S. 1796: Joint Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials and Safety Act

This bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration's operation of the Advanced Materials Center of Excellence and revises the focus and responsibilities of the center to include passenger safety.

Specifically, the center must focus on applied research and training on the safe use of composites and advanced materials in airframe structures. (Currently, the center must focus on applied research and training on the durability and maintainability of advanced materials in transport airframe structures.) The center must also conduct research and development into aircraft structure crashworthiness and passenger safety, as well as address safe and accessible air travel of individuals with a disability, including materials required to facilitate safe wheelchair restraint systems on commercial aircraft.

The center's responsibilities must also include establishing criteria for the safe movement of all passengers, including individuals with a disability and individuals using their personal wheelchairs in flight, that takes into account the modeling, engineering, testing, operating, and training issues significant to all passengers and relevant stakeholders.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.