Political Quotes

“Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen are a great model of bipartisanship that we can learn a lot from in this institution. I thank them for their leadership in crafting a strong, bipartisan FAA bill. Air travel can be stressful, but for those with disabilities, it can be a nightmare. It is the only mode of public transportation that requires one to surrender their mobility devices before boarding and to place their trust in others to get safely to their seats. This bill takes meaningful steps--many I was proud to help lead on-- to improve the flying experience for passengers with disabilities, including our disabled veterans. It directs the Department of Transportation to gather data on disability-related complaints and make meaningful improvements based on that data. It improves training for employees that assist passengers with boarding and deplaning, as well as those who handle mobility devices. It requires airlines to issue refunds to those who are unable to travel when their wheelchair cannot be physically accommodated. Finally, it includes my amendment to make sure passengers traveling with a personal care attendant are not charged extra for seating accommodations. Mr. Chair, we still have a long way to go before air travel is fully accessible, but the steps we have taken in this bill are commonsense, necessary fixes that make significant progress. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.”