John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. I thank the Presiding Officer.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise today to express my appreciation to my colleagues for the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016. By passing this legislation, which I offered with the Commerce Committee's ranking member, Senator Nelson, and our Aviation Subcommittee leaders, Senator Ayotte and Senator Cantwell, the Senate is seeking to end a string of short extensions with a comprehensive reform proposal now on its way to the House of Representatives. Bipartisan efforts at both the Commerce Committee and on the Senate floor made an already strong bill even better. Only weeks ago, horrific attacks by ISIS created new concern for air travelers. Recognizing the need to enhance security, Senators from both sides of the aisle offered amendments to strengthen safety and security protections for passengers in this aviation bill. To guard against the threat of airport insiders helping terrorists, we added provisions that I authored along with Senator Nelson to improve the scrutiny of individuals applying to work in secure airport areas. For the first time, we put requirements in place so applicants needing access to secure areas of airports can be denied security credential if they have been convicted of embezzlement, racketeering, robbery, sabotage, immigration law violations, or assault with a deadly weapon. While very few criminals are terrorists, it is not at all uncommon for terrorists to get their start as criminals. The Brussels attackers, for example, were known to the police as criminals long before they carried out terrorist attacks. Ensuring that dangerous criminals don't work behind the scenes at airports is one important thing we can do to reduce the threats facing airport passengers. Tightening the vetting process for airport employees is especially critical, as many experts believe the recent bombing of a Russian passenger jet leaving Egypt had help from an aviation insider. Our bill also includes security provisions to better safeguard public areas outside the security checkpoints at airports and to help reduce passenger backups. These reforms could help prevent a future attack, like the one in the Brussels terminal last month, which targeted a crowd of passengers in an area where the attackers didn't even need tickets. While many of our security enhancements addressed problems highlighted by recent attacks, none of these proposals were cobbled together in a rush to do something. All of the security proposals added to this bill have existed for months and were developed as a result of congressional oversight, independent evaluations of agencies, and the study of existing problems. What recent attacks by ISIS did create is new urgency to enact these security safeguards as the threat of terrorism remains a menace. As I have mentioned more than once, this legislation has been praised for the many ways it helps airline passengers. Under this bill, airlines will be required to return fees if they lose or significantly delay delivery of passengers' luggage. We also require airlines to automatically return fees for services purchased but not delivered so travelers don't have to go through the hassle of trying to reclaim their money from an airline. Because many customers are frustrated by lengthy legal jargon that can make it difficult to understand add-on costs, our bill creates a new and easy-to-read uniform standard for disclosing baggage, ticket change, seat selection, and other fees. We even help families with children find flights where they can sit together without additional costs by requiring airlines to tell purchasers about available seat locations at the time of booking. A Washington Post consumer columnist called our bill ``one of the most passenger-friendly Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bills in a generation.'' I am proud that the FAA bill before the Senate today is the product of a bipartisan process. Over at the Commerce Committee, we approved 57 amendments before this bill came to the floor, and 60 percent of those amendments came from Members of the minority. Here on the Senate floor, we approved an additional 19 amendments. In addition to helping passengers and enhancing security, this legislation addresses a number of other priorities, including the cyber security of aircraft, the aircraft design approval process, undue regulatory burdens on noncommercial pilots, airport infrastructure, rural air service, lithium battery safety, mental health screening for pilots, communicable disease preparedness, drone safety, and many other important areas. Without going through them in detail, the bill's provisions for unmanned aerial systems are groundbreaking. Twenty years from now, when drones play significant roles in our economy and making the public safer, Congress will look back at this bill as landmark legislation. Provisions in this bill will give the FAA authority to address safety issues unique to drones and advance the development of drone technology. Thanks to this legislation, the FAA will be able to consider and grant permission for new and safe drone usage, stop dangerous practices, and deploy new tools to put sensitive parts of our national airspace under restricted access for drones. Finally, as I have noted, Ranking Member Nelson, Senator Ayotte, and Senator Cantwell deserve high praise for their collaboration on this legislation. Senator Nelson, in particular, has been a real partner in the effort, and I want to express my sincere thanks to him and to his talented staff. I also want to