[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1463 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1463
To require a joint task force on air travel during and after the COVID-
19 Public Health Emergency, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 1, 2021
Mr. Lynch introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the
Committees on Homeland Security, and Energy and Commerce, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a joint task force on air travel during and after the COVID-
19 Public Health Emergency, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Health Safety in the Skies
Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Advisory committee.--The term ``Advisory Committee''
means the Joint Federal Advisory Committee established under
section 4.
(2) Air travel.--The term ``air travel'' includes
international air travel.
(3) COVID-19 public health emergency.--The term ``COVID-19
public health emergency'' means the public health emergency
first declared on January 31, 2020, by the Secretary of Health
and Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) with respect to COVID-19 and
includes any renewal of such declaration pursuant to such
section 319.
(4) Joint task force.--The term ``Joint Task Force'' means
the Joint Task Force on Air Travel During and After the COVID-
19 Public Health Emergency established under section 3(a).
SEC. 3. JOINT TASK FORCE ON AIR TRAVEL DURING AND AFTER THE COVID-19
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
establish the Joint Task Force on Air Travel During and After the
COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
(b) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Joint Task Force shall develop
recommended requirements, plans, and guidelines to address the
health, safety, security, and logistical issues relating to--
(A) the continuation of air travel during the
COVID-19 public health emergency; and
(B) the resumption of full operations at airports
and increased passenger air travel after the COVID-19
public health emergency.
(2) Recommendations.--The recommendations developed under
paragraph (1), with respect to the applicable periods described
in paragraph (3), shall include--
(A) modifying airport, air carrier, security
(including passenger security screening), and other
operations related to passenger air travel, including
passenger queuing, boarding, deplaning, and baggage
handling procedures, as a result of--
(i) current and anticipated changes to
passenger air travel during and after the
COVID-19 public health emergency; and
(ii) anticipated changes to passenger air
travel resulting from any seasonal recurrence
of the coronavirus;
(B) mitigating the public health and economic
impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency and any
seasonal recurrence of the coronavirus on airports and
passenger air travel (including through the use of
personal protective equipment, the implementation of
strategies to promote overall passenger and employee
safety, and the accommodation of social distancing as
feasible and necessary);
(C) addressing privacy and civil liberty issues
that may arise from passenger health screenings,
contact-tracing, or other processes used to monitor the
health of individuals engaged in air travel; and
(D) operating procedures to manage future public
health crises that can be anticipated, to the extent
such public health crises may impact air travel.
(3) Applicable periods.--For purposes of paragraph (2), the
applicable periods described in this paragraph are the
following periods:
(A) The period beginning on the date of the first
meeting of the Joint Task Force and ending on the last
day of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
(B) The 1-year period beginning on the day after
the end of the period described in subparagraph (A).
(c) Activities of the Joint Task Force.--
(1) In general.--In developing the recommended
requirements, plans, and guidelines under subsection (b), and
prior to including such recommendations in the final report
required under section 5(b), the Joint Task Force shall--
(A) conduct cost-benefit evaluations regarding such
recommendations, including costs impacting air
operations and impacts on air travel;
(B) consider funding constraints;
(C) use risk-based decision making; and
(D) consult with the Advisory Committee established
in section 4(a) and consider any consensus policy
recommendations of the Advisory Committee submitted
under section 4(b).
(2) International consultation.--The Joint Task Force shall
consult, as practicable, with relevant international entities
and operators, including the International Civil Aviation
Organization, to harmonize (to the extent possible) recommended
requirements, plans, and guidelines for air travel during and
after the COVID-19 public health emergency.
(d) Membership.--
(1) Chair.--The Secretary of Transportation (or the
Secretary's designee) shall serve as Chair of the Joint Task
Force.
(2) Vice-chair.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(or the Secretary's designee) shall serve as Vice-Chair of the
Joint Task Force.
(3) Other members.--In addition to the Chair and Vice-
Chair, the members of the Joint Task Force shall include
representatives of the following:
(A) The Department of Transportation.
