49 U.S.C. § 40113 — Administrative

(a) General Authority. The Secretary of Transportation (or the TSA Administrator for security duties, or the FAA Administrator for aviation-safety duties assigned to that office) can do what's needed to carry out this part — including investigating, writing regulations, standards, and procedures, and issuing orders.

(b) Hazardous Material. The Secretary can regulate hazardous materials carried by air the same way as under section 5103 of this title. But this doesn't let the Secretary block or regulate a firearm (as defined in title 18) or its ammunition when an individual is carrying it for personal use.

(c) Governmental Assistance. The Secretary (or the FAA Administrator for assigned safety duties) can get help from NASA and other federal research or technical agencies on matters like aircraft fuel, oil, design, materials, construction, performance, maintenance, and operation of aircraft, engines, propellers, equipment, and navigation facilities. Those agencies can do the scientific and technical research needed to help. This part doesn't let anyone duplicate another agency's existing lab research.

(d) Indemnification. The FAA Administrator can protect (indemnify) an FAA officer or employee against a claim or judgment coming from an act the Administrator decides was within that person's official duties.

(e) Assistance to Foreign Aviation Authorities. (1) The Administrator may give safety-related training and operational services to foreign aviation authorities, with or without payment, if doing so helps aviation safety or efficiency; the Administrator can also give related technical assistance tied to agreements, and can compete for and contract to provide these services, generally using U.S. airlines for reimbursed travel. (2) The Administrator must actively try to get paid back by foreign authorities that can pay, and can accept that payment after the fact. (3) Money received this way gets credited to the current appropriation, merges into it, and stays available until spent. (4) Congress authorized $5,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2021 through 2023 for this work, staying available until spent. (6) Even without a bilateral or multilateral agreement, the Administrator can give technical assistance and training if the Administrator decides (A) a foreign government would benefit from it to strengthen aviation safety, efficiency, and security, and (B) the help is "inherently governmental" in nature. (7) "Inherently governmental technical assistance and training" means help that (A) draws on FAA-specific programs, systems, policies, or procedures, (B) needs the agency's own expertise and authority, and (C) covers things like international safety-assessment reviews, aerodrome safety and certification, aviation-system certification, cybersecurity for U.S. aviation, air-navigation-system operation and maintenance, or aviation safety and security training exercises.

(f) Application of Certain Regulations to Alaska. When changing federal aviation rules (title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations) in ways that affect flying within Alaska, the FAA Administrator must consider how much Alaska depends on aviation instead of other transportation, and set whatever special rules the Administrator thinks are appropriate.