Helping Heroes Fly Act
Public Law 113-27 · H.R. 1344 · 113th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Aug 9, 2013 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-2)
Cosponsors (24): Rep. David Joyce, Rep. Cedric Richmond,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- 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.
Helping Heroes Fly Act - Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA]) to develop and implement a process to ease travel and to the extent possible provide expedited passenger screening services for severely injured or disabled Armed Forces members and veterans, and their accompanying family members or nonmedical attendants.
Requires the Assistant Secretary also to maintain an operations center to provide for the movement of such members and veterans through screening before boarding a domestic or foreign passenger aircraft.
Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish and publish certain protocols for severely injured or disabled Armed Forces members and veterans or their family members and others to contact the operations center to request expedited screening services for that member or veteran.
Declares that nothing in this Act shall affect the Assistant Secretary's authority to require additional screening of such individuals if intelligence, law enforcement, or other information indicates that it is necessary.
Directs the Assistant Secretary to report annually to Congress on implementation of the program.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Homeland Security Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee
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.
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. 22 actions.
- Aug 9, 2013Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-27.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 6, 2013FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Aug 2, 2013Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Hudson asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Aug 1, 2013FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- May 22, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- May 21, 2013FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 413 - 0 (Roll no. 166).House roll call 166
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1344.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mrs. Brooks (IN) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Apr 1, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Transportation Security.
- Mar 21, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
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. 1848SenateSen. Mark PryorD-AR· offered Aug 1, 2013Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Aug 1, 2013: Amendment SA 1848 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.