John Mica

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), one of our most active members on our subcommittee.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank again the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), and particularly the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) for their leadership in putting this legislation together. There are a number of difficult issues. I particularly again want to reiterate thanks to the staff who have worked long and hard to bring this measure in rapid order before the House of Representatives. Mr. Chairman, this is a vital piece of legislation. I think all we have to do is look back on the events of September 11. If you took American aviation for granted, certainly that day was an awakening. Every day since September 11, we have struggled to get back on our feet. We have seen the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been lost in our economy as a result of damage done not only by the events of September 11 but the struggling difficulties of our major air carriers. We take aviation for granted in this United States. It has provided a magic carpet, a way of life unknown by any people who have ever walked the face of this Earth, but it has become a part of the very fabric of our society. This legislation will set our policy for the next 4 years as far as aviation, so it is very important. We heard from the gentleman from Virginia and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia how a closedown in just general aviation has affected the Nation's capital and the areas they represent. We cannot have that anywhere. We are willing to work with them and work with all to make certain that we restore this vital industry, that we restore jobs and that we protect a way of life for the American people. That is, to travel again in a manner in which only we can think about today and only 100 years ago the Wright brothers could dream about.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this manager's amendment makes some relatively modest changes to the legislation before us. Most of the changes are technical in nature and address issues that were raised after the committee approved the legislation in May. One significant change is the provision relating to crew training, and I want to elaborate a bit on that. Our current law provides and requires that airlines provide hands-on self-defense training to flight attendants to help them deal with a terrorist threat. The amendment that we have makes clear that this training is voluntary and that flight attendants who choose to take it will do so on their own time. The airlines will not be required to pay them while they are taking this training. The Transportation Security Administration, not the airlines, will be providing the training. Both the flight attendants and airlines have agreed to this particular provision. The airlines will still have to provide other nonphysical security training for flight attendants. Airlines provide that training now, and under this bill they could continue to provide the same training. The amendment requires TSA to set minimum standards for flight attendant training, but deletes the provision in current law requiring the Transportation Security Administration to set the minimum number of hours for this particular type of training. Rather, the Transportation Security Administration should set proficiency standards and leave it to the airlines as to how many hours of training it will take to reach that level of proficiency. In addition to the crew training provision, this amendment makes a number of improvements to the bill. These improvements include the following: First, allowing the Department of Transportation to request information from the Department of Homeland Security in preparing its monthly report on passenger complaints about screening. Next, directing the FAA to publish its policy on the use of passenger facility charge revenue for ground access projects. Allowing 76-seat regional jets to qualify for the commuter aircraft slots for Reagan National Airport. Additionally, allowing DOT to increase the subsidy to a commuter serving a small community if that commuter is experiencing significantly increased costs. Another provision is allowing an airline to begin service to a small community that previously had subsidized essential air service without being subject to the many regulatory requirements of the Essential Air Service program. An additional provision is revising the provision requiring aircraft manufacturers to make maintenance manuals available to aircraft repair stations in order to accommodate concerns expressed by the manufacturers. Also we have a provision directing GAO to study how airlines were compensated after 9-11, especially whether they should be compensated for the devaluation of their aircraft. A further provision directs FAA to study whether certain aircraft operations in Alaska can be performed under part 91 of FAA rules. An additional provision allows current or former military airports designated by FAA to use AIP money for the reimbursement of a hangar. Another provision allows up to 12 large airports to use AIP money for interest payments on debts. Small airports can already do this. Another provision requires large airports seeking to build a runway to make their master plan available to the metropolitan planning organization in the area where the airport is located. Finally, we have a provision directing DOT to report on whether it is appropriate and necessary for the airport in the Marshall Islands to receive grants under the Airport Improvement Program. Mr. Chairman, this is a good, bipartisan amendment. We have taken into consideration concerns and requests from many Members, and I believe that this manager's amendment improves on an already good piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, again I urge passage of the manager's amendment. I think we have attempted our level best to accommodate a number of requests from Members, particularly since the legislation was passed out of committee. I think the best amendments with the best possible language and compromises that could be worked out have been incorporated into this manager's amendment. We still will work with others as the legislation moves forward with conference. Again, I urge the adoption of this comprehensive manager's amendment that is also a bipartisan piece of work. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I do have some questions about this amendment. I think we are going to probably acquiesce to the amendment, but Ronald Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport are unique airports. They are the only federally owned commercial passenger airports in the country. They were federally chartered and are not subject to the oversight, as I understand it, of the Governor of Virginia. This amendment gives the Secretary of Transportation permanent authority to provide grants to the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority. By doing so, it removes in some ways, Congress' responsibility and ability to make periodic reviews of the airport authority's operations. This is a unique situation. We owe it to our Nation's taxpayers to fulfill our oversight responsibilities, and sometimes Congress needs to be reminded legislatively to do so. This amendment will change that dramatically. I have great reservations about this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to look at this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), who has an opposing opinion.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds to answer the gentleman's question. Mr. Chairman, I want to assure the gentleman from Nebraska that while we do not address in this particular legislative measure before us today security issues raised by the gentleman, they will be addressed in a separate piece of legislation that is now pending, consideration by leadership and homeland security. Certainly all of the issues that the gentleman raised have been raised by other Members, and we will try to right-size and correct some of the problems with TSA and aviation security.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for raising this important issue before the House, and I look forward to working with him to come to a fair solution to the problem raised by him. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), a former member of the Committee on Transportation and the Infrastructure.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased in the spirit of bipartisanship, the good spirit in which the legislation has been crafted together with both sides of the aisle, to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly), who is also a senior member of our Subcommittee on Aviation.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), a senior member of the Subcommittee on Aviation and immediate past Chair of the subcommittee.

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

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment, and I rise in strong support of it. I think we need to do everything possible to protect the intent of our Buy America requirements, and I think the gentleman's amendment does exactly that. In the aviation industry, unfortunately, we are facing tremendous loss in jobs, employment, and manufacturing. We have lost about half of the large aircraft manufacturing, we produce no regional jets in the United States, and I think the very least we can do is have a Buy America provision that has teeth, that has provisions that will ensure that our manufactured goods are respected by the mandates set down by Congress to Buy America. So I strongly support the gentleman's amendment.

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

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to conclude both the debate on the amendment and more than likely the debate on this legislation. I thank everyone for their cooperation. This truly does show how legislation can be drafted in a bipartisan manner, and it shows too with the gentleman from Pennsylvania's (Mr. Pitts) amendment, which I rise in support of, that all the good ideas just do not come from the committee. He has a good idea. It will improve this bill. It shows the majesty of the system our Founding Fathers created, and this working today does demonstrate good legislation. I rise in support again of the Pitts amendment and the bill, the underlying measure.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of the bill, H.R. 2115, the Clerk be authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, and cross-references, and to make such other necessary technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the actions of the House.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure have until midnight, Friday, June 6, 2003 to file a report to accompany the bill H.R. 2115, to reauthorize funds for the Federal Aviation Administration, and for other purposes.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday next.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Monday, June 9, 2003, it adjourn to meet at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, for morning hour debates.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.