Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) lauded the passage of a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for six years that included his amendment to ensure FEMA mitigation funding can be used to help rebuild and recover from last year’s wildfires, and parts of his legislation to strengthen passenger protections.
“As our community continues to rebuild from last year’s devastating wildfires and we work together to meet recovery needs, some of those costs don’t fit neatly into the current rules and regulations. So I worked with my colleagues in a bipartisan way to help address this problem for local governments who are working hard to rebuild,” said Thompson. “My amendment that passed today provides FEMA the ability to use hazard mitigation funding to remove standing, burned trees and replace water systems that have been damaged by a disaster. Our work to provide every possible relief resource to our communities continues.
“The FAA Reauthorization also includes critical consumer protection provisions that ensure airline passengers have the rights they deserve. This includes addressing airplane restroom accessibility, prohibiting bumping boarded passengers, requiring that airlines have an accessible passenger rights document, and setting standards for minimum passenger seat size. Consumers deserve to have their rights protected and I was proud to work in a bipartisan way to get this done for airline passengers – it’s the fair thing and the right thing to do.”