acknowledge the important contributions of Finance Committee Chairman Hatch, Ranking Member Wyden, and their staffs. Without the Finance Committee provisions they provided for revenue and expenditure authority, we would not have an FAA bill. I also want to thank Leader McConnell, his lead liaison to the Commerce Committee, Scott Rabb, and Leader Reid for helping us get this bill passed. I also appreciate the Senators and their staff members who worked with us so that we could include so many amendments here on the floor. Finally, it goes without saying that I want to thank my own staff for their great work on this bill, especially Nick Rossi, Adrian Arnakis, Bailey Edwards, Michael Reynolds, Jessica McBride, Missye Brickell, Suzanne Gillen, Jaclyn Keshian, Christopher Loring, Rebecca Seidel, Cheri Pascoe, Peter Feldman, Andrew Timm, Frederick Hill, and Lauren Hammond. Long hours and even a few all-nighters have been put into this bill over the course of many months. I am the first to say that nothing consequential or substantial gets done around this place without the important, hard work of the very talented and skilled staff. I am blessed on the Commerce Committee to be surrounded with people who care passionately about these issues, who work very diligently to get the best possible outcomes and results. I am grateful for the contributions of our staff and those of Senator Nelson's staff and of the many Members who were involved in shaping this bill. It is another accomplishment that we can all be proud of. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the title amendment at the desk be agreed to.

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, we have pending before us final passage on the FAA reauthorization. We have been waiting to see if there were not another 26 amendments that have been cleared on both sides that we can get added to the bill. Despite our best efforts, we have an objection to that. We have been trying all morning to get that cleared, but that has not been possible.

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to take a few minutes to talk about the two ride-alongs I was privileged to take with Rapid City, SD, law enforcement officers at the end of March. We live in a climate where police officers are often made to sound like criminals and criminals are often portrayed as victims. The result is, we forget about the real victims--the people who have suffered crimes or are forced to live in crime-ridden neighborhoods--and we forget about the work police officers do in making our communities places we can live. Three weeks ago, I got to meet with law enforcement officers from the Rapid City Police Department and the Pennington County Sheriff's Office. After our meeting, I got to take a ride through Rapid Valley with Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Akley and a ride through Rapid City with Rapid City Police Officer Jim Hansen. Not very long ago, some neighborhoods in Rapid City had their share of challenges. Law enforcement officers frequently responded to drug and alcohol calls, abuse calls, domestic violence, break-ins, and other violent crimes. Imagine what it is like to live in a neighborhood like that. Coming home after dark is dangerous. It may not be safe for your children to play in the yard. It is certainly not safe to send them to the playground. Your children constantly see things no child should see and hear things no child should have to hear. Your property isn't secure. Your car and your home are at risk all the time. There are no economic opportunities in your area because businesses don't want to locate in areas where it is not safe to do business. That is what life is like in some of these neighborhoods. In one instance in Rapid City, law enforcement officers responded to over 600 calls to one building over a period of a single year. By partnering with residents in impacted neighborhoods, Rapid City law enforcement stepped in and conducted an aggressive, years-long campaign to rid this area of crime. Today, residents can let their children play outside without fear, and new economic opportunities are opening for residents as businesses move in. It is no exaggeration to say that what these police officers did changed the lives of countless Rapid City residents. Every day, in every community in the United States, the men and women who make up our Nation's police forces and sheriff's departments put their lives on the line for the rest of us. They are first on the scene when someone is in danger, the first to come running when you call for help, and when evil threatens they step in. I am grateful to the men and women of the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, and to all the law enforcement officers keeping the peace in South Dakota and around the Nation. Because of their service, we can live in safety. Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Sophie Doeden, an intern in my Aberdeen, SD, office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Sophie is a graduate of Beresford High School in Beresford, SD. Currently, Sophie is attending Northern State University, where she is majoring in political science. Sophie is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of her experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Sophie Doeden for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, when Republicans took the majority in the Senate last January, we were determined to get the Senate working again. By 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate had largely ground to a halt. Serious legislation had been replaced by political messaging, and the Democratic leadership refused to allow votes on amendments. In short, despite Democratic control of the Senate, Democrats and Republicans alike were shut out of the legislative process. Republicans were determined to change that. Since we took control of the Senate in 2015, we have focused on taking up substantial legislation that addresses the challenges facing the country. We have made sure individual appropriations bills get written in committees with input from Senators of both parties, and we have opened the Senate floor to debate and amendment. Why is that important? Because an open legislative process in the Senate means all Americans get represented. When legislation is written in the open using the committee process and Senators have a chance to highlight their constituents' concerns, the final bill is a lot more likely to reflect the American people's priorities. One of our most basic responsibilities as Members of Congress is to pass appropriations bills. Appropriations bills give Senators and Congressmen a chance to take a look at where taxpayer dollars are being spent and how we can spend this money more efficiently and effectively. Unfortunately, too often Congress ends up skipping the appropriations process and rolling a number of the appropriations bills into one giant spending bill. That means we lose the opportunity to closely examine our spending priorities and make sure we are spending money wisely. Since we took control of the Senate, Republicans have been determined to make sure Congress takes the appropriations process seriously. We have made sure individual appropriations bills are developed in committee, where Senators of both parties have the opportunity to help develop the bill and make sure their constituents' concerns are heard. This week Congress is taking up the Energy and Water appropriations bill. This legislation funds a number of priorities: rural water projects, critical infrastructure projects, nuclear deterrence efforts, energy research, flood control, and environmental cleanup, to name a few. I am particularly pleased that this bill funds important projects--like the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System--that will help provide communities with access to steady, reliable water sources. I am also pleased that this bill invests in next-generation, high- energy physics research, including the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, which could revolutionize our understanding of some of the most fundamental elements of our universe. This funding demonstrates continued U.S. commitment to a project that will help train the next generation of scientists and engineers, retain and attract the best scientific minds to the United States, and garner additional investment from global partners. I am proud that South Dakota's Sanford Underground Research Facility will continue to play a leading role in this major international scientific effort. The Energy and Water appropriations bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee with the unanimous--unanimous--support of Democrats and Republicans with a 30-to-0 vote. I am hoping it will receive the same strong bipartisan support on the Senate floor. This bill will boost our Nation's energy security, making our economy more competitive, and promote energy innovation. It will help us produce more and pay less for energy. This legislation is an important first step in our commitment to restore order to the appropriations process, and I look forward to consideration of additional appropriations bills on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, in a few moments, we will be voting on ending debate on H.R. 636, and that will allow us to proceed to a vote on the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016. I wish to urge my colleagues to support that motion to end debate. The legislation we are considering is not just any FAA reauthorization. This bill is the most pro-passenger and pro-security FAA reauthorization in recent history. Travelers are frustrated, and this bill contains commonsense reforms to make travel safe and secure and more passenger-friendly. For over 2 weeks on the Senate floor now and before that in the Commerce Committee, where I serve as chairman, we have been working hard to thoughtfully develop this bill and to allow for robust debate. For instance, there are drone safety provisions in the bill, including a pilot program to deploy technology to intercept drones near airports. These provisions are obviously intended to prevent accidents like the one that happened outside the Heathrow Airport this weekend, where a drone hit an approaching plane. We developed this provision and others in the bill through an open process that allowed every member of the committee to contribute and help write the bill. Last year, we held six hearings on topics that helped inform our bill, and at the committee markup last month alone, we accepted 57 amendments, 34 of which were sponsored by Democrats and 23 by Republicans. On the Senate floor, when it was reported out and taken up, we added 19 amendments, 10 from Democrats and 9 from Republican Senators. The resulting bill is one we can be proud of, and both sides of the aisle have commended us for our inclusive process. When there have been differences, we have been able to find ways to address or set those aside for later so the progress on the legislation could move forward. Even at this late hour, we have worked constructively to assemble a possible managers' package of more than two dozen additional amendments that we would like to adopt by voice vote prior to final