This Time It Was Included As Part Of The National Defense Authorization Act

The U.S. Senate has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes third class medical reform language.

It is the third time the Senate has passed a bill with such language. The first was in December of last year, when it approved the Pilots Bill Of Rights 2 (PBOR 2). Then, the Senate approved medical certificate reform as part of the FAA reauthorization act that was passed by the body in April.

“It’s clear that third class medical reform has strong bipartisan support,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “The Senate has passed these reforms three times already, and the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 has 178 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House. It’s time for the House to take action and pass Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 so we can get much-needed medical reforms.”

In an editorial posted by AOPA, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) (pictured), the author of the PBOR 2 legislation and a strong proponent of medical reform, urged the U.S. House of Representatives to move forward on an FAA reauthorization bill that includes the medical certificate reforms, “whether that is an extension or a full reauthorization.”

But the legislation has stalled in the House, where Republican leaders are still pushing for ATC privatization. The current continuing resolution which is funding the FAA expires July 15. Last week, 14 aviation organizations sent a letter to the leadership in the House urging them to quickly pass a reauthorization bill. The House version of the FAA bill also includes the third class medical reforms.

The Senate vote on the NDAA was 85-13.

(Source: AOPA. Image from file)

FMI: www.senate.gov, http://house.gov