Hageman Votes To Improve Air Passenger Experience And Safety

H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation (SGRLAA) Act, also known as H.R. 3935 was drafted with the hope of improving operations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ensure maintenance of safety standards, aid in workforce development, provide support for infrastructure refinements, and enhance flying experience for all passengers. The Act would authorize all listed funds and programs for the FAA through 2028.

Today, Representative Harriet Hageman voted in support of H.R. 3935.

She stated that, “The SGRLAA Act will ensure United States air transportation continues to be the best in the world. The changes made in this legislation will make it easier for airports to expand capacity without excessive and oppressive environmental restrictions, address workforce shortages, and restrict the ability of China to abuse our airspace. I am proud to have three amendments included in this bill and, considering the overwhelming bipartisan support in the House today, look forward to seeing its swift passage by the Senate.”

Rep. Hageman Amendments

1. Amendment No. 37 – Ensures the procurement of new aviation-related equipment is of high quality and standard and will be built to last for the benefit of Wyoming airports and the aviation community.
2. Amendment No. 38 – Requires the FAA to provide easily accessible and streamlined non-federal weather observer training to airport personnel so that such personnel can manually provide weather observations when automated surface observing systems and automated weather observing systems experience outages and errors.
3. Amendment No. 39 – Requires a study on methods related to the recruitment, retention, employment, education, training, and well-being of the aviation workforce specifically within rural communities and report the findings to Congress.

SGRLAA Specific Provisions

Related to improving the passenger experience:

1. 1. Includes the Freedom to Fly Act, which prohibits the FAA from implementing COVID-19 vaccine/mask mandates on employees of air carriers, employees of contractors, employees of the FAA, or passengers of air carriers.
   2. Increases the amount of funding for aviation workforce development grant programs to support the education and recruitment of future pilots, aviation maintenance technical workers, and the overall aviation manufacturing workforce.

Related to safety:

1. 1. Requires the completion of rulemaking proceedings to require all applicable aircraft to be fitted with a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder.
   2. Requires the FAA and USFS to develop a plan for the use of unmanned aircraft systems to assist in wildfire response efforts.
   3. Requires the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to establish the Office of Oversight, Accountability, and Quality Assurance, to be responsible for detecting and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse within NTSB programs and operations.

Related to China:

1. 1. Prohibits the availability of certain financial assistance for contracts or subcontracts regarding the procurement or investment of rolling stock if the manufacturer or corporation is based out of China (PRC).
   2. Prohibits the use of any unmanned aircraft systems owned by the PRC or the Russian Federation to inspect ground-based aviation infrastructure in areas lacking accessibility including air traffic control towers, radar facilities, etc.
   3. States that none of the funds authorized in this bill can be used to conduct research, develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a policy, program, order, or contract of any kind with the Chinese Communist Party or any Chinese-owned entity unless activities are specifically authorized by law after the enactment of this bill.

Related to environmental extremism:

1. 1. Requires the FAA to make a determination on an investigation related to environmental impacts, and pursue subsequent action, or close the investigation within 2 years of the issuance of a letter.
   2. Eliminates requirements mandating the Secretary of Transportation to consult with the Secretary of the Interior and the Administrator of the EPA about any project within a grant focusing on the location of an airport or runway.
   3. Streamlines NEPA environmental review process for federal aviation projects.
   4. Requires the FAA Administrator to collaborate with other appropriate Federal agencies to ensure designations of critical habitats do not interfere with the safe operation of aircraft or occur on airport-owned lands due to reasonings related to future development.