Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act

IIB 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1339 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES NOVEMBER 15, 2021 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation AN ACT To require the Secretary of Transportation to establish an advanced air mobility interagency working group, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 HR 1339 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advanced Air Mobility 2 Coordination and Leadership Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY WORKING GROUP. 4 (a) WORKING GROUP.—Not later than 120 days after 5 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trans- 6 portation shall establish an advanced air mobility inter- 7 agency working group (in this section referred to as the 8 ‘‘working group’’). 9 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the working group es- 10 tablished under subsection (a) shall be to plan and coordi- 11 nate efforts related to the safety, operations, infrastruc- 12 ture, physical security, cybersecurity, and Federal invest- 13 ment necessary for maturation of the AAM ecosystem in 14 the United States. It is critical that Government agencies 15 collaborate in order to enhance United States leadership, 16 develop new transportation options, amplify economic ac- 17 tivity and jobs, advance environmental sustainability and 18 new technologies, and support emergency preparedness 19 and competitiveness. 20 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—Not later than 60 days after the 21 establishment of the working group under subsection (a), 22 the Secretary of Transportation shall— 23 (1) appoint the Under Secretary of Transpor- 24 tation for Policy to chair the working group; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 HR 1339 RFS (2) designate not less than one additional rep- 1 resentative to participate on the working group from 2 each of— 3 (A) the Department of Transportation; 4 and 5 (B) the Federal Aviation Administration; 6 and 7 (3) invite the heads of each of the following de- 8 partments or agencies to designate not less than 1 9 representative to participate on the working group, 10 including— 11 (A) the National Aeronautics and Space 12 Administration; 13 (B) the Department of Defense; 14 (C) the Department of Energy; 15 (D) the Department of Homeland Security; 16 (E) the Department of Commerce; 17 (F) the Federal Communications Commis- 18 sion; and 19 (G) such other departments or agencies as 20 the Secretary of Transportation determines ap- 21 propriate. 22 (d) COORDINATION.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor- 24 tation and Administrator of the Federal Aviation 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 HR 1339 RFS Administration shall coordinate with aviation indus- 1 try and labor stakeholders, stakeholder associations, 2 and others determined appropriate by the Secretary 3 of Transportation and the Administrator of the Fed- 4 eral Aviation Administration, including the following: 5 (A) Manufacturers of aircraft, avionics, 6 propulsion systems, and air traffic management 7 systems. 8 (B) Intended operators of AAM aircraft. 9 (C) Commercial air carriers, commercial 10 operators, and general aviation operators, in- 11 cluding helicopter operators. 12 (D) Airports, heliports, and fixed-base op- 13 erators. 14 (E) Aviation training and maintenance 15 providers. 16 (F) Certified labor representatives of pi- 17 lots, air traffic control specialists employed by 18 the Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft 19 mechanics, and aviation safety inspectors. 20 (G) State, local, and Tribal officials or 21 public agencies. 22 (H) First responders. 23 (I) Groups representing environmental in- 24 terests. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 HR 1339 RFS (J) Electric utilities, energy providers, en- 1 ergy market operators, and wireless providers. 2 (K) Unmanned aircraft system operators 3 and service suppliers. 4 (L) Groups representing consumer inter- 5 ests. 6 (M) Groups representing the interests of 7 taxpayers. 8 (2) ADVISORY COMMITTEES.—The Secretary of 9 Transportation and Administrator of the Federal 10 Aviation Administration may use such Federal advi- 11 sory committees as may be appropriate to coordinate 12 with the entities listed in paragraph (1). 13 (e) REVIEW AND EXAMINATION.—Not later than 1 14 year after the establishment of the working group under 15 subsection (a), the working group shall complete a review 16 and examination of, at a minimum— 17 (1) steps that will mature AAM aircraft oper- 18 ations, concepts, and regulatory frameworks beyond 19 initial operations; 20 (2) safety requirements and physical and cyber- 21 security involved with future air traffic management 22 concepts which may be considered as part of the evo- 23 lution of AAM to higher levels of traffic density; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 HR 1339 RFS (3) current Federal programs and policies that 1 may be leveraged to advance the maturation of the 2 AAM industry; 3 (4) infrastructure, including aviation, 4 multimodal, cybersecurity, and utility infrastructure, 5 necessary to accommodate and support expanded op- 6 erations of AAM after initial implementation; 7 (5) anticipated benefits associated with AAM 8 aircraft operations, including economic, environ- 9 mental, emergency and natural disaster response, 10 and transportation benefits; and 11 (6) other factors that may limit the full poten- 12 tial of the AAM industry, including community ac- 13 ceptance of AAM operations. 14 (f) PLAN AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—Based on the 15 review and examination performed under subsection (e), 16 the working group shall develop— 17 (1) recommendations regarding the safety, op- 18 erations, security, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and 19 other Federal investment or actions necessary to 20 support the evolution of early AAM to higher levels 21 of activity and societal benefit; and 22 (2) a comprehensive plan detailing the roles and 23 responsibilities of each Federal department or agen- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 HR 1339 RFS cy to facilitate or implement the recommendations in 1 paragraph (1). 2 (g) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the com- 3 pletion of the review and examination completed under 4 subsection (e), the working group shall submit to the Com- 5 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 6 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 7 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that— 8 (1) details the review and examination per- 9 formed under subsection (e); and 10 (2) provides the plan and recommendations de- 11 veloped under subsection (f). 12 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 13 (1) ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY; AAM.—The terms 14 ‘‘advanced air mobility’’ and ‘‘AAM’’ mean a trans- 15 portation system that transports people and property 16 by air between two points in the United States using 17 aircraft, including electric aircraft or electric vertical 18 take-off and landing aircraft, in both controlled and 19 uncontrolled airspace. 20 (2) ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT.—The term ‘‘electric 21 aircraft’’ means an aircraft with a fully electric or 22 hybrid (fuel and electric) driven propulsion system 23 used for flight. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 HR 1339 RFS (3) FIXED-BASE OPERATOR.—The term ‘‘fixed- 1 base operator’’ means a business granted the right 2 by an airport sponsor or heliport sponsor to operate 3 on an airport or heliport and provide aeronautical 4 services, including fueling and charging, aircraft 5 hangaring, tiedown and parking, aircraft rental, air- 6 craft maintenance, and flight instruction. 7 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean- 8 ing given such term in section 47102 of title 49, 9 United States Code. 10 (5) VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AND LANDING.—The 11 term ‘‘vertical take-off and landing’’ means an air- 12 craft with lift/thrust units used to generate powered 13 lift and control and with two or more lift/thrust 14 units used to provide lift during vertical take-off or 15 landing. 16 Passed the House of Representatives November 4, 2021. Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Nov 15, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1339.RFS H1339 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS