An improved version of last years bill doing away with the 3rd class medical for nearly all recreational pilots was re-introduced into both houses of Congress again today as bi-partisan bills. This time it's called "Pilot's Bill of Rights 2". One may recall that "Pilot's Bill of Rights 1" passed and was signed into law.
Essentially, the proposal to reform the 3rd class medical is identical to the previous bill that languished and died in committee without ever seeing a hearing. Interestingly enough, since the FAA chose to ignore the congressional mandate to not pursue pulling medicals based on BMI, there is a clause in this bill that oversteps the FAA's bureacratic foot dragging. Pilot?s Bill of Rights 2 also includes a provision to ensure that pilots can fly under the new rules even if the FAA fails to comply with the bill?s provisions 180 days after enactment. More info in today's AOPA news. <http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/February/26/Medical-reform-legislation-introduced-in-House-and-Senate> -Jeff Scott > > From:"Senator Joe Donnelly" <donot_reply at donnelly.senate.gov> > Date:Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 5:03 PM > Subject:Cosponsorship Update: General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2015 > > ?? > > February 26, 2015 > > Dear Mr. Pitts, > > I am writing to update you on my efforts in support of general aviators. Like > you, I believe that federal regulations should protect the safety of general > aviators and their passengers while not being overly burdensome. > > With the goal of simplifying regulations for individual aviators, I ? helped > introduce ? S. 573, the? General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2015 on ? > February 25, 2015. If enacted into law, this legislation would allow pilots > of small aircraft in the United States to operate without medical > certification or proof of health if they possess a valid driver's license and > adhere to aircraft size, weight, altitude, speed, and passenger capacity > restrictions. ? This bill is pending before the Committee on Commerce, > Science, and Transportation. I am hopeful that it will soon reach the Senate > floor for a vote. > > In addition, on September 2, 2014, I joined ten colleagues in sending a > bipartisan letter to Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Office of > Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan urging the Administration to > carry out an expedited review of the Federal Aviation Administration's Notice > of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize third-class medical requirements for > small aircraft pilots, based on the lessons learned from the 2004 sport pilot > rule. The letter asks that the review quickly be completed so that the > proposal can be released for public comment as soon as possible and urges the > Administration to prioritize and expedite this reform and others, which would > lower unnecessary barriers to the general aviation community. > > It is a privilege to represent you and all Hoosiers in the Senate. Your > continued correspondence is welcome and helps me to better represent our > state. I encourage you to write, call, or email if my office can ever be of > assistance. You can also check out my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter > by visiting my website . > > ? ?
