to establish 
evacuation standards for transport category airplanes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emergency Vacating 
of Aircraft Cabin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EVACUATION STANDARDS FOR TRANSPORT CAT-
EGORY AIRPLANES. 
(a) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator 
of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue a final 
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rule establishing evacuation standards for transport cat-
egory airplanes, as described in part 25 of title 14, Code 
of Federal Regulations. 
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In issuing the final rule 
under subsection (a), the Administrator shall con-
sider factors that include— 
(A) the ability of passengers of different 
ages (including infants, children, and senior 
citizens) to safely and efficiently evacuate a 
transport category airplane; 
(B) the ability of passengers of different 
heights and weights to safely and efficiently 
evacuate a transport category airplane; 
(C) the ability of passengers with disabil-
ities to safely and efficiently evacuate a trans-
port category airplane; 
(D) the ability of passengers who cannot 
speak, have difficulty speaking, use synthetic 
speech, or are non-vocal or non-verbal to safely 
and efficiently evacuate a transport category 
airplane; 
(E) the ability of passengers who do not 
speak English to safely and efficiently evacuate 
a transport category airplane; 
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(F) the impact of the presence of carry-on 
luggage or personal items (such as a purse, 
briefcase, laptop, or backpack) on the ability of 
passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a 
transport category airplane; 
(G) the impact of seat size and seat pitch 
on the ability of passengers to safely and effi-
ciently evacuate a transport category airplane; 
(H) the impact of seats and other obstacles 
in the pathway to the exit opening from the 
nearest aisle on the ability of passengers to 
safely and efficiently evacuate a transport cat-
egory airplane; 
(I) with respect to aircraft with parallel 
longitudinal aisles, the impact of seat pods or 
other seating configurations that block access 
between such aisles within a cabin on the ability 
of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate 
a transport category airplane; 
(J) the impact of passenger load (the num-
ber of passengers relative to the number of 
seats on board) on the ability of passengers to 
safely and efficiently evacuate a transport cat-
egory airplane; 
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(K) the impact of service animals and the 
ability to safely and efficiently evacuate such 
animals from a transport category airplane; and 
(L) any other factor determined appro-
priate by the Administrator. 
(2) 
PASSENGERS
WITH
DISABILITIES
DE-
FINED.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 
‘‘passengers with disabilities’’— 
(A) means any qualified individual with a 
disability, as defined in section 382.3 of title 
14, Code of Federal Regulations; and 
(B) includes any passengers— 
(i) with a physical impairment, such 
as passengers who are blind, deaf, or re-
quire a wheelchair, walker, cane, brace, 
prosthetic, or other mobility device; 
(ii) whose physical impairment re-
quires the use of a medical device to assist 
with mobility, such as a portable oxygen 
concentrator; or 
(iii) with a developmental or mental 
impairment. 
Æ 
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