passage. Yet, even if that is not possible, I commit to those Senators whose amendments we stand prepared to accept that I will work to address their concerns as we engage with our colleagues in the House of Representatives. Now it is time to conclude our work on the bipartisan FAA bill that I introduced a long ways back, along with my friend and ranking member, Senator Bill Nelson, and our Aviation Subcommittee leaders, Senators Kelly Ayotte and Maria Cantwell. The bill includes reforms benefiting the traveling public, and we shouldn't let them down. Let's vote yes on the motion to end debate and start moving these historic reforms forward. As I mentioned, I have a list of 26 amendments that we would like to clear--amendments offered by both sides. It is a package we could adopt. We have a couple of objections to doing that. If the Members who have put forward those objections would be willing to release those objections, we would be able to get another 26 amendments adopted, many of which have been offered by colleagues, as I said, on both sides and many of which contain measures that I think will make the bill even stronger and make it a product we can all be proud of as it moves over to the House of Representatives. There, I hope it will receive consideration and action and ultimately end up on the President's desk. The FAA bill is legislation we have to do on a fairly routine basis around here. This authorization will stand for about 18 months. There are a number of important considerations that need to be addressed that this bill not only acknowledges but addresses. As I mentioned, those considerations have to do with drone safety, which is an increasingly important issue in our economy and one where we need to make sure we have the right rules of the air, if you will, in place so that we preserve and ensure that safety is the No. 1 factor as we continue to see the increased research, development, and deployment of drone technologies in ways that have tremendous commercial application. As I said, it also includes a lot of passenger protections which are very consumer-friendly in terms of passengers who travel on a regular basis with the airlines. So those are things as well that we need to address in this legislation. We enhanced the bill by amendment when it came to the floor with a couple of safety provisions that we think are critically important, particularly in light of what has happened of late with the attack in Brussels and a number of other attacks we have seen, where we have had aviation insiders involved, if you will--particularly the Metrojet airliner that crashed not that long ago and killed 224 people. There are a number of safety provisions that help address some of those concerns. As I said, we expand the TSA precheck program to limit the number of people who are in areas outside secure areas--outside the perimeter, so to speak--where they are more vulnerable to these types of attacks. These are all included in this legislation. So from an aviation security standpoint, this bill includes the most comprehensive security measures we will have adopted in nearly a decade. As I said before, from a passenger-friendly standpoint, according to a columnist at the Washington Post, this is one of the most passenger-friendly FAA reauthorization bills we have seen literally in a generation. So these are reasons why this bill needs to move forward. I hope my colleagues here in the Senate, when the vote comes here in a few minutes, will cast a vote in support of ending debate and allow us to move forward to a vote on final passage, which will enable this legislation to move forward to the House of Representatives and I hope ultimately to the President so he can sign it into law and put many of these provisions in place that would be good for our country. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to support the motion to end debate so the Senate can vote and pass the pro-security and pro- consumer provisions within the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016. For the past 2 weeks on the Senate floor and earlier at the Commerce Committee, we have engaged in a constructive and open process to consider amendments making important changes to this legislation that sets aviation policies for our country. On the Senate floor we added 19 amendments, 10 from Democrats and 9 from Republican Senators, and at the Commerce Committee we approved 57 amendments, 34 from Democrats and 23 from Republicans. A number of these amendments were substantial, including the vast majority of the aviation security provisions within the legislation. We have also agreed to set aside discussions on certain issues for now so we could continue to have a bill with broad bipartisan support. On some policy issues where there was disagreement, we found the will of the Senate through negotiation and votes. Our debate has been constructive, and I value the process by which we have allowed Senators to make their mark on this bill. After 2 weeks of consideration, it is now time to conclude our work on the bipartisan legislation I introduced along with my friend, the ranking member from Florida, Senator Bill Nelson, and our Aviation Subcommittee leaders, Kelly Ayotte and Maria Cantwell. The bill we can vote on today has been described in the Washington Post as ``one of the most passenger-friendly Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bills in a generation.'' Even more important, this bill includes strong, new security measures that address the threat that ISIS and other terrorist groups pose to airline passengers. It is a comprehensive bill addressing needs in