Repatriation Reimbursement Act

Repatriation Reimbursement Act

This bill requires the U.S. commercial airline industry and the Department of State to fully reimburse or waive certain travel expenses for U.S. citizens who seek repatriation to the United States as a result of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.

The bill requires U.S. commercial airlines to (1) provide cash reimbursements to U.S. citizens for any international flight to the United States cancelled or delayed more than 24 hours as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, (2) waive and reimburse change fees for replacing an international flight ticket, and (3) not charge passengers more for the replacement ticket than what was charged for the original ticket. Such requirements apply to travel expenses incurred on or after December 31, 2019, and on or before September 30, 2020.

The State Department must (1) waive any travel expenses paid by it on or after December 31, 2019, for any U.S. citizen who is evacuated from a foreign country and repatriated to the United States due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, or any future pandemic or international crisis; (2) nullify any travel expense promissory note required for reimbursing the State Department; (3) reimburse such individuals for travel expenses associated with evacuation and repatriation, including the costs of flights and ground transportation expenses associated with travel to a foreign airport and from the domestic airport to their homes in the United States; and (4) develop an online reimbursement system for individuals to submit claims for the reimbursement of travel expenses.