[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 47 (Monday, April 15, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3315-S3317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN:
  S. 1671. A bill to provide for cockpit voice recorders and flight 
data recorders on noncombat aircraft of the Armed Forces; to the 
Committee on Armed Services.


          department of defense noncombat aircraft legislation

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I am introducing a bill that 
requires all Department of Defense noncombat aircraft to have both 
cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders. I was shocked to 
learn that the airplane that crashed in Bosnia with tragic loss of 35

[[Page S3316]]

lives including Ron Brown, the Secretary of Commerce was not equipped 
with those important devices.
  We need to thoroughly understand why any plane crash occurs. With 
that knowledge, was can better protect other planes of a similar type. 
In this case, the Department of Defense plane used was very similar to 
civilian aircraft. In other cases that may not be true. But, in all 
cases, we need to fully understand crashes and near crashes to better 
improve our safety record.
  The bill provides that the Department of Defense should establish 
rules to require that noncombat aircraft contain those devices within 
120 days of enactment and that the devices be in place within 1 year. 
The legislation provides that the requirements for the Department be as 
similar as possible to those used by the FAA.
  On April 9, I wrote to Secretary Perry about this issue and asked how 
many DOD noncombat planes do not have these devices and what would be 
the cost of placing those devices into those aircraft. It is possible 
that there may be some narrow category of non-combat aircraft where 
these devices would not be appropriate because of the specialized 
nature of the aircraft or extreme cost. If that is the case, I look 
forward to learning about the specific situations involved. There may 
be a need for some exceptions. But, I believe that the Congress should 
move forward to require that these devices be on DOD aircraft as 
quickly as possible. I hope that we will act to pass this legislation, 
perhaps with some modification, very quickly.

                         ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS


                                 S. 358

  At the request of Mr. Heflin, the name of the Senator from Nebraska 
[Mr. Kerrey] was added as a cosponsor of S. 358, a bill to amend the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for an excise tax exemption 
for certain emergency medical transportation by air ambulance.


                                 S. 605

  At the request of Mr. Dole, the name of the Senator from North 
Carolina [Mr. Helms] was added as a cosponsor of S. 605, a bill to 
establish a uniform and more efficient Federal process for protecting 
property owners' rights guaranteed by the fifth amendment.


                                 S. 743

  At the request of Mrs. Hutchison, the name of the Senator from 
Vermont [Mr. Leahy] was added as a cosponsor of S. 743, a bill to amend 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax credit for 
investment necessary to revitalize communities within the United 
States, and for other purposes.


                                 S. 773

  At the request of Mrs. Kassebaum, the names of the Senator from 
Michigan [Mr. Abraham] and the Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Daschle] 
were added as cosponsors of S. 773, a bill to amend the Federal Food, 
Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for improvements in the process of 
approving and using animal drugs, and for other purposes.


                                 S. 912

  At the request of Mr. Kohl, the name of the Senator from Oregon [Mr. 
Wyden] was added as a cosponsor of S. 912, a bill to amend the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to the eligibility of veterans for 
mortgage revenue bond financing, and for other purposes.


                                 S. 969

  At the request of Mr. Bradley, the name of the Senator from New York 
[Mr. D'Amato] was added as a cosponsor of S. 969, a bill to require 
that health plans provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for a 
mother and child following the birth of the child, and for other 
purposes.


                                 S. 984

  At the request of Mr. Grassley, the name of the Senator from Montana 
[Mr. Burns] was added as a cosponsor of S. 984, a bill to protect the 
fundamental right of a parent to direct the upbringing of a child, and 
for other purposes.


                                S. 1027

  At the request of Mr. Brown, the name of the Senator from 
Pennsylvania [Mr. Santorum] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1027, a bill 
to eliminate the quota and price support programs for peanuts, and for 
other purposes.


                                S. 1028

  At the request of Mrs. Kassebaum, the name of the Senator from 
Maryland [Mr. Sarbanes] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1028, a bill to 
provide increased access to health care benefits, to provide increased 
portability of health care benefits, to provide increased security of 
health care benefits, to increase the purchasing power of individuals 
and small employers, and for other purposes.


                                S. 1043

  At the request of Mr. Stevens, the name of the Senator from Louisiana 
[Mr. Breaux] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1043, a bill to amend the 
Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to provide for an expanded 
Federal program of hazard mitigation, relief, and insurance against the 
risk of catastrophic natural disasters, such as hurricanes, 
earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, and for other purposes.


                                S. 1183

  At the request of Mr. Hatfield, the name of the Senator from 
Connecticut [Mr. Dodd] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1183, a bill to 
amend the act of March 3, 1931 (known as the Davis-Bacon Act), to 
revise the standards for coverage under the act, and for other 
purposes.


                                S. 1232

  At the request of Mr. D'Amato, the name of the Senator from 
Mississippi [Mr. Cochran] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1232, a bill 
to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude length of service 
awards to volunteers performing fire fighting or prevention services, 
emergency medical services, or ambulance services from the limitations 
applicable to certain deferred compensation plans, and for other 
purposes.