cyber security, the aircraft design approval process, undue regulatory burdens on noncommercial pilots, airport infrastructure, rural air service, lithium battery safety, mental health screening for pilots, communicable disease preparedness, drone safety, and many other important issues. This bill helps the public that relies on our air transportation system, and we shouldn't let them down. A vote yes on the motion to end debate allows us to move forward and to get these reforms going forward by agreeing to ultimately vote on them and to vote on passage of this bill. Again, I thank all who are involved. Senator Nelson and I started this process months ago. I think we had somewhere on the order of seven hearings, full committee and subcommittee, in debating and helping shape the bill. It was a very constructive process as we went through the markup, where we incorporated the suggestions and good ideas that came from many Members of our committee. We tried to continue that process on the floor of the Senate, and we have been successful in adding some amendments that strengthen the bill. I wish we could add more. I hope we can still reach agreement. There are still negotiations underway for another package of 25 or 30 amendments that we would like to get added to this bill if we can get the level of cooperation that is necessary to accomplish that. In the end, we need to pass this. It is important for the American people. It is a piece of legislation that needs to get voted on in the Senate, hopefully on to the House, and eventually on the President's desk. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE. I would simply say that we have worked to try to get the amendment from the Senator from California a vote. We have tried to get the other amendment referenced by the Senator from Florida, Senator Markey's amendment, a vote. But we have Members on our side who also want votes, and the other side is objecting to those votes. So I object.

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I compliment the Senator from Colorado for his active participation in shaping this bill. Obviously, he is a very active member of our Commerce Committee and cares deeply and passionately about these issues. He was very involved in the issues that he addressed in his remarks and that were incorporated into this. They were simply and purely a credit to his persistence and hard work. They do make this bill much stronger. I appreciate his good work making that possible. I wish to say again what I had mentioned earlier today, and that is, as Senator Nelson and I put this bill together, it was done in regular order. We had on the order of seven hearings--either subcommittee or full committee--where we took testimony and tried to assemble the best ideas. We worked together with members of the committee, including the Presiding Officer, in shaping a bill that we brought to a markup-- getting it to the markup and through the markup. We adopted 57 amendments--34 Democratic amendments and 23 Republican amendments-- before it came to the floor. After coming to the floor last week, we have had 19 amendments that have been added. We have another 30 or thereabouts that have been cleared, if we could get objections withdrawn so that those amendments could get cleared. But we have some other amendments of Members who would like to get votes. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be called up and reported by number: Sessions No. 3591; Paul No. 3693, as modified; and Rubio No. 3722; further, that there be 45 minutes of debate concurrently on the amendments, equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote in relation to the amendments in the order listed with a 60-affirmative-vote threshold required for adoption of the amendments, and that no second-degree amendments be in order prior to the votes.

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, reserving the right to object.

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

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, again I say to my colleagues that we made a lot of good headway on the FAA reauthorization bill. Throughout the day today--as we did quite late last night--we have attempted to negotiate a path forward to adopt more amendments. We have a package of amendments that have been cleared. A number of our colleagues wanted votes on their amendments, but there have been objections on both sides of the aisle which prevented us from getting to a final resolution. This morning we adopted cloture on the substitute with a very big vote, but we still have to have a cloture vote on Monday on the underlying bill, which will occur at 5:30 p.m. So I am here to inform my colleagues that there will be no further rollcall votes during today's session of the Senate and we will proceed with the cloture vote on the underlying bill at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Shortly after that vote, I hope to get to final passage on the FAA reauthorization so we can move on to other business in the Senate.