SE North Carolina News

WASHINGTON, DC - On July 20, 2023, with the support of Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07), the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, which reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and improves aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years. 

"Since the Wright Brothers made history on the shores of North Carolina with the first successful flight in history, the United States has maintained global leadership in aviation safety and innovation," said Congressman David Rouzer.  "The 2023 FAA reauthorization makes many advancements to strengthen American aviation and to improve reliability for the increasing amount of passengers taking to the skies.

“I am very pleased provisions that I authored and promoted were included in final passage of the legislation, including my amendments to help alleviate the pilot shortage, to encourage the placement of Narcan in on-board emergency medical kits to improve passenger safety, and to end the purchases of drones manufactured by China and Russia that are currently used by the Department of Transportation and the FAA.

"The bipartisan legislation also provides significant support for the smaller airports serving our small and rural communities so they can better service local economies well into the future."

Congressman Rouzer's Priorities Included in H.R. 3935:

• Increasing Access to Life-Saving Medication During Flights: Congressman Rouzer secured language encouraging the FAA Administrator to include opioid overdose reversal medication (Narcan) into approved emergency medical kits on passenger flights.
• Prohibiting Drones from Certain Foreign Adversaries: Federal agencies like the DOT depend on drones to capture footage of critical infrastructure in areas typically hard to access.  Ensuring their equipment is not compromised by Chinese drone manufacturers who are heavily influenced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is critical to maintaining our national security. Congressman Rouzer’s amendment extends the current prohibition on Chinese and Russian drones for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to the Department of Transportation (DOT).
• Mitigating the Pilot Shortage: Ensuring bureaucratic processes are streamlined is important to mitigating the significant pilot shortage facing our aviation sector.  Through the creation of a working group to identify ways to expedite medical determinations and the creation of a portal for pilots to track the status of their determination, Congressman Rouzer’s Amendment ensures the FAA can help get healthy pilots back in the sky more quickly while preserving passenger safety.

Other highlights of the 2023 FAA Reauthorization Bill:

• Restructures the FAA to improve efficiency and operations.
• Strengthens America’s general aviation (GA) community.
• Encourages growth in the aviation workforce by removing barriers to pursuing aviation careers, improving pilot training standards, and more.
• Makes smart and targeted investments in airport infrastructure across the country.
• Ensures that America continues to be the world’s gold standard in aviation safety.

Original source can be found here.