For the third time in six months, the U.S. Senate passed the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR 2) yesterday in a vote that Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president Mark Baker said signals the solid backing that the measure has on Capitol Hill.

PBOR 2 was included this time in the National Defense Authorization Act, which cleared the Senate by an 85-13 vote, but also faces a veto threat from President Obama because of restrictions to closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay. The Senate version of the defense authorization must next be reconciled with the House-passed version.

PBOR 2, which includes third-class medical reform and strengthens legal protections for pilots, first was cleared by the Senate in December as a standalone bill and then was included in comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation that passed the Senate in April. PBOR 2 measures also were included in the House version of FAA reauthorization, but the fate of that bill remains uncertain.

“It’s clear that third-class medical reform has strong bipartisan support,” said Baker. “The Senate has passed these reforms three times already, and the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 has 178 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House. It’s time for the House to take action and pass Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 so we can get much needed medical reforms.”