To provide liability protection to volunteer pilot nonprofit organizations that fly for public benefit and to the pilots and staff of such nonprofit organizations, and for other purposes.

1. Adds SECTION 732. LIABILITY PROTECTION FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEER PILOTS at the end of title VII

   Adds a section

   In S. 223 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   (a) Plan Development.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with interested representatives of the aviation industry and other relevant agencies, shall develop a plan and process to allow Federal agencies to fly scientific instruments on commercial flights with airlines who volunteer, for the purpose of taking measurements to improve weather forecasting.

   Inserted: SECTION 732. LIABILITY PROTECTION FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEER PILOTS.

   Inserted: (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the "Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Act of 2011".

   Inserted: (b) Findings and Purpose.--

   Inserted: (1) Findings.--Congress finds the following:

   Inserted: (A) Many volunteer pilot nonprofit organizations fly for public benefit and provide valuable services to communities and individuals.

   Inserted: (B) In calendar year 2006, volunteer pilot nonprofit organizations provided long-distance, no-cost transportation for more than 58,000 people during times of special need.

   Inserted: (C) Such nonprofit organizations are no longer able to purchase non-owned aircraft liability insurance to provide liability protection at a reasonable price, and therefore face a highly detrimental liability risk.

   Inserted: (D) Such nonprofit organizations have supported the homeland security of the United States by providing volunteer pilot services during times of national emergency.

   Inserted: (2) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to promote the activities of volunteer pilot nonprofit organizations that fly for public benefit and to sustain the availability of the services that such nonprofit organizations provide, including the following:

   Inserted: (A) Transportation at no cost to financially needy medical patients for medical treatment, evaluation, and diagnosis.

   Inserted: (B) Flights for humanitarian and charitable purposes.

   Inserted: (C) Other flights of compassion.

   Show 17 more inserted paragraphsShow less

   Inserted: (c) Liability Protection for Volunteer Pilot Nonprofit Organizations That Fly for Public Benefit and to Pilots and Staff of Such Nonprofit Organizations.--Section 4 of the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 (42 U.S.C. 14503) is amended--

   Inserted: (1) in subsection (a)(4)--

   Inserted: (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively;

   Inserted: (B) by striking "the harm" and inserting "(A) except in the case of subparagraph (B), the harm";

   Inserted: (C) in subparagraph (A)(ii), as redesignated by this paragraph, by striking the period at the end and inserting "; and"; and

   Inserted: (D) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(B) the volunteer--

   Inserted: "(i) was operating an aircraft in furtherance of the purpose of a volunteer pilot nonprofit organization that flies for public benefit; and

   Inserted: "(ii) was properly licensed and insured for the operation of such aircraft."; and

   Inserted: (2) in subsection (c)--

   Inserted: (A) by striking "Nothing in this section" and inserting the following:

   Inserted: "(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), nothing in this section"; and

   Inserted: (B) by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(2) Exception.--A volunteer pilot nonprofit organization that flies for public benefit, the staff, mission coordinators, officers, and directors (whether volunteer or otherwise) of such nonprofit organization, and a referring agency of such nonprofit organization shall not be liable for harm caused to any person by a volunteer of such nonprofit organization while such volunteer--

   Inserted: "(A) is operating an aircraft in furtherance of the purpose of such nonprofit organization;

   Inserted: "(B) is properly licensed for the operation of such aircraft; and

   Inserted: "(C) has certified to such nonprofit organization that such volunteer has insurance covering the volunteer's operation of such aircraft.".

   Original wording

   At the end of title VII, insert the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed