U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-New York) has renewed the Aviation Safety Caucus that he helped form last year, keeping DOT Part 380 public charter security as the first priority for the group. Langworthy announced the caucus on Wednesday as he joined Reps. Jack Bergman (R-Michigan) and Marc Veasey (D-Texas) in reintroducing the Safer Skies Act, which is designed to bring security for operations flown under Part 380 public charter economic authority in line with those of FAA Part 121 scheduled airlines.

First organized last September, the caucus has attracted more than two dozen members so far. Meanwhile, the bill, which mirrors legislation introduced last August, comes after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) tightened its security requirements for public charter flights flown under Part 380 in January.

“Due to the reforms following the September 11th attacks, Americans have come to expect a high level of safety and security when they board a plane on American soil,” Langworthy said. “As the chair of the Aviation Safety Caucus, I’ve worked closely with partners and experts in the federal government and aviation industry to identify existing security gaps and maintain our high safety standards. The Safer Skies Act will close a loophole that has allowed certain operators, like ticketed charter flights, to bypass the rigorous screening requirements that ensure the safety of all passengers. It is vital for protecting our skies and the lives of passengers and crew alike.”

Under the bill, the TSA would need to update its security screening requirements for FAA “Part 135 and [DOT] Part 380 operators that offer individual seats in advance, provide publicly available schedules, and operate passenger seat configurations of more than nine seats” to ensure they are following the same standards as scheduled airlines.

Bergman said the bill would close a “glaring loophole” in the screening process, and Veasey added, “Loopholes and the exploitation of existing regulations threaten the integrity of the system that has made U.S. commercial aviation the safest in the world.”

Co-sponsor Don Bacon also characterized the security differential as a loophole. The bill has received the backing of several pilots’ and flight attendants’ unions and a few airlines, some of which have sought to put an end to the use of Part 380 for competitive reasons and many of which labeled the use of the U.S. Department of Transportation economic authority as a loophole used to skirt safety requirements. Among those endorsing the bill are the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, which shares similar screening requirements to those operations using Part 380 economic authority.