                                S. 1344

  At the request of Mr. Heflin, the name of the Senator from 
Connecticut [Mr. Lieberman] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1344, a bill 
to repeal the requirement relating to specific statutory authorization 
for increases in judicial salaries, to provide for automatic annual 
increases for judicial salaries, and for other purposes.


                                S. 1400

  At the request of Mrs. Kassebaum, the name of the Senator from New 
Hampshire [Mr. Gregg] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1400, a bill to 
require the Secretary of Labor to issue guidance as to the application 
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to insurance 
company general accounts.


                                S. 1483

  At the request of Mr. Kyl, the name of the Senator from Minnesota 
[Mr. Grams] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1483, a bill to control 
crime, and for other purposes.


                                S. 1505

  At the request of Mr. Lott, the name of the Senator from Tennessee 
[Mr. Frist] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1505, a bill to reduce risk 
to public safety and the environment associated with pipeline 
transportation of natural gas and hazardous liquids, and for other 
purposes.


                                S. 1551

  At the request of Mr. Dorgan, the names of the Senator from Illinois 
[Mr. Simon] and the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] were added 
as a cosponsors of S. 1551, a bill to restore the broadcast ownership 
rules under the Communications Act of 1934 to the status quo ante the 
enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.


                                S. 1574

  At the request of Mr. Bond, the name of the Senator from Virginia 
[Mr. Warner] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1574, a bill to provide 
Federal contracting opportunities for small business concerns located 
in historically underutilized business zones, and for other purposes.


                                S. 1578

  At the request of Mr. Frist, the names of the Senator from Montana 
[Mr. Burns] and the Senator from Alaska [Mr. Stevens] were added as 
cosponsors of S. 1578, a bill to amend the Individuals With 
Disabilities Education Act of authorize appropriations for fiscal years 
1997 through 2002, and for other purposes.


                                S. 1595

  At the request of Mr. Bradley, the name of the Senator from 
California [Mrs. Boxer] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1595, a bill to 
repeal the emergency salvage timber sale program, and for other 
purposes.

[[Page S3317]]

                                S. 1623

  At the request of Mr. Warner, the names of the Senator from Hawaii 
[Mr. Akaka] the Senator from Illinois [Ms. Moseley-Braun], the Senator 
from California [Mrs. Feinstein], and the Senator from Vermont [Mr. 
Jeffords] were added as cosponsors of S. 1623, a bill to establish a 
National Tourism Board and a National Tourism Organization, and for 
other purposes.


                                S. 1639

  At the request of Mr. Dole, the name of the Senator from Virginia 
[Mr. Robb] was added as a cosponsor of S. 1639, a bill to require the 
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
carry out a demonstration project to provide the Department of Defense 
with reimbursement from the medicare program for health care services 
provided to medicare-eligible beneficiaries under TRICARE.


                                S. 1646

  At the request of Mr. Domenici, the names of the Senator from Arizona 
[Mr. Kyl] the Senator from Georgia [Mr. Coverdell], and the Senator 
from Arkansas [Mr. Pryor] were added as cosponsors of S. 1646, a bill 
to authorize and facilitate a program to enhance safety, training, 
research and development, and safety education in the propane gas 
industry for the benefit of propane consumers and the public, and for 
other purposes.


                                S. 1650

  At the request of Mr. Harkin, the names of the Senator from 
California [Mrs. Boxer] and the Senator from Rhode Island [Mr. Pell] 
were added as cosponsors of S. 1650, a bill to amend the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of 
wages on account of sex, race, or national origin, and for other 
purposes.


                         S. Joint Resolution 49

  At the request of Mr. Kyl, the name of the Senator from Virginia [Mr. 
Warner] was added as a cosponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 49, a joint 
resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United 
States to require two-thirds majorities for bills increasing taxes.


                         Senate Resolution 152

  At the request of Mr. Abraham, the name of the Senator from Tennessee 
[Mr. Frist] was added as a cosponsor of Senate Resolution 152, a 
resolution to amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to require a 
clause in each bill and resolution to specify the constitutional 
authority of the Congress for enactment, and for other purposes.


                         Senate Resolution 226

  At the request of Mr. Domenici, the names of the Senator from Maine 
[Mr. Cohen], the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Akaka], the Senator from 
Rhode Island [Mr. Pell], the Senator from New Mexico [Mr. Bingaman], 
and the Senator from Georgia [Mr. Coverdell] were added as cosponsors 
of Senate Resolution 226, a resolution to proclaim the week of October 
13 through October 19, 1996, as ``National Character Counts Week.''


                         Senate Resolution 238

  At the request of Mr. Helms, the names of the Senator from Colorado 
[Mr. Brown] and the Senator from Iowa [Mr. Grassley] were added as 
cosponsors of Senate Resolution 238, a resolution expressing the sense 
of the Senate that any budget or tax legislation should include 
expanded access to individual retirement accounts.

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