Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Salud Carbajal (D-CA) and Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) released the following statements after the T&I Committee passed 10 bills and approved 30 General Services Administration leases during today’s markup.
“Today, the T&I Committee again came together on a bipartisan basis to advance a slate of bills that will improve aviation safety and airline preparedness and modernize mariner credentialing,” Ranking Member Larsen said. “Thank you to my T&I Democratic colleagues for their leadership on this legislation. I look forward to continuing our work to create safer, cleaner, greener and more accessible transportation.”
“Disruptions to commercial air travel upsets life for the traveling public who expect reliability,” Ranking Member Cohen said. “Recent disruptions at the Newark Liberty International Airport, which affected my own travel plans, are just the most prominent and dramatic examples of what is becoming often-unreliable air travel. The waves of flight cancellations due to weather events underscore the urgent need for better operational resiliency in our airlines. Our bill will ensure that airlines have robust strategies in place to prevent and limit future disruptions and protect passengers from schedule changes that can cost time and money. We are committed to holding airlines accountable, safeguarding the interests of travelers across the nation, and ensuring that these incidents are limited and reasonable.”
“Our country’s maritime industry shouldn’t be held back by an antiquated credentialing system,” Ranking Member Carbajal said. “The Mariner Exam Modernization Act is a commonsense step to ensure our licensing process reflects the skills mariners actually need on the job—eliminating redundancy, updating outdated requirements, and making the path to certification more efficient. I’m proud my bill cleared a key milestone, and I’ll keep working to secure its final passage.”
“Current Federal Aviation Administration regulations unfairly penalize aviators who seek mental health care and perpetuate a culture of silence,” Rep. Casten said. “My bipartisan bill with Rep. Pete Stauber bolsters access to mental health care for pilots and air traffic controllers and requires the FAA to eliminate significant barriers to care. These commonsense changes will help aviators get help if and when they need it. I’m proud to see this legislation advance through committee.”
Below are the Democratic bills that advanced during today’s markup:
H.R. 3477, Ensuring Airline Resiliency to Reduce Delays and Cancellations Act, introduced by Ranking Member Larsen and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), would require airlines to develop and regularly update operational resiliency plans to prevent or limit the impact of future flight disruptions.
ANS to H.R. 2591, Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025, introduced by Reps. Sean Casten (D-IL) and Pete Stauber (R-MN), would direct the FAA to its update mental health policies for employees that require an FAA medical certificate, including pilots and air traffic controllers.
H.R. 3331, Mariner Exam Modernization Act, introduced by Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) and Mike Ezell (R-MS), would direct the U.S. Coast Guard to develop and implement a plan to modernize the Merchant Mariner Credentialing exam.