MOBILE Act

Bill: 118-s-1459
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
Introduced: 2023-05-04
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Latest action: action_date: 2023-05-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-04
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Mobility Aids On Board Improve Lives and Empower All Act or the MOBILE Act</strong></p><p>This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations related to the accommodations that air carriers and foreign air carriers make for passengers with wheelchairs (including power wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, and scooters); DOT must also develop a road map and study the issue.</p><p>Specifically, air carriers must publish the dimensions of aircraft cargo holds. An air carrier must offer a full refund to an individual with a disability who is traveling with a wheelchair and cannot fly on the existing aircraft because the cargo hold cannot physically accommodate the wheelchair.</p><p>DOT must also</p><ul><li>evaluate data on the mishandling of wheelchairs on aircraft (e.g., damages, delays, or loss) and submit a publicly available report to Congress, which must include&nbsp;DOT's plans to address issues in the report;</li><li>submit a strategic road map to Congress describing how DOT and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the Access Board) will establish a research program on the feasibility of main cabin wheelchair restraint systems; and</li><li>study, if DOT first determines doing so would be technically feasible, the economic and financial feasibility of air carriers accommodating passengers with wheelchairs in the main cabin during flight.</li></ul>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1459 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 4, 2023 Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Mr. Thune ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue regulations concerning accommodations for powered wheelchairs, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Mobility Aids On Board Improve Lives and Empower All Act or the MOBILE Act . 2. Regulations related to powered wheelchairs; other evaluations regarding wheelchairs (a) Rulemaking Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Transportation (in this section referred to as the Secretary ) shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking requiring air carriers and foreign air carriers (as defined in section 40102 of title 49, United States Code)— (1) to publish, on a prominent and easily accessible place on the website of the carrier, information describing the dimensions of the cargo holds of all aircraft types in the air carrier's fleet, including the dimensions of the cargo hold entry; and (2) in the case of a qualified individual with a disability (as defined in section 382.3 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations) traveling with a wheelchair (including a powered wheelchair, manual wheelchair, or scooter) who has purchased a ticket for a flight from the air carrier but who cannot fly on the existing aircraft because the wheelchair of such qualified individual cannot fit in the cargo hold, to offer a refund to such qualified individual of any previously paid fares, fees, and taxes applicable to such flight. (b) Evaluation of data regarding mishandled wheelchairs Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall— (1) evaluate data (which shall be delineated by type of wheelchair being mishandled, such as powered wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, and scooters, and by type of mishandling, such as damage (including the type of damage, such as broken drive wheels or casters, bent or broken frames, damage to electrical connectors or wires, control input devices, joysticks, upholstery, or other components, and any other type of damage deemed appropriate by the Secretary), delay, or loss) regarding the frequency of mishandling of wheelchairs (as defined in section 37.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations) occurring on aircraft; (2) determine whether there are issues with respect to such frequency and type of mishandling; and (3) review and report any claims for which an air carrier has conclusive evidence of fraud. (c) Report on mishandled wheelchairs Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report (which shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department of Transportation) regarding the results of each such evaluation and determination under subsection (b), including how the Secretary plans to address such results through consultation with air carriers, wheelchair manufacturers, national disability and disabled veterans organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. (d) Feasibility of in-Cabin wheelchair restraint systems (1) Roadmap Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a publicly available strategic roadmap that describes how the Department of Transportation and the United States Access Board, respectively, shall, in accordance with the recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Transportation Research Board Special Report 341— (A) establish a program of research, in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), the assistive technology industry, air carriers, original equipment manufacturers, national disability and disabled veterans organizations, and any other relevant stakeholders, to test and evaluate an appropriate selection of WC19-compliant wheelchairs and accessories in accordance with applicable Federal Aviation Administration crashworthiness and safety performance criteria, including the issues and considerations set forth in Special Report 341; and (B) sponsor studies that assess issues and considerations, including those set forth in Special Report 341, such as— (i) the likely demand for air travel by individuals who are nonambulatory if such individuals could remain seated in their personal wheelchairs in flight; and (ii) the feasibility of implementing seating arrangements that would accommodate passengers in wheelchairs in the main cabin in flight. (2) Study If determined to be technically feasible by the Secretary, not later than 2 years after making such determination, the Secretary shall commence a study to assess the economic and financial feasibility of air carriers and foreign air carriers implementing seating arrangements that accommodate passengers with wheelchairs (including powered wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, and scooters) in the main cabin during flight. Such study shall include an assessment of— (A) the cost of such seating arrangements, equipment, and installation; (B) the demand for such seating arrangements; (C) the impact of such seating arrangements on passenger seating and safety on aircraft; (D) the impact of such seating arrangements on the cost of operations and airfare; and (E) any other information determined appropriate by the Secretary. (3) Report Not later than 1 year after the date on which the study under paragraph (2) is completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a publicly available report describing the results of the study conducted under paragraph (2), together with any recommendations the Secretary determines appropriate. (e) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.