Sponsors (8)
The bill trades clearer, faster protections and reduced helicopter noise/accident risk around the Statue of Liberty (while preserving emergency access) for significant economic disruption to helicopter tour/charter businesses and added burdens and timing risks for government regulators.
Emergency responders and critical services (law enforcement, medical evacuation, disaster response, infrastructure heavy-lift) keep access thanks to explicit exemptions, so lifesaving and public-safety operations are preserved.
Residents and visitors near the Statue of Liberty experience reduced low-altitude helicopter noise and intrusion, improving local safety, comfort, and quality of life.
The public and high-traffic maritime/tourist areas face a lower risk of aircraft-related accidents over a densely populated site, enhancing public safety around a major national landmark.
Civil helicopter operators (sightseeing tours, charters, private pilots) lose access to a new 20-mile exclusion zone, disrupting businesses and likely raising costs for operators and customers.
The expedited rulemaking and new enforcement needs risk rushed or lower-quality rules and inadequate stakeholder input, potentially creating unclear or problematic regulations.
Implementing and enforcing the exclusion zone will impose monitoring, compliance, and staff-resource burdens on federal, state, and local aviation authorities and may divert FAA resources from other priorities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits civil helicopter operations within a 20-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, with specified safety and heavy-lift exceptions; FAA to issue implementing rules.
Official title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit helicopter flights near Statue of Liberty National Monument, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 5, 2025 by Jerrold Lewis Nadler · Last progress May 5, 2025
Prohibits routine civil helicopter operations inside a 20-mile radius around the Statue of Liberty National Monument, with narrow exceptions for public health and safety missions, law enforcement, emergency response, medical flights, certain news/research/official flights, and heavy-lift construction or infrastructure support. The ban must take effect within 60 days of enactment and the FAA must issue or update rules to implement the prohibition within 90 days.