Last week we reported that Deer Tick frontman John McCauley was kicked off of a US Airways flight on his way to the Newport Folk Festival when the airline refused to allow him to board the plane with his guitar, despite regulations that protect musicians from these kinds of situations. Now, Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed has taken up the cause with a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx asking the Department of Transportation to clarify and enforce a 2012 airline passenger rights law.

The law—Section 403 of the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act—says that airlines “shall permit a passenger to carry a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument in the aircraft cabin” as long as “the instrument can be stowed safely” and “there is space for such stowage.” Speaking to the Associated Press, Reed said that, ““We have a lot of great musicians come to Rhode Island for our world renowned music festivals, and they shouldn’t have to deal with arbitrary and conflicting storage policies from one airline to the next. There should be clear rules of the road.”