According to reports, House members met on Wednesday to discuss and vote on HR 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act. Even though the night came to a close with the law being declared “unfinished business,” a number of suggested modifications had their destinies decided.
On behalf of Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Illinois Representative Mary Miller proposed Amendment 36, which would “require airlines to reinstate pilots who were fired or forced to resign because of vaccine mandates.”
By a vote of 294 to 141, the proposition was defeated. Republicans were more evenly divided, with 140 voting “yea” and 83 voting “nay.” All Democrats, with the exception of one, opposed the proposed amendment.
In an effort to ease some of the hardships the American aviation sector has experienced since the outbreak, HR 3935 was proposed in June. It aims to give the Federal Aviation Administration orders to hire more air traffic controllers and raise the retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67. Additionally, the proposed law would prevent the FAA from “requiring mask wearing or Covid-19 vaccines for passengers, air carrier employees, or FAA employees.”
Airlines all around the country implemented vaccination requirements during the epidemic, and for the most part, there was a high percentage of compliance in the aftermath. Nevertheless, a significant number of workers were fired for defying orders. According to Forbes, United Airlines alone let go 232 employees for that reason, many of them were pilots.
According to NPR, those who objected to the vaccination raised worries about possible long-term negative effects, but were mainly rejected and told that the vaccinations’ safety had been well demonstrated.
In 2022, United Airlines did permit non-vaccinated employees who had been granted an exemption to return to work, but not those who had declined for reasons that had not been authorized.
SOURCES: CONGRESS, FORBES, NPR
You must be logged in to post a comment Login