Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act

Bill: 117-s-5235
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
Introduced: 2022-12-12
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Aviation and airports

Department of Transportation

Disability and paralysis

Disability assistance

Transportation and Public Works

Transportation safety and security
Latest action: action_date: 2022-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-12-12
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a final rule establishing evacuation standards for transport category airplanes that accounts for certain factors, including the ability of passengers of different ages (e.g., infants, children, and senior citizens) to safely and efficiently evacuate an airplane.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5235 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 12, 2022 Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Ms. Baldwin ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To require the Federal Aviation Administration to establish evacuation standards for transport category airplanes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act . 2. Evacuation standards for transport category 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 rule establishing evacuation standards for transport category 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 consider 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 disabilities to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport 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; (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 efficiently 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 category 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 number of passengers relative to the number of seats on board) on the ability of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (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 appropriate by the Administrator. (2) Passengers with disabilities defined 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 require a wheelchair, walker, cane, brace, prosthetic, or other mobility device; (ii) whose physical impairment requires the use of a medical device to assist with mobility, such as a portable oxygen concentrator; or (iii) with a developmental or mental impairment.