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Faa Reauthorization Act of 2018

Floor Speech

Date: April 26, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation

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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, Soto amendment number 3 to H.R. 4, FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, would require a sink or sanitizing equipment in the lactation area in commercial service airports.

This small but significant change would benefit traveling mothers and children. A 2014 study in Breastfeeding Medicine showed that only 62 of the top 100 passenger-volume U.S. airports labeled themselves as ``breastfeeding friendly''. However, they found that only eight of the 100 surveyed airports provided the minimum requirements for a lactation room, as set forth under Section 122 of this bill.

I am pleased to see that this bill would require medium or large hub airports to maintain lactation areas in each passenger terminal building with minimum requirements of a chair, table, and electrical outlet. With the inclusion of my amendment, traveling mother will now have access to sanitation equipment, too.

I thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, and the staff of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for their support and for working with me on this amendment. I thank my colleagues for their support on this issue.

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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, Soto amendment, Soto number 21, to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, H.R. 4, would require the FAA Administrator to also consider the potential emergency medical needs of pregnant women when evaluating the minimum contents of approved medical kits--currently the bill only specifies the consideration of children's emergency medical needs.

Obstetrical symptoms, while rare causes of in-flight medical emergencies, should be given consideration when evaluating the adequacy of in-flight emergency medical kits.

I am pleased to see that this bill would require the consideration of the potential emergency medical needs of pregnant women. I thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, and the staff of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for their support and for working with me on this amendment. I also thank my colleagues for their support on this issue.

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