[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1576 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1576

 To establish a commission to study the impact of deregulation of the 
                airline industry on small town America.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 10, 1999

  Ms. Collins introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a commission to study the impact of deregulation of the 
                airline industry on small town America.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AIRLINE DEREGULATION STUDY COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment of Commission.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be 
        known as the Airline Deregulation Study Commission (in this 
        section referred to as the ``Commission'').
            (2) Membership.--
                    (A) Composition.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                Commission shall be composed of 15 members of whom--
                            (i) 5 shall be appointed by the President;
                            (ii) 5 shall be appointed by the President 
                        pro tempore of the Senate, upon the 
                        recommendation of the Majority and Minority 
                        leaders of the Senate; and
                            (iii) 5 shall be appointed by the Speaker 
                        of the House of Representatives, in 
                        consultation with the Minority leader of the 
                        House of Representatives.
                    (B) Members from rural areas.--
                            (i) Requirement.--Of the individuals 
                        appointed to the Commission under subparagraph 
                        (A)--
                                    (I) one of the individuals 
                                appointed under clause (i) of that 
                                subparagraph shall be an individual who 
                                resides in a rural area; and
                                    (II) two of the individuals 
                                appointed under each of clauses (ii) 
                                and (iii) of that subparagraph shall be 
                                individuals who reside in a rural area.
                            (ii) Geographic distribution.--The 
                        appointment of individuals under subparagraph 
                        (A) pursuant to the requirement in clause (i) 
                        of this subparagraph shall, to the maximum 
                        extent practicable, be made so as to ensure 
                        that a variety of geographic areas of the 
                        country are represented in the membership of 
                        the Commission.
                    (C) Date.--The appointments of the members of the 
                Commission shall be made not later than 60 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--Members shall be 
        appointed for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the 
        Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in 
        the same manner as the original appointment.
            (4) Initial meeting.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
        on which all members of the Commission have been appointed, the 
        Commission shall hold its first meeting.
            (5) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the 
        Chairperson.
            (6) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission 
        shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may 
        hold hearings.
            (7) Chairperson.--The Commission shall select a Chairman 
        and Vice Chairperson from among its members.
    (b) Duties of the Commission.--
            (1) Study.--
                    (A) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms 
                ``air carrier'' and ``air transportation'' have the 
                meanings given those terms in section 40102(a) of title 
                49, United States Code.
                    (B) Contents.--The Commission shall conduct a 
                thorough study of the impacts of deregulation of the 
                airline industry of the United States on--
                            (i) the affordability, accessibility, 
                        availability, and quality of air 
                        transportation, particularly in small-sized and 
                        medium-sized communities;
                            (ii) economic development and job creation, 
                        particularly in areas that are underserved by 
                        air carriers;
                            (iii) the economic viability of small-sized 
                        airports; and
                            (iv) the long-term configuration of the 
                        United States passenger air transportation 
                        system.
                    (C) Measurement factors.--In carrying out the study 
                under this subsection, the Commission shall develop 
                measurement factors to analyze the quality of passenger 
                air transportation service provided by air carriers by 
                identifying the factors that are generally associated 
                with quality passenger air transportation service.
                    (D) Business and leisure travel.--In conducting 
                measurements for an analysis of the affordability of 
                air travel, to the extent practicable, the Commission 
                shall provide for appropriate control groups and 
                comparisons with respect to business and leisure 
                travel.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit an interim 
        report to the President and Congress, and not later than 18 
        months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
        Commission shall submit a report to the President and the 
        Congress. Each such report shall contain a detailed statement 
        of the findings and conclusions of the Commission, together 
        with its recommendations for such legislation and 
        administrative actions as it considers appropriate.
    (c) Powers of the Commission.--
            (1) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit 
        and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and 
        receive such evidence as the Commission considers advisable to 
        carry out the duties of the Commission under this section.
            (2) Information from federal agencies.--The Commission may 
        secure directly from any Federal department or agency such 
        information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out 
        the duties of the Commission under this section. Upon request 
        of the Chairperson of the Commission, the head of such 
        department or agency shall furnish such information to the 
        Commission.
            (3) Postal services.--The Commission may use the United 
        States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions 
        as other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
            (4) Gifts.--The Commission may accept, use, and dispose of 
        gifts or donations of services or property.
    (d) Commission Personnel Matters.--
            (1) Travel expenses.--The members of the Commission shall 
        be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
        Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
        in the performance of services for the Commission.
            (2) Staff.--
                    (A) In general.--The Chairperson of the Commission 
                may, without regard to the civil service laws and 
                regulations, appoint and terminate an executive 
                director and such other additional personnel as may be 
                necessary to enable the Commission to perform its 
                duties. The employment of an executive director shall 
                be subject to confirmation by the Commission.
                    (B) Compensation.--The Chairperson of the 
                Commission may fix the compensation of the executive 
                director and other personnel without regard to the 
                provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 
                53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to 
                classification of positions and General Schedule pay 
                rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive 
                director and other personnel may not exceed the rate 
                payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under 
                section 5316 of such title.
            (3) Detail of government employees.--Any Federal Government 
        employee may be detailed to the Commission without 
        reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or 
        loss of civil service status or privilege.
            (4) Procurement of temporary and intermittent services.--
        The Chairperson of the Commission may procure temporary and 
        intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
        States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the 
        daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 
        level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such 
        title.
    (e) Termination of Commission.--The Commission shall terminate 90 
days after the date on which the Commission submits its report under 
subsection (b).
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2000 to the Commission to carry out 
        this section.
            (2) Availability.--Any sums appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations in paragraph (1) shall remain 
        available until expended.
                                 <all>