FEDERAL: HR 4980 - AIR TRAVEL ONLY FOR FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE LEAVING OR ARRIVING WITHIN THE UNITED STATES

House of Representatives (HR) Bill 4980

This is the extent of House of Representatives (HR) Bill 4980:

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that any individual traveling on a flight that departs from or arrives to an airport inside the United States or a territory of the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID–19, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AIR TRANSPORTATION VACCINATION REQUIREMENT.

(a) In General.—The Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, shall take such actions as are necessary to ensure that any individual traveling on a flight that departs from or arrives to an airport inside the United States or a territory of the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID–19.

(b) Exception.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure there is an exception to the requirement described in such subsection for an individual who is ineligible or medically unable to be fully vaccinated against COVID–19.

(c) Definition.—In this Act, the term “fully vaccinated against COVID–19” means receiving all recommended doses of a COVID–19 vaccine that is licensed under section 351 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262) or authorized for emergency use under section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb–3).

It may have been introduced by Representative Torres (D-NY) on August 6, 2021, but the text of the bill was made available only recently.

Demetria Carter