Maintaining Important Distance During Lengthy Epidemics Act of 2020 or the MIDDLE Act of 2020
This bill prohibits air carriers, during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency, from (1) permitting adjacent seats to another occupied seat to be filled on a passenger aircraft, (2) passing along the cost of any seat switch undertaken by such air carriers in order to comply with the prohibitions, and (3) permitting a passenger or crewmember to board a passenger aircraft if the passenger or crewmember is not wearing a mask.
The Federal Aviation Administration must issue guidance for appropriate exceptions to the prohibitions based on federal public health guidance.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7741 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7741
To promote airline passenger safety during the COVID-19 public health
emergency.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2020
Mr. Cicilline (for himself, Mrs. Beatty, and Mr. Carson of Indiana)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote airline passenger safety during the COVID-19 public health
emergency.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Maintaining Important Distance
During Lengthy Epidemics Act of 2020'' or the ``MIDDLE Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. PROMOTING AIRLINE PASSENGER SAFETY DURING THE COVID-19 PUBLIC
HEALTH EMERGENCY.
(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), during the period
beginning on the date that is 14 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act and ending on the last day of the emergency period
described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1)(B)), an air carrier (as defined in section 40102
of title 49, United States Code) shall be prohibited from doing any of
the following:
(1) Permit adjacent seats to be filled on a passenger
aircraft.
(2) Pass along the cost of any seat switch undertaken by an
air carrier in order to comply the prohibition under paragraph
(1).
(3) Permit a passenger or crewmember to board a passenger
aircraft if the passenger or crewmember is not wearing a mask.
(b) Exceptions.--Not later than 14 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, taking into account the provisions of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), section 41705 of
title 49, United States Code (commonly referred to as the ``Air Carrier
Access Act''), and any Federal health guidance from the Department of
Health and Human Services (including guidance related to the COVID-19
public health emergency), the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention), shall issue guidance that provides for
appropriate exceptions to the prohibitions under paragraphs (1) and (3)
of subsection (a).
(c) Nondiscrimination.--In carrying out the provisions of this
section, an air carrier may not discriminate against any person on the
basis of race, color, religion, genetic information, national origin,
age, disability, or sex (including sexual orientation and gender
identity, pregnancy, childbirth, and a medical condition related to
pregnancy or childbirth).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.
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