National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002
Latest action · Jun 5, 2002 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 17, 2002
- Passed HouseJun 4, 2002
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Authorizes appropriations to the NTSB for FY 2003 through 2005 for necessary expenses of the NTSB Academy.
(Sec. 102) Requires a NTSB employee, in any case in which he or she determines that an accident has occurred during the operation of an aircraft, to notify the aircraft's owner or operator of the right to appeal such determination to the NTSB. Limits such appeals to cases where loss of life does not occur.
(Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary of Transportation to report annually to Congress and the NTSB on the regulatory status of each significant safety recommendation made by the NTSB to the Secretary (or to an Administration within the Department of Transportation (DOT)), and to continue to report on the status of each such recommendation in each subsequent year until final regulatory action is taken on the recommendation or the Secretary (or Administration within DOT) determines that no action should be taken.
(Sec. 104) Requires the NTSB, in cases where it has relinquished investigative priority with respect to an aircraft accident or a railroad accident, to assist, to the maximum extent possible, the agency to which it has relinquished investigative priority in assisting families with respect to the accident.
Requires the NTSB and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to revise their 1977 agreement on the investigation of accidents to take into account the amendments made by this Act, and to submit a copy of the revised agreement to specified congressional committees.
(Sec. 106) Directs the NTSB to study and report to specified congressional committees on the adverse effects, including passenger injuries or other safety problems, associated with carry-on baggage stored in overhead bins aboard passenger aircraft, and sufficient ways to deal with such problems.
Title II: Railroad Family Assistance - (Sec. 201) Sets forth certain responsibilities of the Chairman of the NTSB and the NTSB after being notified of a rail passenger accident resulting in a major loss of life, including to: (1) designate and publicize the name and phone number of a NTSB employee who shall be a director of family support services responsible for acting as a point of contact within the Federal Government for the families of passengers involved in the accident, and a liaison between the rail passenger carrier and the families; (2) designate an independent nonprofit organization to provide emotional care and support to such families; and (3) facilitate the recovery and identification of fatally injured passengers and communicate with the families as to the roles of the Government agencies, the organization, and the rail passenger carrier involved, with respect to the accident and post-accident activities. Declares that it shall be the responsibility of the director of family services to request, as soon as possible, from the rail passenger carrier involved in an accident a list of the names of passengers that were involved in the accident, and to provide such passenger information to the passenger's family. Requires the NTSB, in the course of its investigation of an accident, to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that the families of passengers involved are: (1) briefed, prior to any public briefing, about the accident and any other investigation findings; and (2) individually informed of and allowed to attend any public hearings and meetings of the NTSB about such accident.
Prohibits a person (including a State or political subdivision) from impeding the ability of the NTSB (including the director of family support services) or the designated organization from carrying out its responsibilities under this Act, or the ability of the families of passengers involved in an accident to have contact with one another.
Prohibits unsolicited communication concerning a potential action for personal injury or wrongful death to be made by an attorney (including any associate, agent, employee, or other representative of an attorney) or any potential party to the litigation to an individual (other than an employee of the rail passenger carrier) injured in an accident, or to a relative of an individual involved in such accident, before the 45th day following the date of the accident.
Prohibits a State or political subdivision from preventing the employees, agents, or volunteers of an organization from providing mental health counseling services in the 30-day period beginning on the date of an accident.
(Sec. 202) Requires a rail passenger carrier to submit to the Secretary of Transportation and the Chairman of the NTSB a plan for addressing the needs of the families of passengers involved in a rail passenger accident resulting in a major loss of life.
Shields a rail passenger carrier from liability for damages (except for gross negligence or intentional misconduct) in any action brought in a Federal or State court arising out of the carrier's performance in preparing or providing a passenger list, or in providing information concerning a train reservation, pursuant to the carrier's plan.
Cosponsors 5
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Apr 17, 2002.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-TN | Bob Clement | Original | Apr 17, 2002 |
| R-NY | Jack Quinn | Original | Apr 17, 2002 |
| D-MN | James L. Oberstar | Original | Apr 17, 2002 |
| R-FL | John L. Mica | Original | Apr 17, 2002 |
| D-IL | William O. Lipinski | Original | Apr 17, 2002 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Apr 17, 2002Markup Apr 24, 2002Reported May 16, 2002 |
| Aviation Subcommittee | Referred Apr 18, 2002Markup Apr 18, 2002Reported Apr 18, 2002 | |
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Jun 5, 2002 |
Actions 15
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 5, 2002Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Jun 4, 2002Mr. Mica moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jun 4, 2002Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H3084-3089)
- Jun 4, 2002DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4466.
- Jun 4, 2002Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3085-3087)
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E973 | Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Jun 6, 2002 |
| House | Debate and remarks H3084–H3089Text printed H3085–H3087 | Bob Clement D-TN, Elijah E. Cummings D-MD, James L. Oberstar D-MN, John L. Mica R-FL, Nick Smith R-MI | Jun 4, 2002 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- May 14, 2002H.R. 4466, National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on<br /> April 24, 2002</p>
- May 14, 2002H.R. 4466, National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on April 24, 2002
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2950 | National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002 | Related bill | Oct 10, 2002 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize appropriations for the National Transportation Safety Board for fiscal years 2003, 2004, and 2005, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002
- Short Titles as Passed House
- National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.
- Accident prevention
- Administrative procedure
- Administrative remedies
- Air cargo
- Airline passenger traffic
- Airlines
- Authorization
- Aviation safety
- Business records
- Cemeteries and funerals
- Commemorations
- Commerce
- Compensation (Law)
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Counseling
- Damages
- Department of Transportation
- Economics and Public Finance
- Emergency Management
- Employee training
- Families
- Family services
- Federal employees
- Federal preemption
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Government publicity
- Governmental investigations
- Health
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Legal advertising and soliciting
- Legal ethics
- Liability for aircraft accidents
- Liability for railroad accidents
- Local laws
- Mental health services
- Monuments and memorials
- Negligence
- Nonprofit organizations
- Property
- Public meetings of administrative bodies
- Railroad employees
- Railroad passenger traffic
- Railroad safety
- Railroads
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Social Welfare
- State laws
- Telephone
- Transportation and Public Works
- Transportation planning
- Transportation safety
- Travel costs
- Wrongful death
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 5, 2002Referred in Senate
- Jun 4, 2002Engrossed in House
- May 16, 2002Reported in House
- Apr 17, 2002Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
