AIN ONLINE
Inhofe’s Pilots’ Rights Bill Gains Momentum
September 30, 2015
  • Share
  • General aviation advocates are encouraged that Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) has secured a more than filibuster-proof 67 co-sponsors for the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR 2) bill, clearing the way to move forward on the measure. Inhofe, who told an audience at EAA in July that his goal was to reach 60 co-sponsors on the bill, late last week appealed to his colleagues in the Senate to enable consideration of the legislation “in the next very short period of time.”

    Groups including EAA and AOPA in recent months have called on their members to appeal to lawmakers to support the bill. As a result, the bill has reached a two-thirds “supermajority” co-sponsorship, and the House version has garnered 140 co-sponsors. Building on the original PBOR, PBOR 2 further strengthens pilots’ rights in enforcement actions and also would expand the third-class medical exemption to recreational pilots.

    “There’s still a lot of work left to do before third-class medical reform becomes a reality, but we are closer than we’ve ever been before to getting this done,” said Jim Coon, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs. “We’ll keep working to build momentum for PBOR 2 and we’ll continue to look for opportunities to have medical reform language included in other types of legislation that are moving through Congress.”

    http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-09-30/inhofes-pilots-rights-bill-gains-momentum