H.R. 3634: Safe Aviation and Flight Enhancement Act of 2023

118th Congress · introduced 2023-05-24 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2023-05-24 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Safe Aviation and Flight Enhancement Act of 2023

Plain summary

Safe Aviation and Flight Enhancement Act of 2023 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration to issue regulations requiring all newly manufactured commercial aircraft used in certain extended overwater operations to have additional data recovery features. Specifically, commercial aircraft that are required to have a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder (FDR) must be equipped with a means to recover flight data that does not require underwater retrieval, a tamper-resistant method to broadcast to a ground station sufficient information to establish the flight termination location within six nautical miles of the point of impact, and an airframe low-frequency underwater locating device that will function for at least 90 days and that is detectable by current search and rescue systems. Further, the commercial aircraft must be equipped to retain at least the last 25 hours of recorded information. Commercial aircraft that are ordered by an air carrier on or after January 1, 2027, must have the additional recorder system installed. The bill specifies that a third combination CVR/FDR recording mechanism is not required to satisfy the bill's requirements. Compliant technologies may include (1) an automatic deployable flight recorder system (i.e., a CVR, FDR, and emergency locator transmitter housed in one crash-protected, floatable unit), and (2) transmission of flight recorder data (i.e., a system capable of providing satellite transmission of critical flight data that can also assist in identifying the location of a downed aircraft).

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Safe Aviation and Flight Enhancement Act of 2023

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Tim Burchett (R-TN), André Carson (D-IN), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] reported raising $785,039 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-118hr3634.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/118/hr>

Record fed-us-cong118-hr3634 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong118 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong118