Pilot's Bill of Rights
Public Law 112-153 · S. 1335 · 112th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Aug 3, 2012 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Cosponsors (65): Sen. Mark Begich, Sen. Mike Johanns,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Pilot's Bill of Rights - Requires National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) proceedings for the review of decisions of the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deny, amend, modify, suspend, or revoke an airman's certificate to be conducted, to the extent practicable, in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) provide timely, written notification to the subject of an investigation involving the approval, denial, suspension, modification, or revocation of an airman certificate of specified information pertinent to the investigation; and (2) provide him or her with access to relevant air traffic data. Authorizes the Administrator to delay such notification if it threatens the integrity of the investigation.
Allows a substantially affected individual to elect to file an appeal of a certificate denial, a punitive civil action, or an emergency order of revocation in the U.S. district court in which individual resides, in which the action in question occurred, or the district court for the District of Columbia. Allows a substantially affected individual who elects not to file an appeal in a U.S. district court to file such appeal in the appropriate U.S. court of appeals.
Directs the Administrator to begin a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) Improvement Program to improve the system of providing airmen with pertinent and timely information before a flight in the national airspace system. Requires the Administrator to establish a NOTAM Improvement Panel composed of representatives of relevant nonprofit and not-for-profit general aviation pilot groups to advise the Administrator in carrying out program goals.
Requires the Comptroller General to: (1) assess the FAA process for the medical certification of airmen; and (2) report to Congress on revisions to the medical application form, the alignment of medical qualification policies with present-day qualified medical judgment and practices, and steps that could be taken to promote the public's understanding of the medical requirements determining an airman's medical certificate eligibility.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 3816Related billText similarities
Pilot's Bill of Rights
S. 3268Identical billRelated billText similarities
Pilot's Bill of Rights
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Aug 3, 2012Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-153.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 26, 2012FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 23, 2012FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1335.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Bucshon moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jun 29, 2012FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 6, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4400-4401)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 2489SenateSen. Kay HutchisonR-TX· offered Jun 29, 2012Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Jun 29, 2012: Amendment SA 2489 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.