Bill Shuster

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chair, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I encourage all of my colleagues to support the en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I support considering these amendments en bloc, all of which have been approved by both the majority and the minority. These Members put forward thoughtful amendments, and I am pleased to be able to support moving them en bloc. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 839, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to close, so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Higgins for yielding. I believe this amendment that initiates a pilot program allows small numbers of these aircraft to land in the United States for maintenance services. I understand what the gentleman is trying to do, and I want to stress the next point, that no community would have these older aircraft land at their airports unless they certify annually that they are willing to accept them. I think the gentleman is trying to create jobs in a district, in a rural area, that the noise will not affect and that will put hardworking Louisianans to work fixing these planes that still operate around the Caribbean.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment. The amendment would repeal existing law that has been in place since 2012. The law generally prevents DOT from adopting lithium battery regulations that are not harmonized with international standards. Existing law represents a balanced approach that allows DOT to issue regulations that exceed international requirements if the Secretary has credible evidence that lithium batteries would substantially contribute to onboard fires. Billions of lithium batteries and lithium-battery containing products are shipped safely by air every year. Shipments by air into the U.S. in 2017 were valued at approximately $120 billion, which also means there are thousands of jobs attached to these. Aviation is a global industry, and it is very important there not be a patchwork of regulations. The international body studying the global standards for lithium battery transport requirements has been very active on the issue, and the United States has been centrally involved. In reality, the international effort on lithium batteries has been ahead of the DOT in terms of implementing requirements. Additionally, H.R. 4 continues to focus on safely transporting the products that almost all Americans rely on. It assures expert participation in all panels and working groups of international test or standard-setting organizations in which the United States participates. It avoids creating a burdensome patchwork of regulations, provides the Secretary of Transportation with the authority to deal with this, and creates a Lithium Battery Air Safety Advisory Committee to ensure that the best and safest policy positions are developed and synchronized in the U.S. This amendment also would put exclusive powers to represent the United States internationally on transport issues in the hands of the FAA, despite hazardous materials transportation affecting all modes of transportation. Currently, the Secretary of Transportation is statutorily directed to represent the United States in international forums for transporting hazardous materials in international commerce. It is the Secretary's discretion to delegate this authority to her or his choice of agencies. Discretion appropriately rests with the Secretary. Experts agree that uniform international transportation regulation is a key to safety, so I would urge all Members to oppose this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague's passion on this issue. I would, again, say, having a system that is harmonized throughout the world is critical. ICAO has already said in their standard that they recommend that we don't carry them on passenger aircraft, so our industry in America has done that. Further, the companies that ship cargo--UPS, FedEx--are working, and I have seen what they have done to make sure that the crews of cargo planes are protected. Again, the private industry understands this, and they are moving forward to develop these systems that contain it or suppression systems. So, again, I believe that the best way forward is to, again, harmonize with the rest of the world and continue to ship billions of dollars of these batteries safely every year. Again, I urge my colleagues to not support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. This amendment would streamline the process for airlines to obtain information from the National Driver Registry for airline pilots seeking employment. I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for offering his amendment. This amendment implements critical recommendations from the FAA's Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group. Specifically the amendment will require newly manufactured helicopters meet specific safety standards to prevent post-crash fires from occurring. In many cases, fatal helicopter accidents are due to post-crash fires rather than the impact itself. Equipping these new helicopters with crash resistant fuel systems is absolutely critical in preventing thermal injuries and fatalities. I thank the gentleman for his continued leadership and persistence. When I say persistence, the gentleman has been working on this issue for a number of years, so, again, I congratulate him for that effort. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I support considering these amendments en bloc, all of which have been approved by both the majority and minority. These Members put forward thoughtful amendments, and I am pleased to be able to support moving them en bloc. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to support the amendments en bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition. This amendment would interfere with national security, homeland security, and law enforcement operations. As home to the Nation's Capital, the area serves a critical role for the country as home to the Federal Government. Each day, military pilots and other agencies use helicopters to conduct vital missions as part of our national defense and the operations of government. These agencies include the DOD, the Coast Guard, Park Police, Capitol Police, and other agencies. The missions they fly cannot be accomplished by any other means and are essential to our Nation's protection. This amendment would add complexity to the airspace and could affect the safety of our servicemembers and law enforcement and affect the efficiency of the airspace. Mr. Chairman, I understand the gentleman's concerns, and I hope we can find some way to address them, but I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

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