Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) has been renamed the top-Ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Aviation, which has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation. Larsen is also joining the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the United States Coast Guard, regulation of ocean shipping and the merchant marine.

“Bolstering growth and safety in our nation’s aviation system – and the tens of thousands of jobs in the Pacific Northwest that depend on that system – has been my focus as Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Aviation,” said Larsen. “I will expand on that work – promoting policies to establish rules of the road for emerging technologies such as drones and commercial space aircraft, advocating for long-term funding certainty for the Federal Aviation Administration, and standing strong against efforts to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system. Additionally, I look forward to supporting Washington’s maritime industry, the women and men of the Coast Guard and the U.S.’ strategic position in the Arctic on the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.”

As Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, Larsen will continue to serve alongside Republican Chairman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02). To date, Larsen has successfully used his position on the Subcommittee to spearhead a series of legislative accomplishments.

In September 2016, the President signed into law Larsen’s bipartisan FAA Veteran Transition Improvement Act, which expanded paid sick leave for newly hired veteran FAA employees with service-connected conditions rated as 30 percent or more disabled. In the most recent FAA reauthorization bill, Larsen championed a provision to require the U.S. Department of Transportation to update long-delayed standards for airplane lavatory access among passengers with disabilities.

Additionally, Larsen has led Democratic opposition to plans calling for privatization of the Federal Air Traffic Control system, consistently raising concerns about challenges and unanswered questions.

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