Jerry Costello

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to our former colleague, George Sangmeister, who passed away last weekend. George was a stalwart of Illinois politics for over 30 years and served in this body from 1988-1994. He embodied the hardworking decency of the Midwest and I extend my condolences to his family. George committed a great deal of his life to public service, beginning with his service in the Army during the Korean War. He graduated from Elmhurst College and the John Marshall Law School, becoming a Will County Magistrate in 1961. He later served as the county's District Attorney and was elected to both the Illinois House and Senate. In 1986, he was tabbed by Adlai Stevenson III to run as his Lieutenant Governor. They lost that race, but George went on two years later to win election to Congress. George had a warm personality and was a results-oriented politician, looking for consensus wherever he could. He was not concerned about grandstanding, but always seeking out a way to bring people together for the greater good. He led the efforts to create the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, both projects distinct to and emblematic of Illinois. Madam Speaker, we can all learn from the example of George Sangmeister, and I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring his life and accomplishments.

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join us in a moment of silence for our former colleague, George Sangmeister. Announcement By the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 640, a resolution honoring the United States Transportation Command (US TRANSCOM) on its 20th Anniversary at Scott AFB, IL. I would like to thank Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member Hunter for working with me to bring this to the floor expeditiously. TRANSCOM is responsible for creating and implementing first-class global deployment and distribution solutions to support the President, Secretary of Defense, and our Combatant Commander assigned missions. Scott AFB, home of US TRANSCOM, Air Mobility Command, the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, the 375th AW, the 932nd AW, and the 126th ARW, among other units, have made countless contributions to the OEF/OIF. Since Oct 10, 2001, the US TRANSCOM has moved over 4 million passengers, almost 4.654 billion gallons of fuel, over 9.4 million tons of cargo, over 88,000 airlift missions, over 760 ship loads, more than 164,000 rail car shipments, and approximately 2 million CONUS truck shipments. They have done all of this with only 2 fatalities in the aeromedical system. Those statistics demonstrate a remarkable commitment to excellence and an indication of true leadership, strong spirit and continued sacrifice. Each day, the people at TRANSCOM and Scott AFB and their families and friends, are asked to sacrifice for the good of our country. They make that sacrifice without hesitation and should be commended for it. Mr. Speaker, as we mark TRANSCOM's 20th anniversary at Scott AFB, I would like to commend General Norton Schwartz and the men and women who serve with him. It is truly an honor to have this command at Scott AFB and I look forward to countless more years of this unique partnership. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring TRANSCOM and supporting this resolution.

