Rep. Cleaver Supports House Passage of Bill to Reauthorize the FAA, Strengthen Aviation Workforce, Protect Airline Consumers

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) voted in favor of the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years. The bipartisan bill will maintain America’s gold standard of leadership in safety and aerospace innovation, strengthen and diversify the U.S. aviation workforce, improve consumer protections and accessibility, and make groundbreaking investments in sustainability and resiliency.

“Since the Wright Brothers first took flight more than a century ago, America has led the world when it comes to aviation safety and innovation—and the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act will continue that legacy for years to come,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Not only does this bill provide investments that will help create good-paying jobs and strengthen our aviation workforce in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, but it also takes steps to protect consumers by ensuring families can sit together at no cost and travelers are reimbursed if a flight is delayed or cancelled. I was proud to support this bipartisan bill, and I encourage my colleagues in the Senate send it to the President’s desk.”

The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act will uphold public safety and maintain American leadership in aviation by:

• Maintaining America’s gold standard in aviation safety, ensuring that America’s aviation system remains the safest in the world by expanding ground surveillance at airports to help prevent runway incursions, updating evacuation standards for commercial planes, and creating a task force on preventing assaults against flight crews.
• Strengthening and diversifying the U.S. aviation workforce by tripling the FAA’s workforce development funding to $45 million a year, expanding our talent pipeline of pilots, maintenance technicians, and aviation manufacturing workers, and funding efforts to recruit and retain people from underrepresented communities in the aviation industry.
• Expanding Consumer Protections and Accessibility by requiring airlines to pay for reimbursements for hotels and meal costs if there are mass cancellations and delays, allowing young families to sit together at no extra cost, and directing airlines to create a roadmap to reduce damage to wheelchairs and improve airline personnel training to better assist these passengers.
• Promoting Environmental Sustainability and Resilience to accelerate the green energy transition by investing for the first time in federal airport funding for airport environmental and noise programs—which will help equip airports to continue serving communities amid the impacts of climate change.

Official text of the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.