Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has with several of her colleagues asked Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to implement regulations that will protect musical instruments transported on commercial airplanes.

Currently, most airlines have not established a consistent policy to protect musical instruments in transit. As a result, musicians have in some instances arrived at their destinations only to learn that their instruments were damaged, and cannot be replaced before a scheduled performance. Under the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act, Congress required the FAA to issue regulations that allow passengers to store instruments in airplane compartments or, if necessary, purchase an additional seat.

“Music has always been a critical part of the culture of Brooklyn, a culture that has been shared with the world by artists such as Aaron Copland and Jay-Z, Pat Benatar and George Gershwin, Barbara Streisand and MGMT, Norah Jones and the Beastie Boys. We have an amazing legacy, on which we will continue to build in the future,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “These regulations will allow musicians to schedule performances with the certainty that their instruments will arrive at the destination safely. Our musicians will remain ‘on location, touring around the nation.’”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.