H.R. 3921: Reduce Excessive Decibels and Unwanted Commotion and Emissions to Heighten Enforcement and Limitation of Intrusive Chopper Operations to Protect Towns and Enhance Residents from Noise Act of 2023

This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish and maintain a database for the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman to receive, collect, and provide access to information regarding helicopter noise complaints.

Under the bill, an owner or operator of a helicopter that receives any complaint from an individual must submit the information to the ombudsman within 48 hours. The submission must include a description of any action the owner or operator is taking or plans to take to address the complaint (to the extent that the owner or operator is the subject of the submitted complaint). Individuals may also directly submit a helicopter noise complaint to the ombudsman.

Within 48 hours of receiving a noise complaint submission, the ombudsman must (1) determine which owner or operator is the subject of the complaint, (2) determine whether the complaint is meritorious, and (3) input meritorious complaints into the database. In the case of a complaint not submitted by an owner or operator of a helicopter that is the subject of the complaint, the bill establishes requirements for FAA notification and owner or operator response.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.