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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act, members such as David J. Taylor.
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March 24, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2247) to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize the use of physical or digital copies of certain certificates for certain Federal Aviation Administration inspections, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2247
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Airmen Certificate
Accessibility Act”.
SEC. 2. ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF CERTIFICATION.
(a) In General.—Section 44703 of title 49, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(m) Sufficiency of Digital and Physical Airman
Certificates.—An individual issued a certificate pursuant to
this section (including a medical certificate) may present
such certificate to an inspector of the Federal Aviation
Administration in any of the following formats:
“(1) A physical certificate issued by the Administrator
(or his or her designee).
“(2) A digital certificate issued by the Administrator
that is stored on an electronic device or, in areas where
there is sufficient connectivity to do so, a cloud-based
system, and presented in accordance with authentication and
verification requirements established by the
Administrator.”.
(b) Rulemaking.—Not later than November 30, 2028, the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall
issue a final rule to update regulations in parts 61, 63, 65,
67, and 107 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, to
implement the amendments made by this section, and any
applicable guidance and policies.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
General Leave
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 2247.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 2247, the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act, is commonsense legislation that would bring the Federal Aviation Administration into the digital age.
century and allow digital options for airmen certificates. I am supportive of any initiative that safely lowers barriers and ultimately allows more Americans to exercise their freedom to fly. Allowing pilots the option to carry digital copies of their certifications in lieu of paper copies accomplishes that.
holistically review and digitize processes. The Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act builds upon those efforts and represents an incremental step toward digitization that benefits all users.
Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2247, the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act, as amended.
license in case a representative of the FAA ever needs to verify the airman's status. This is despite other important paper documents pilots are required to carry, such as their flight bags or flight books, now being allowed to be carried in a digitized form.
accessible digital format is a priority for the aviation community. We have heard them on this issue.
H.R. 2247, as amended, combines the necessary safeguards to provide the option for a digital airmen certificate that is issued by the FAA so long as that certificate can be authenticated and verified by an inspector.
person or, if in the presence of a stable internet connection, be stored and accessed through the cloud.
digital certificates are just as secure as their physical originals and establish guidelines for their authentication and verification. By allowing airmen to use a digital certificate in this way, we will continue our efforts to safely and securely modernize the FAA.
Madam Speaker, I support this legislation. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) for his leadership here, and I urge my colleagues to support this, as well. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), the author of this legislation.
Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, dadgum, if I need 5 minutes, pull me off on this one, okay?
folks who lost their lives at LaGuardia Airport in New York, and I hope we all remember them and their families in our prayers.
I rise today in support of H.R. 2247, the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act. I guess it should be air people technically. My mama flew an airplane during the Second World War, so I would be remiss if I didn't say that.
medical certificates and licenses. The FAA says that this requirement exists mainly because of concerns about forgery, but the FAA already keeps secure electronic records of these certificates.
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present digital certificates issued by the FAA administrator during inspections.
digitize pilot documentation because unelected bureaucrats decided to invent some unnecessary rules. To me, we shouldn't have to be on the floor of the Congress to do that, but this bill would allow airmen to continue to present physical certificates if they choose, providing flexibility while ensuring security and compliance.
convenience for airmen, and aligns FAA procedures with 21st century standards.
of legislation. I will also thank Noah Hooton in my office who did all of the heavy lifting on that. I appreciate the support from across the aisle.
Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague from Tennessee. This should not take an act of Congress to do, but nevertheless, we are here and we have to do it.
balance a long-asked-for convenience to our pilots with the necessary safeguards. That is why I support H.R. 2247, as amended, and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
their certificates, even as aviation has entered the digital age. Allowing pilots the option to carry digital certificates is a simple, safe, and practical step that reduces unnecessary barriers and makes it easier to exercise the freedom to fly.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2247, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.