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I am offering an amendment with my colleagues that would replace the current note FEMA uses which does not distinguish levees according to their structural integrity or protection value and replaces it with one that is more accurate to clarify the protection level of flood control structures and the legal requirements of flood Insurance coverage. I strongly believe all property owners should be properly educated about their flood risks and encouraged to assess their need for flood insurance. However, no local governments, lenders, and the general public should have uncertainty with regard to flood risks and whether there is a requirement to participate in the Federal flood insurance program. Alexander County in my Congressional district and other areas throughout the State of Illinois will be affected by these ``warning labels'' and this amendment ensures that we are being clear in our intent. This amendment is important to my district and to the Nation and has bipartisan support. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I thank the Rules Committee for making this amendment in order and thank Chairman Frank as well. My amendment is a commonsense, simple amendment that will bring fairness to FEMA's remapping process. If my amendment is adopted, FEMA would not be able to adjust premium rates or require the purchase of flood insurance until all remapping has been completed for an entire district of the Corps of Engineers affected by the remapping. Under the current system, one geographic area of a floodplain or watershed can be updated, while another geographic area of the same floodplain or watershed may not be remapped for a few years. If you look at the St. Louis area, preliminary maps will be available for review in December of this year for the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, but will not be available for the Missouri side of the river for two to three years. The remapping process should not be stopped, but remapping should be implemented for the entire floodplain or watershed together, as opposed to the current piecemeal approach. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my friend from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus). (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3540, the FAA Extension Act of 2007. I want to thank Chairman Rangel, Ranking Member McCrery, and my friends from Michigan and Missouri on the Ways and Means Committee, as well as the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Mr. Mica, and Mr. Petri, the ranking member of the subcommittee. Last Thursday, the House passed H.R. 2881, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007, a long-term authorization of the FAA programs. However, until H.R. 2881 is signed into law, it is imperative that we not allow the FAA's critical programs to lapse. This legislation before us today would extend the aviation trust fund taxes for an additional 3 months at their current rate. During our last funding debate 10 years ago, there was a lapse in the aviation taxes. At that time, the uncommitted balance of the trust fund was sufficient to continue funding our aviation program and services without significant disruption to the system. Today we do not have that luxury. The trust fund balances cannot sustain a long-term lapse in taxes, which is why it is critical that we pass this legislation before us today. In addition to extending the aviation taxes, H.R. 3540 extends the Airport Improvement Program. Because the AIP is funded by contract authority rather than discretionary appropriations, funding for it is not automatically extended by continuing resolutions. H.R. 3540 creates $918.75 million in AIP contract authority to fund the programs for the next 3 months from October 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007. When annualized, this equates to $3.675 billion for the full fiscal year of 2008, which is the current baseline level for this program. This will ensure that airport funding is not interrupted due to a lapse in the AIP authorization. This is not the first time we have passed a short-term extension. In 1999 and 2000, as Congress was debating what eventually became the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, or AIR-21, we passed four extensions of the FAA's contract authority. For FAA's operations, facilities and equipment, and research and development programs, the bill authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary for a 3-month period of this extension. Finally, current law allows the Secretary to limit to $100 million the third-party liability exposure of airlines and aircraft manufacturers for any cause resulting from a terrorist event. This authority expires on September 30, 2007. The legislation before us today extends this authority to December 31 of this year. Aviation is too important to our Nation's economy, contributing $1.2 trillion in output and approximately 11.4 million U.S. jobs. It is too important to allow for any lapse of taxes or funding for critical aviation programs. Until H.R. 2881 is signed into law, we must ensure that the FAA has the funds it needs to continue its vital programs. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3540 provides a short 3-month extension to ensure FAA's programs remain fully funded, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, at this time I would yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown).

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall).

Mr. COSTELLO. As Mr. Udall's designee.

Mr. COSTELLO. I am prepared at this time to offer Mr. Udall's amendment as his designee.

Mr. COSTELLO. I ask unanimous consent to move to the next amendment.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to go to the next amendment without prejudice.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Texas, a member of the subcommittee, for offering this amendment. He is correct. It is a safety issue. It is a commonsense amendment that clears up a double standard. The Poe amendment simply requires that as a condition of receiving an FAA certificate to work on U.S. aircraft that workers must meet a basic safety requirement that the FAA imposes on repair stations and workers here in the United States. Again, I commend the gentleman from Texas for his thoughtful amendment. We support the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in support of the Shays amendment. Almost 28 percent of flights in the last 7 months in 2007 were late. We have a serious problem with congestion and delays in our aviation system. We must look at all options for reducing these incidents. Mr. Shays' amendment allows the GAO to review a variety of options so that we, as policy makers, can be informed and make responsible decisions towards improving the congestion and delay problem. Mr. Chairman, I support the Shays amendment, and I thank him for his amendment.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall).

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I support the Udall amendment. The Udall amendment would ensure that our airline crews are properly trained to handle these difficult situations and that the training is updated regularly. This is a commonsense, thoughtful amendment. I support the Udall amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.

