Teacher:In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Federal Flight Deck Officer
Improvement Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICER TRAINING AND REQUALIFICATION
TRAINING.

(a) Training, Supervision, and Equipment.--Section 44921(c) of
title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
''(3) Location of training.--
''(A) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study
of the feasibility of conducting Federal flight deck
officer initial training at facilities located
throughout the United States, including an analysis of
any associated programmatic impacts to the Federal
flight deck officer program.
''(B) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary
shall transmit 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 results of the study.
''(4) Dates of training.--The Secretary shall ensure that a
pilot who is eligible to receive Federal flight deck officer
training is offered a choice of training dates and is provided
at least 30 days advance notice of the dates.
''(5) Travel to training facilities.--The Secretary shall
establish a program to improve travel access to Federal flight
deck officer training facilities through the use of charter
flights or improved scheduled air carrier service.
''(6) Requalification and recurrent training.--
''(A) Standards.--The Secretary shall establish
qualification standards for facilities where Federal
flight deck officers can receive requalification and
recurrent training.
''(B) Locations.--The Secretary shall provide for
requalification and recurrent training at
geographically diverse facilities, including military
facilities, Federal, State, and local law enforcement
facilities, and private training facilities that meet
the qualification standards established under
subparagraph (A).
''(7) Costs of training.--
''(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide
Federal flight deck officer training, requalification
training, and recurrent training to eligible pilots at
no cost to the pilots or the air carriers that employ
the pilots.
''(B) Transportation and expenses.--The Secretary
may provide travel expenses to a pilot receiving
Federal flight deck officer training, requalification
training, or recurrent training.
''(8) Communications equipment.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary
shall establish a secure means for personnel of the
Transportation Security Administration to communicate with
Federal flight deck officers, and for Federal flight deck
officers to communicate with each other, in support of the
mission of such officers. Such means of communication may
include a secure Internet website.
''(9) Issuance of badges.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall
issue badges to Federal flight deck officers.''.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICER FIREARM CARRIAGE PILOT PROGRAM.

Section 44921(f) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
''(4) Pilot Program.--
''(A) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary
shall implement a pilot program to allow pilots
participating in the Federal flight deck officer
program to transport their firearms on their persons.
The Secretary may prescribe any training, equipment, or
procedures that the Secretary determines necessary to
ensure safety and maximize weapon retention.
''(B) Review.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of initiation of the pilot program, the Secretary shall
conduct a review of the safety record of the pilot
program and transmit a report on the results of the
review to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate.
''(C) Option.--If the Secretary as part of the
review under subparagraph (B) determines that the
safety level obtained under the pilot program is
comparable to the safety level determined under
existing methods of pilots carrying firearms on
aircraft, the Secretary shall allow all pilots
participating in the Federal flight deck officer
program the option of carrying their firearm on their
person subject to such requirements as the Secretary determines
appropriate.''.

SEC. 4. FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICERS ON INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS.

(a) Agreements With Foreign Governments.--The President is
encouraged to pursue aggressively agreements with foreign governments
to allow maximum deployment of Federal flight deck officers on
international flights.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the President (or the President's designee) 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 status of the President's
efforts to allow maximum deployment of Federal flight deck officers on
international flights.

SEC. 5. COMPENSATION FOR PROGRAM-RELATED INJURIES.

Section 44921 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (k) as subsection (l); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (j) the following:
''(k) Compensation for Program-Related Injury or Death.--
''(1) In general.--The Secretary shall work with the
relevant Federal agencies to obtain compensation under
applicable Federal laws for the death or injury of a Federal
flight deck officer sustained while in the performance of the
officer's duties under the program.
''(2) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress
a report on the Secretary's efforts to obtain compensation for
Federal flight deck officers under paragraph (1), together with
recommendations, if any, for legislative actions required to
provide such compensation.''.

SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that air carriers should permit Federal
flight deck officers to take a leave of absence from their employment
as required to attend initial and requalification Federal flight deck
officer training.

SEC. 7. REFERENCES TO UNDER SECRETARY.

Section 44921 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ''Under Secretary of
Transportation for Security'' and inserting ''Secretary of
Homeland Security'';
(2) by striking ''Under Secretary'' each place it appears
and inserting ''Secretary''; and
(3) by striking ''Under Secretary's'' each place it appears
and inserting ''Secretary's''.
Student:
Federal Flight Deck Officer Improvement Act of 2004 - Instructs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) study and report to certain congressional committees on the feasibility of conducting Federal flight deck officer initial training; (2) ensure that eligible pilots are offered a choice of training dates, and given advance notice of them; (3) establish a program to improve travel access to Federal flight deck officer training facilities through the use of charter flights or improved scheduled air carrier service; (4) establish qualification standards for facilities where Federal flight deck officers can receive requalification and recurrent training; and (5) provide Federal flight deck officer training, requalification training, and recurrent training at no cost to the pilots or the air carriers that employ them.

Directs the Secretary to establish a secure means for personnel of the Transportation Security Administration to communicate with Federal flight deck officers, and for Federal flight deck officers to communicate with each other.

Directs the Secretary to implement a pilot program to allow pilots participating in the Federal flight deck officer program to transport their firearms on their persons.

Encourages the President to pursue aggressively agreements with foreign governments to allow maximum deployment of Federal flight deck officers on international flights.

Requires the Secretary to work with relevant Federal agencies to obtain compensation for the death or injury of a Federal flight deck officer sustained while in the performance of his or her duties under the program.

Expresses the sense of Congress that air carriers should permit Federal flight deck officers to take a leave of absence from their employment as required to attend initial and requalification Federal flight deck officer training.