I
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3939
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 23, 2007
Mr. Doolittle (for himself and Mr. Salazar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To increase the safety for crew and passengers on an aircraft providing emergency medical services.
Increasing safety for crew and passengers on an aircraft providing emergency medical services
Compliance regulations
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, a pilot of an aircraft providing emergency medical services shall comply with the regulations in part 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, whenever there is a medical crew on board, without regard to whether there are patients on board the aircraft, unless the pilot and aircraft are operating under instrument flight rules, in which case the duty and rest time regulations in part 135 of title 14 of the Federal Code of Regulations shall apply.
Implementation of flight risk evaluation program
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall initiate, and complete not later than 18 months thereafter, a rulemaking—
to establish a standardized checklist of risk evaluation factors based on Notice 8000.301 issued by the Administration in August, 2005; and
to require pilots of aircraft providing emergency medical service to use the checklist to determine whether a mission should be accepted.
Comprehensive consistent flight dispatch procedures
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall initiate, and complete not later than 18 months thereafter, a collaborative effort with the air medical community—
to establish performance based flight dispatch procedures for pilots of aircraft providing emergency medical services; and
to develop a method to measure compliance with those procedures.
Improving the data available to NTSB investigators at crash sites
Study
Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall complete a feasibility study of requiring flight data and cockpit voice recorders on new and existing aircraft providing emergency medical service operations. The study shall address, at a minimum, issues related to survivability, weight, and financial considerations of such a requirement.
Rulemaking
Not later than 30 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall complete a rulemaking to require flight data and cockpit voice recorders on board aircraft providing emergency medical service operations.