(B) The Department of Homeland Security.
(C) The Department of Health and Human Services.
(D) The Federal Aviation Administration.
(E) The Transportation Security Administration.
(F) U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
(G) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(H) The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration.
(I) The National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health.
(J) The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration.
(K) The Department of State.
(L) The Environmental Protection Agency.
SEC. 4. JOINT FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 15 days after the date on which
the Joint Task Force is established under section 3(a), the Secretary
of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland
Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall
establish a Joint Federal Advisory Committee to advise the Joint Task
Force.
(b) Duties of the Advisory Committee.--The Advisory Committee shall
develop and submit consensus policy recommendations to the Joint Task
Force for the Joint Task Force to consider when developing
recommendations under section 3(b).
(c) Membership.--The members of the Advisory Committee shall
include representatives of the following:
(1) Airport operators designated by the Secretary of
Transportation in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland
Security.
(2) Air carriers designated by the Secretary of
Transportation.
(3) Aircraft and aviation manufacturers designated by the
Secretary of Transportation.
(4) Labor organizations representing--
(A) aviation industry workers (including pilots,
flight attendants, engineers, maintenance, mechanics,
air traffic controllers, safety inspectors, and workers
performing airport services such as security, terminal
and cabin cleaning, passenger assistance, and aircraft
loading) designated by the Secretary of Transportation;
and
(B) security screening personnel designated by the
Secretary of Homeland Security.
(5) Public health experts designated by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
(6) Organizations representing airline passengers
designated by the Secretary of Transportation.
(7) Privacy and civil liberty organizations designated by
the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(8) Manufacturers and integrators of passenger screening
and identity verification technologies designated by the
Secretary of Homeland Security.
(9) Trade associations representing air carriers (including
major passenger air carriers, low-cost passenger air carriers,
regional passenger air carriers, cargo air carriers, and
foreign passenger air carriers) designated by the Secretary of
Transportation in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland
Security.
(10) Trade associations representing airport operators
(including large hub, medium hub, small hub, nonhub primary,
and nonprimary commercial service airports) designated by the
Secretary of Transportation in consultation with the Secretary
of Homeland Security.
(11) Aviation contractors designated by the Secretary of
Transportation.
(d) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the membership of the Advisory
Committee shall not affect its responsibilities but shall be filled in
the same manner as the original appointment and in accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App).
(e) Prohibition on Compensation.--The members of the Advisory
Committee shall not receive any compensation from the Federal
Government by reason of their service on the Advisory Committee.
(f) Publication.--Not later than 14 days after the date on which
the Advisory Committee submits policy recommendations to the Joint Task
Force pursuant to subsection (b), the Secretary of Transportation shall
publish such policy recommendations on a publicly accessible website.
SEC. 5. BRIEFINGS AND REPORTS.
(a) Preliminary Briefings.--As soon as practicable, but not later
than 6 months after the date on which the Joint Task Force is
established under section 3(a), the Joint Task Force shall begin
providing preliminary briefings to Congress on the status of the
development of the recommended requirements, plan, and guidelines under
section 3(b). The preliminary briefings shall include interim versions,
if any, of the recommendations of the Joint Task Force.
(b) Final Report.--
(1) Deadline.--As soon as practicable, but not later than
18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Joint
Task Force shall submit a final report to Congress.
(2) Content.--The final report shall include the following:
(A) All of the recommended requirements, plans, and
guidelines developed by the Joint Task Force under
section 3(b), and a description of any action taken by
the Federal Government as a result of such
recommendations.
(B) Consensus policy recommendations submitted by
the Advisory Committee under section 4(b), and an
explanation (including data and risk analysis) of any
action by the Joint Task Force in response to such
recommendations.
SEC. 6. TERMINATION.
The Joint Task Force and the Advisory Committee shall terminate 30
days after the date on which the Joint Task Force submits the final
report required under section 5(b).
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