(Bloomberg) -- A top House lawmaker called U.S. aviation regulators' failure to enact legally required safety rules on flight-attendant rest and anti-terrorist cockpit protections “completely unacceptable.”
Representative Peter DeFazio, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued a statement Wednesday in advance of a hearing Thursday on the Federal Aviation Administration's handling of safety regulations.
DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, in prepared remarks for the hearing said he was “encouraged” at FAA's progress in enacting safety measures that stemmed from the two fatal crashes on Boeing Co.'s 737 Max jet, but criticized delays in two other requirements passed into law by Congress earlier.
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson is scheduled to testify Thursday before the committee's aviation subcommittee. The agency didn't immediately comment on DeFazio's statement.
Congress in 2018 required FAA to enact multiple safety measures. In some cases, the agency has missed deadlines set by lawmakers.
The agency was required to create rules by Nov. 4, 2018, mandating that flight attendants get at least 10 hours of rest between shifts. Congress also ordered FAA to require by Oct. 5, 2019, the installation of additional cockpit barriers designed to prevent terrorists from reaching pilots.
Neither has been enacted by FAA yet. DeFazio said the rules have “languished in the bureaucratic process despite a clear safety imperative for both.”
Proposed regulations on each of the issues are scheduled to be released next month, according to the White House office overseeing regulations.
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