Mr. COSTELLO. I thank Mr. Oberstar for yielding. I rise in support of the manager's amendment. The amendment includes a variety of provisions important to the future of aviation. And I will quickly just highlight a few provisions in the amendment. One is, we make a variety of improvements to the Essential Air Service program which supports over 100 communities in 35 States. The amendment includes language to provide that all future integrations of labor seniority lists will be completed in a fair and equitable manner. As a Member of Congress that represents the St. Louis area, what I went through with the TWA and American Airlines merger was very difficult for many employees, and we want to prevent that hardship from occurring in the future. We also include an update of our aircraft rescue and firefighting standards. The current FAA standards have not been updated since 1988. And, finally, I need to highlight the fact that the manager's amendment does strengthen the consumer protection part of the bill and creates a Passenger Bill of Rights. It requires large air carriers, large hubs and medium hubs to follow emergency contingency plans, detailing food, water, restroom facilities, cabin ventilation, and medical treatment for passengers onboard aircraft with the Secretary of Transportation. The plan must also be updated periodically. And fines are imposed by the Department of Transportation for violations. The manager's amendment strengthens these provisions in many ways. First, it specifies that the water provided must meet the Safe Drinking Water Act standard. Secondly, carriers in airports must detail how they will allow passengers to deplane following excessive delays. Third, the manager's amendment explicitly states that DOT can assess civil penalties against air carriers or airports that fail to adhere to these approved contingency plans. Finally, aircraft and airports are required to submit these plans and ensure public access to these documents. And, also, the FAA would be required to install an 800 number for consumers to use as a hotline to report problems that they are encountering. Also, the provision updates overbooking compensation and requires the formation of an advisory committee for aviation consumer protection to provide recommendations to the Secretary. And, Mr. Chairman, as you can see, these improvements are all important to our policy that improve the safety of our aviation system and expand the availability of service. I urge my colleagues to support the Oberstar manager's amendment, and I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding and offering his amendment. The Klein amendment, as was just stated, would require the DOT to investigate all consumer complaints regarding flight cancellations, overbookings, baggage problems, and a variety of other consumer issues as long as funding was provided through the appropriations process. Let me commend the gentleman for his amendment. There is no question that, as we have heard today, complaints are on the rise. There are a number of problems. This amendment ensures that consumers are getting their concerns addressed through the official process, and we will work to ensure that the proper funding to undertake these responsibilities by the FAA is forthcoming. I support the amendment, and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. I thank the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Minnesota, for recognizing me and yielding this time. Today is an important day for the future of aviation. We are considering this legislation, which was introduced in a bipartisan manner. I do want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota, the gentleman from Florida and the gentleman from Wisconsin for all of their hard work in bringing the legislation to the floor today. The issues we address in this legislation are important, and they will determine our ability to continue to maintain the world's safest aviation system. There is a provision in this bill that the gentleman from Florida referred to that addresses FAA's imposed work rules on the air traffic controllers. We spent many hours working together with the FAA and the air traffic controllers trying to bring together an agreement. Unfortunately, an agreement could not be reached and that only left us with one clear choice, and that is binding arbitration. I strongly believe in collective bargaining and bargaining in good faith with a fair dispute resolution process for both sides. Unfortunately, that did not happen in 2006, but it was corrected with the T&I Committee markup by adopting the Costello amendment with a strong bipartisan vote of 53-16. The approach in H.R. 2881 will ensure fair treatment of FAA employees and restores two fundamental principles: the rights of workers and the right to collectively bargain. H.R. 2881 also allows us to increase capacity and safety within our aviation system, modernize our air traffic control system, and continue to reduce energy consumption and improve our environment. Our Next Generation system can be absorbed by the existing FAA financing structure, and that is exactly what we did in this bill. Our bill does not impose user fees as the administration recommended. Instead, our bill uses the current tax structure. This legislation provides a record $68 billion over the next 4 years to improve our Nation's aviation infrastructure, modernize our air traffic control system, and maintain the highest level of safety in this ever-changing aviation environment. Further, the legislation applies a four-part approach to the FAA Joint Planning and Development Office. We provide more funding, more authority, more accountability and more oversight. These changes will ensure our ability to meet our modernization goals and objectives. The first half of 2007, as the gentleman from Minnesota pointed out, has been the worst as far as delays in the last 13 years. We have addressed that situation in this legislation and we address the problems with airlines scheduling more flights than the system currently can handle. To help airports increase capital needs and reduce airline delays, like the administration, our legislation would increase the passenger facility charge cap from $4.50 to $7. According to the FAA, if every airport currently collecting a $4 or $4.50 PFC raised its PFC to $7, it would generate $1.1 billion in additional revenue to develop airports each year. The bill also provides significant increases in the AIP fund. Giving the ability to raise the PFC and the AIP funding will provide the necessary financing of capacity-enhancing airport improvements that will be necessary to reduce delays. Let me conclude by saying that our legislation also contains passenger and consumer protections, a passenger bill of rights that, in fact, will protect passengers. I urge passage.