What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Comptroller General of the United States (the federal official who oversees how the government spends money) to study how prepared airlines are for extreme weather and natural disasters. The Comptroller General must then brief Congress on the findings within one year and submit a full report six months later, including recommendations for new laws or government actions.
Who It Affects
Air carriers (airlines)
The Federal Aviation Administration (the agency that regulates airlines)
Congress
The Comptroller General of the United States
Key Provisions
The Comptroller General must study and assess how prepared airlines are for extreme weather, flooding, extreme heat, changes in rain and snow patterns, storms including winter storms, coastal storms, tropical storms, hurricanes, and fire conditions. (Sec. 2(a)(1))
The study must examine how much airlines are preparing for weather events and natural disasters, including their staffing levels, safety policies, investment plans, and other plans to handle disasters. (Sec. 2(a)(2)(A))
The study must examine how the Federal Aviation Administration oversees airlines' ability to handle storms, natural disasters, and changing weather conditions. (Sec. 2(a)(2)(B))
The study must identify steps the federal government and airlines can take to improve their ability to handle storms, natural disasters, and changing weather conditions. (Sec. 2(a)(2)(C))
The Comptroller General must brief Congress within one year of the bill becoming law and submit a full report within six months after that briefing. (Sec. 2(b))
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the federal government will conduct an official study of how prepared airlines are for extreme weather and natural disasters. Congress will receive a briefing and detailed report with recommendations for new laws or government actions to improve airline preparedness.
Important Definitions
"Air carrier" means an airline, as defined in federal transportation law. (Sec. 2(c)(1))
"Appropriate committees of Congress" means the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. (Sec. 2(c)(2))
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 787
To require the Comptroller General of the United States to study and report
on the operational preparedness of air carriers for preparing for changing
weather and other events related to changing conditions and natural
hazards.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 14, 2023
Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. WELCH, and Mrs. FISCHER) in-
troduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
A BILL
To require the Comptroller General of the United States
to study and report on the operational preparedness of
air carriers for preparing for changing weather and other
events related to changing conditions and natural haz-
ards.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Airline Operational
4
Resiliency Act of 2023’’.
5
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SEC. 2. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON THE OPERATIONAL
1
PREPAREDNESS OF AIR CARRIERS FOR PRE-
2
PARING
FOR
CHANGING
WEATHER
AND
3
OTHER
EVENTS
RELATED
TO
CHANGING
4
CONDITIONS AND NATURAL HAZARDS.
5
(a) STUDY.—
6
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Comptroller General
7
shall study and assess the operational preparedness
8
of air carriers for preparing for changing weather
9
and other events related to changing conditions and
10
natural hazards, including flooding, extreme heat,
11
changes in precipitation, storms, including winter
12
storms, coastal storms, tropical storms, and hurri-
13
canes, and fire conditions.
14
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—As part of the study re-
15
quired by paragraph (1), the Comptroller General
16
shall assess the following:
17
(A) The extent to which air carriers are
18
preparing for weather events and natural disas-
19
ters, as well as changing conditions and natural
20
hazards, that may impact air carriers’ oper-
21
ational investments, staffing levels and safety
22
policies, mitigation strategies, and other resil-
23
iency planning.
24
(B) How the Federal Aviation Administra-
25
tion oversees air carriers’ operational resilience
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•S 787 IS
to storms and natural disasters, as well as
1
changing conditions.
2
(C) Steps the Federal Government and air
3
carriers can take to improve their operational
4
resilience to storms and natural disasters, as
5
well as changing conditions.
6
(b) BRIEFING AND REPORT.—
7
(1) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the
8
date of enactment of this section, the Comptroller
9
General shall brief the appropriate committees of
10
Congress on the study required by subsection (a), to-
11
gether with recommendations for such legislation
12
and administrative action as the Comptroller Gen-
13
eral determines appropriate.
14
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after
15
the briefing required by paragraph (1) is provided,
16
the Comptroller General shall submit a report to the
17
appropriate committees of Congress on the study re-
18
quired by subsection (a), together with recommenda-
19
tions for such legislation and administrative action
20
as the Comptroller General determines appropriate.
21
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
22
(1) AIR CARRIER.—The term ‘‘air carrier’’ has
23
the meaning given that term in section 40102 of
24
title 49, United States Code.
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(2)
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
1
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
2
gress’’ means the Committee on Transportation and
3
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and
4
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
5
portation of the Senate.
6
(3)
COMPTROLLER
GENERAL.—The
term
7
‘‘Comptroller General’’ means the Comptroller Gen-
8
eral of the United States.
9
Æ
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