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I would like to recognize the 74th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. Following Japan's deliberate attack on Naval Station Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States was looking for a way to retaliate and boost morale. General Henry Arnold, the chief of the Army Air Corps, and U.S. Navy ADM Ernest King, the Navy Chief of Operations, were tasked with organizing a raid on mainland Japan that would act as the United States' return salvo. They needed an extraordinary airman and leader to execute the raid, and they found one in Army Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel James ``Jimmy'' Doolittle, a well-respected pilot who they believed could inspire his fellow airmen as they carried out this dangerous mission. Doolittle immediately began selecting crew members for the mission, eventually recruiting 80 flyers who would later be nicknamed the Doolittle Raiders. The Raiders volunteered without knowing any specifics of the mission, but they trusted Doolittle enough that they were willing to follow him anyway. The geographic isolation of the Japanese mainland posed numerous logistical challenges while planning the raid. Doolittle decided to use B-25 bombers launched from the U.S.S. Hornet, which would be positioned about 500 miles away from Japan. The B-25 bombers were an inspired choice, as they were mid-range bombers that were not normally launched from the decks of aircraft carriers and had limited fuel reserves. Despite these risks and the unprecedented nature of the raid, the Raiders began their mission. On April 18, 1942, the task force was spotted by the Japanese, nearly 200 miles from the planned launch point. All 16 B-25 bombers were able to launch from the deck of the U.S.S. Hornet, but they lacked the time or fuel necessary to enter into formation, necessitating individual strikes that caused only minor military and industrial damage to Japan. All but one of the B-25 bombers made crash landings or had their crews bail out. The remaining plane made an emergency landing in Russia, and the crew was interned. Eight soldiers were captured by the Japanese in China, three of whom were executed. Still, the Doolittle Raid was the first successful attack on the Japanese mainland in over 700 years, and it shook the confidence of their military. The Doolittle Raid changed the course of the war, and the courage and bravery of the Doolittle Raiders is inspiring, even after 74 years. Three of the squadrons that participated in the Doolittle Raid, the 34th, 37th, and 432nd squadrons, are now stationed in Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, SD. I am proud to have squadrons with such a historic legacy stationed in my State, and I know that the example of the Doolittle Raiders will continue to inspire airmen everywhere.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. THUNE. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I congratulate the University of South Dakota, USD, Coyotes women's basketball team as they celebrate winning the 2016 Women's National Invitation Tournament, WNIT. The Coyotes won their first WNIT championship by outscoring the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 71-65. The win was especially poignant as the WNIT championship game was the last women's basketball game to be held in USD's iconic DakotaDome. Starting next season, USD basketball games will be held in a brand-new facility, and the record turnout for the championship game was a fitting way to end the DakotaDome's 37-year history. The Coyotes were led by head coach, Amy Williams, who received her second consecutive Coach of the Year honor from the Summit League earlier in the season. Seniors Tia Hemiller and Nicole Seekamp were named to the WNIT All-Tournament team, with Seekamp also being recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the Postseason WNIT. Seekamp is also the 2016 Summit League Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Once again, congratulations to the entire USD Coyotes women's basketball team on this impressive accomplishment. I commend the players and coaching staff for all of their hard work this season and wish them the best of luck in their future.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to speak briefly to the legislation before us, the FAA reauthorization. The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which I chair, was instrumental in bringing this bill to the floor. Our committee has a long and proud history of bipartisan cooperation on important matters under its jurisdiction. This extends to the bill before us today, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016, which I, along with my colleagues, introduced and marked up in front of our committee. The legislation before us today includes the most passenger-friendly provisions, the most significant aviation safety reforms, and the most comprehensive aviation security enhancements of any FAA reauthorization in recent history. This bill helps passengers and Americans who use the national airspace for many different transportation needs. For example, since the last reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration in 2012, the use of drones has increased dramatically. According to its most recent aerospace forecast, the FAA estimates that annual sales of both commercial and hobby unmanned aircraft could be 2.5 million in 2016--a number they estimate may increase to 7 million units annually by 2020. But the FAA has an outdated legislative framework being used to shape the use of this rapidly growing technology for both hobbyists and commercial operators. This is slowing down innovation and advancements in safety. Our bill gives the FAA new authority to enforce safe drone usage. This includes efforts to make sure drone users know and follow basic rules of the sky to avoid dangerous situations. To support job growth in the aerospace industry, our legislation reforms the process the FAA uses for approving new aircraft designs. Our goal is to shorten the time it takes for U.S. aerospace innovations to go from design boards to international markets while maintaining safety standards. For the general aviation