Vanessa Bryant Urges Congress to Pass Helicopter Safety Bill in Honor of Gianna and Kobe Bryant

Vanessa Bryant has released a statement to lawmakers regarding the helicopter safety bill that was named after Gianna and Kobe Bryant. Read her message.

By Jess Cohen Jun 18, 2020 5:24 PMTags
Watch: Vanessa Bryant Pushes to Pass Helicopter Safety Bill

Vanessa Bryant has issued a message to lawmakers.

It's been almost five month since Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his teen daughter, Gianna Bryant, passed away in a helicopter crash. The father-daughter duo were two of nine people who died in the fatal crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26. Now, Vanessa is speaking out about a helicopter safety bill that was introduced by lawmakers on Thursday, entitled, "Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act."

"I strongly urge that the United States Congress pass a federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in this country," Vanessa said Thursday in a statement (via CNN). "I believe there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna would still be alive today if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment required by this pending federal legislation."

According to CNN, the "Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act" would require that helicopters carrying six or more people be "equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder."

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Gianna Bryant's Life in Photos

In her statement on Thursday, Vanessa, who also shares daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri with Kobe, said that this action would save "many lives."

Vanessa Bryant / Instagram

"As passengers traveling on aircrafts we assume that proper safety measures are in order to prevent accidents from happening before we fly," Vanessa continued. "It's unfortunate that this is not the case and aircraft companies must do their part to protect lives."

Of the bill's tribute to Kobe and Gianna, Vanessa shared, "Having Kobe's and Gianna's names associated with this federal law that has the potential to save countless lives would be a fitting tribute to their memory."