Healthy Air Travel Act

Bill: 118-hr-3679
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20]
Introduced: 2023-05-25
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Latest action: action_date: 2023-05-25
text: Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-25
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Healthy Air Travel Act</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration to establish an interagency task force to develop and implement a strategy to identify and advance research on communicable diseases in air travel. The task force must consult with representatives from the aviation industry, health experts, and labor stakeholders in developing the strategy. </p> <p>Under the bill, the term <i>communicable disease </i> refers to certain diseases that have the potential to cause a future epidemic or pandemic of infectious disease that would constitute a public health emergency of international concern as declared, after the date of the bill's enactment, by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.</p>

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3679 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 25, 2023 Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick (for herself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia , Mr. Fitzpatrick , Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer , Mr. Bacon , Ms. Norton , Mr. Carson , and Ms. Titus ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology A BILL To direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation administration to develop an interagency task force to develop and implement a strategy to identify and advance research on communicable diseases in air travel, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Healthy Air Travel Act . 2. Interagency task force on communicable diseases in air travel (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish an interagency task force to develop and implement a strategy to identify and advance research on communicable diseases in air travel. (b) Membership The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall select members of the task force established pursuant to subsection (a) from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services and such other Federal departments or agencies as the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration considers appropriate. (c) Consultation (1) In general When developing a strategy under subsection (a), the task force established pursuant to such subsection shall consult with aviation industry, health experts, and labor stakeholders, including representatives of— (A) air carriers, which shall include domestic air carriers consisting of major air carriers, low-cost carriers, regional air carriers and cargo carriers; (B) airport operators, including with respect to large hub, medium hub, small hub, and nonhub commercial service airports; (C) labor organizations that represent airline pilots, flight attendants, air carrier airport customer service representatives, and air carrier maintenance, repair, and overhaul workers; (D) 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; (E) the labor organization certified under such section as the exclusive bargaining representative of airway transportation systems specialists and aviation safety inspectors of the Federal Aviation Administration; (F) trade associations representing air carriers and airports; (G) aircraft manufacturing companies; (H) public health and infectious disease experts and researchers; (I) scientists and engineers familiar with air travel; (J) general aviation; and (K) such other stakeholders as the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration considers appropriate. (2) Balance of input The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall ensure input from stakeholders under paragraph (1) is balanced between labor stakeholders and airline, airport, and manufacturer stakeholders. (d) Requirements on agencies The task force established pursuant to subsection (a) shall— (1) determine the resources needed by each department, agency, or administration of the Federal Government; (2) identify the responsibilities of each such department, agency, or administration; and (3) catalog all interagency agreements related to this section for Congress. (e) Contents of strategy The task force established under subsection (a) shall develop a strategy that, at a minimum— (1) provides a holistic look at what is known about communicable diseases in air transportation; (2) identifies any areas of needed research; (3) gives researchers access to relevant data, including deidentified health data, and to the extent practicable, gives researchers access to aircraft and airports; (4) incorporates, as appropriate, the considerations made by the Comptroller General of the United States to the Secretary of Transportation contained in the report titled Air Travel and Communicable Diseases: Federal Leadership Needed to Advance Research , issued in July 2022 (GAO–22–104579); (5) considers the latest peer-reviewed scientific studies that address communicable disease with respect to air transportation; and (6) considers funding constraints. (f) Report The task force established pursuant to subsection (A) shall 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 report on the contents of the strategy developed under subsection (d) and that identifies what authorities, if any, the task force considers are needed by either the task force or the membership agencies of the task force to help ensure implementation of the strategy developed under subsection (d). (g) Definitions In this section: (1) Air transportation The term air transportation means the movement of passengers and airline crew through airports, onto and off aircraft, and in the aircraft cabin. (2) Communicable disease The term communicable disease means a communicable disease that has the potential to cause a future epidemic or pandemic of infectious disease that would constitute a public health emergency of international concern as declared, after the date of enactment 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 ).