community, we are also streamlining redtape and adding safety enhancements for small aircraft by including provisions from the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2. Finally, we increase authorized funding for the Airport Improvement Program, which pays for infrastructure like runways, by $400 million with existing surplus funds. This allows us to help meet pressing construction needs without raising taxes or fees on the traveling public. We developed this bill through a robust and open process that allowed every member of the Commerce Committee to help guide the content of this critical aviation legislation. Last year the Commerce Committee held six hearings on topics that helped inform our legislation. At the committee markup last month, we accepted 57 amendments, 34 of which were sponsored by Democrats and 23 of which were sponsored by Republicans. Since debate began on the bill last week, we have successfully included an additional 19 amendments here on the floor of the Senate. Ten of these amendments are sponsored by Democrats and nine by Republicans. This bill deserves the Senate's support. I urge Members to remember all of the important improvements this legislation puts in place for aviation security, consumer protection efforts, American innovation, safety, and job creation. I hope we will be able to send this bill to the House soon. We are on a pathway that will enable us to do that. As I mentioned before, we have had a number of amendments that have been disposed of, processed here on the floor already. Nineteen amendments have been added to the bill since it came to the floor, in addition to the 57 we adopted at the committee level. I want to credit the hard work that has been done by the staffs on both sides. The Commerce Committee staff obviously has been very involved on the majority side as well as the minority side in helping to shape this as it came out of the committee and to the floor. Lots of hours were put into getting us to where we are today. I think where we are is we have a bipartisan bill which has been broadly supported coming out of the committee, which has numerous safety enhancements in it--the most we have seen in a decade--and a bill which is worthy of all Senators' support. Having said that, there are other amendments that have been filed. I am not sure what the number is today, but we had 198 amendments filed to the bill, and we are continuing to work with the sponsors of those amendments to try to get additional amendments adopted. We obviously have to have cooperation from Members on both sides in order for that to happen. We have a list of another 10 or a dozen amendments we think could be cleared and could be added to the legislation, but we are going to need Members who currently have holds on that process to lift those holds. We are on a glidepath to getting this bill to votes coming up tomorrow, so we have today and perhaps part of tomorrow in which to process additional amendments. I hope Members will decide to work with us. We think this bill has obviously been very well vetted. As I said, it was debated heavily at the committee level, and we have now had opportunities to offer amendments on the floor. But there are always ways in which it can be improved. There are a lot of worthy amendments that Members have interest in adding to this legislation, some of which are germane to the legislation, some of which are not. Obviously, once we get to cloture on the bill, only those amendments that are germane will be able to be voted on, but we would like to get other amendments processed. So what I am saying is that throughout the day today, if Members will work with us, and for those who currently have holds on that process moving forward, if you would lift those, it will enable us to process a lot of amendments Senators are interested in having added to the bill. We will continue throughout the day to negotiate with Members and hopefully have an additional list of amendments that we can adopt. I would say again that my colleague, the ranking Democrat on the Commerce Committee, Senator Nelson and I have worked very carefully throughout this process to make sure it is an open process and incorporates the best ideas from both sides. Today we have in front of us a bill which I think does that, and that is the reason I think it is very worthy of our Members' support. We have had a lot of participation. Members of our committee on both sides have had ample opportunities to get amendments considered and voted on, 57 of which were adopted during the committee deliberations on this. It is the product of a lot of work. I think we are at a place that when we report this out, it is a product we can be proud of, and we can send it to the House of Representatives in hopes that they will pick it up or, if they decide to pass their own version of this legislation, meet us in conference where we can work out the differences but get these important safety measures--these important measures that will support jobs and innovation in our economy--onto the President's desk where they can be signed into law and can be implemented and put into effect. That is where we are at the moment. Again, I thank all of our colleagues for their cooperation to date and hope that we can see more of that moving forward because it will enable us, in my view, to continue to strengthen this bill before it gets to its ultimate passage, which I hope will be sometime later this week. We have been on it now for a couple of weeks, and it is time to get it off the floor, get it to the House, and, hopefully, eventually onto the President's desk. I yield the floor.