Fritz Hollings

Mr. HOLLINGS

Mr. HOLLINGS. We yield back our time on this side.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, on behalf of the Senator from Indiana, Mr. Bayh, I send an amendment to the desk.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, does the Senator from Arizona approve of the amendment?

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, on behalf of the Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, I send an amendment to the desk on the study of the shuttle services at Reagan National Airport. It merely requires a study with respect to housing of gates used by the shuttle services, and as to whether or not that is feasible.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, if there is no further debate----

Mr. HOLLINGS. Right.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Particularly becoming a recent father, he is wearing down.

Mr. HOLLINGS. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. HOLLINGS. I ask unanimous consent.

Mr. HOLLINGS. You already got that. This is on the Specter amendment, the yeas and nays on the Specter amendment.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk that has been cleared which I ask the clerk to report. It is a cap on the staffing level of the Transportation Security Administration.

Mr. HOLLINGS. On behalf of the distinguished Senator, Senator Feinstein, I send an amendment to the desk and ask it be reported. This has to do with air quality on new aircraft.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, on behalf of the distinguished Senator from Iowa, Mr. Harkin, I send the amendment to the desk and ask it be reported.

Mr. HOLLINGS. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, this has to do with the notice, the 60- day notice of the closing of an airport. It has been cleared on both sides. I think.

Mr. HOLLINGS. I ask for the yeas and nays on final passage.

Mr. HOLLINGS. It has been cleared on this side.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise today in support of legislation that will reauthorize the programs of the Federal Aviation Administration for the next 3 years, S. 824, the Aviation Investment and Revitalization Vision Act, AIR-V. I would like to thank Chairman McCain, Senator Lott and Senator Rockefeller for their hard work in helping to craft this bipartisan bill that seeks to address the needs of the Nation's air transportation system. The troubled state of the aviation industry has made FAA reauthorization a high priority of the 108th Congress. From the start, the Senate Commerce Committee pursued an ambitious schedule, and held several hearings on this matter in the first few months of the year. Our focus on this matter permitted all involved parties to express their concerns about the aviation system in the United States, and helped us develop a constructive approach to improve the work of the FAA as we move into an unclear future. We have crafted a strong bill that focuses properly on safety, security, efficiency and environmental friendliness in the realm of aviation. AIR-V is a good starting point, but we have a long way to go make certain that the FAA's budget adequately supports the agency's ability to oversee an increasingly complex system to ensure safe flying. Recent reports have pointed to the FAA's laxity on plane maintenance as airlines have increasingly farmed out repair work to trim more expensive in-house operations over the past decade. The Department of Transportation Inspector General found that major air carriers paid contractors $2.9 billion for maintenance in 2001, which was 80 percent more than in 1996. While maintenance responsibility has shifted, the FAA's policies have not, and the DOT IG is currently conducting an audit of repair stations and the FAA's oversight of them. We must take steps to provide FAA needed funding to improve outdated oversight, monitor gaps in overseas repair service, and update training methods which have not changed significantly in almost 50 years. It is vital that we adequately fund to FAA's budget to ensure the safest aviation system possible. The impact of the aviation industry on our Nation is clear. Prior to September 11, 2001, the total impact of civil aviation on the national economy exceeded $900 billion and 11 million jobs, representing 9 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. Since that time, the airline industry has faced consecutive years of record multibillion dollar losses while our national economy continues to struggle. This has made reauthorization of the FAA that much more critical, and I believe AIR-V strikes the proper balance among key FAA programs to advance our Nation's air transportation system. After September 11, 2001, Congress created the Transportation Security Administration, which has taken charge of a massive restructuring of transportation security, which has led to a greater confidence in the traveling public. Even with the vast downturn in aviation traffic over the past couple of years, the FAA's Aerospace Forecast anticipates that enplanements in the U.S. are expected to increase over the next 10 years by roughly 50 percent, with as many as 1 billion passenger boardings expected annually by 2013. Knowing of the expected growth in airline traffic, we must press our efforts to make system-wide improvements that will allow the U.S. aviation industry to flourish in the coming years and beyond. Air-V promotes airport development with increased funding for the Airport Improvement Program, and additional support for vital components of the National Airspace System through the designation of certain essential undertakings as ``national capacity'' projects. When the Bush Administration's FAA reauthorization proposal was unveiled it was criticized by Aviation Week for not providing enough long-term support for AIP at a time when the FAA is in a tight budget situation and the Nation's airports are looking for increased funding to pursue needed projects to improve their facilities. AIR-V also takes steps to resolve the bleeding of hundred of millions of dollars from AIP for security purposes and seeks to expedite the installation of EDS machines at airports across the country while diverting none of the AIP funds away from important infrastructure projects through the creation of an Aviation Security Capital Fund to be financed with $500 million annually in security service fees to allow TSA to make grants to airports to assist with capital security costs. I have had increasing concerns that the European Community will continue its bold efforts to surpass the American aerospace industry in the coming years. We must recognized the importance of the FAA's Research, Engineering and Development program in maintaining our position as the worldwide leader in the aviation and aerospace industries. AIR-V will significantly increase funding for the R,E&D program with the understanding that long term planning will be needed to keep up with the rapidly changing dynamic of this industry. The EC has already introduced a ``2020 plan'' aimed at surpassing America-- FAA, NASA and our aerospace industry--as the world's aerospace leaders within the next two decades. We must respond to this challenge with an emphasis on technology, and public-private cooperation that will ensure our advantage over the EC by strengthening our R,E&D programs and U.S. education and interest in aerospace. I am pleased that key components of S. 788, the Second Century of Flight Act, legislation I introduced along with Senators Brownback, Rockefeller, Inouye, Cantwell, and Kerry have been included in this reauthorization effort. Among the most important steps that the bill take to promote FAA, R,E&D is the creation of a national office to coordinate aviation and aerospace research activities within the U.S. Government tasked with coordinating programs and developing goals to facilitate the nation's R,E&D technologies, and a national office to focus on a next generation air traffic management system. Of equal importance is the establishment of a new educational program to train the next generation of aeronautics engineers and mechanics. According to the Commission Report on Aerospace, more than a quarter of the U.S. science, engineering and manufacturing workforce will be eligible to retire in the next 5 years. This workforce initiative is aimed at increasing participation of U.S. students in fields related to aerospace and aviation safety through the use of grants and scholarships for service to ensure the growth of interest in the United States and increase the talent pool of American students. To ensure that the U.S. continues to have the safest aviation system possible we must also make improvements to the FAA's Facilities and Equipment program which contains financing for the purchase, installation and construction of equipment and facilities required to maintain the NAS. Through this bill we should boost the F&E program so that it will be a better complement to the improved AIP program in preparation for increased passenger levels. However, we must consider ways to make further advances to this program to ensure our ability to provide crucial enhancements to the safety of our aviation system. AIR-V will have an enormous impact on the future of our entire air transportation system, and makes a strong statement about the direction that we want our air transportation system to go. Please support this effort and work with us to help the FAA take real steps forward and maintain our strength in aviation for the future. I yield to our distinguished leader who really held the hearings and led for this particular measure.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished chairman and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for this initiative. It is well deserved. Whether or not it can be worked out--as the Senator indicates, we hope it can be. It has been cleared on our side, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I yield as much time as the Senator from Mississippi wants from the time remaining.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Eligibility; that is right.