IB 
Union Calendar No. 355 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 884 
[Report No. 117–458] 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a national aviation 
preparedness plan for communicable disease outbreaks, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 5, 2021 
Mr. LARSEN of Washington (for himself, Mr. BEYER, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, 
Ms. NORTON, and Mr. CARSON) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 
Additional sponsors: Mr. PAYNE, Mr. KAHELE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. SIRES, 
Mr. COHEN, Mr. CASE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, and Mr. 
LEVIN of California 
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 5, 2021] 
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A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a 
national aviation preparedness plan for communicable 
disease outbreaks, and for other purposes. 
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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 ‘‘National Aviation Pre-
paredness Plan Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL AVIATION PREPAREDNESS PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and 
the heads of such other Federal departments or agencies as 
the Secretary of Transportation considers appropriate, 
shall develop a national aviation preparedness plan for 
communicable disease outbreaks. 
(b) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—The plan developed under 
subsection (a) shall, at a minimum— 
(1) provide airports and air carriers with an 
adaptable and scalable framework with which to align 
the individual plans, including the emergency re-
sponse plans, of such airports and air carriers and 
provide guidance as to each individual plan; 
(2) improve coordination among airports, air 
carriers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other ap-
propriate Federal entities, and State and local gov-
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ernments and health agencies with respect to pre-
paring for and responding to communicable disease 
outbreaks; 
(3) to the extent practicable, improve coordina-
tion among relevant international entities; 
(4) create a process to identify appropriate per-
sonal protective equipment, if any, for covered em-
ployees to reduce the likelihood of exposure to a cov-
ered communicable disease, and thereafter issue rec-
ommendations for the equipage of such employees; 
(5) create a process to identify appropriate tech-
niques, strategies, and protective infrastructure, if 
any, for the cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitization of 
aircraft and enclosed facilities owned, operated, or 
used by an air carrier or airport, and thereafter issue 
recommendations pertaining to such techniques, strat-
egies, and protective infrastructure; 
(6) identify and assign Federal agency roles in 
the deployment of emerging and existing technologies 
and solutions to reduce covered communicable diseases 
in the aviation ecosystem; 
(7) clearly delineate the responsibilities of the 
sponsors and operators of airports, air carriers, and 
Federal agencies in responding to a covered commu-
nicable disease; 
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(8) 
incorporate, 
as 
appropriate, 
the 
rec-
ommendations made by the Comptroller General of 
the United States to the Secretary of Transportation 
contained in the report titled ‘‘Air Travel and Com-
municable Diseases: Comprehensive Federal Plan 
Needed for U.S. Aviation System’s Preparedness’’, 
issued in December 2015 (GAO-16-127); 
(9) consider the latest peer-reviewed scientific 
studies that address communicable disease with re-
spect to air transportation; and 
(10) consider funding constraints. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—When developing the plan under 
subsection (a), the Secretary of Transportation shall consult 
with aviation industry and labor stakeholders, including 
representatives of— 
(1) air carriers, which shall include domestic air 
carriers consisting of major air carriers, low-cost car-
riers, regional air carriers and cargo carriers; 
(2) airport operators, including with respect to 
large hub, medium hub, small hub, and nonhub com-
mercial service airports; 
(3) labor organizations that represent airline pi-
lots, flight attendants, air carrier airport customer 
service representatives, and air carrier maintenance, 
repair, and overhaul workers; 
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(4) the labor organization certified under section 
7111 of title 5, United States Code, as the exclusive 
bargaining representative of air traffic controllers of 
the Federal Aviation Administration; 
(5) the labor organization certified under such 
section as the exclusive bargaining representative of 
airway transportation systems specialists and avia-
tion safety inspectors of the Federal Aviation Admin-
istration; 
(6) trade associations representing air carriers 
and airports; 
(7) aircraft manufacturing companies; and 
(8) such other stakeholders as the Secretary con-
siders appropriate. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the plan 
is developed under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
that includes such plan. 
(e) REVIEW OF PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date on which a report is submitted under subsection (d), 
and again not later than 5 years thereafter, the Secretary 
shall review the plan included in such report and, after con-
sultation with aviation industry and labor stakeholders, 
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make changes by rule as the Secretary considers appro-
priate. 
(f) GAO STUDY.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
conduct and submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate a study assessing the national aviation pre-
paredness plan developed under subsection (a), including— 
(1) whether such plan— 
(A) is responsive to any previous rec-
ommendations relating to aviation preparedness 
with respect to an outbreak of a covered commu-
nicable disease or global health emergency made 
by the Comptroller General; and 
(B) meets the obligations of the United 
States under international conventions and trea-
ties; and 
(2) the extent to which the United States avia-
tion system is prepared to respond to an outbreak of 
a covered communicable disease. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COVERED
EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘covered 
employee’’ means— 
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(A) an individual whose job duties require 
interaction with air carrier passengers on a reg-
ular and continuing basis and who is an em-
ployee of— 
(i) an air carrier; 
(ii) an air carrier contractor; 
(iii) an airport; or 
(iv) the Federal Government; or 
(B) an air traffic controller or systems safe-
ty specialist of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion. 
(2) COVERED
COMMUNICABLE
DISEASE.—The 
term ‘‘covered communicable disease’’ means a com-
municable disease that has the potential to cause a fu-
ture epidemic or pandemic of infectious disease that 
would constitute a public health emergency of inter-
national concern as declared, after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services under section 319 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d). 
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