[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                VALUJET

  Mr. COVERDELL. Madam President, yesterday I came to the floor of the 
Senate to describe the predicament that faces a major corporation in my 
home State, ValuJet.
  I will not repeat everything I said yesterday, but I pointed out we 
all have grieved over the tragedy, and we understand that safety in the 
air is a preeminent goal of the Federal Aviation Administration, and 
all of us. This corporation underwent the most exhaustive and thorough 
review possible and, in late August, was certified as flight-worthy by 
the FAA.
  Subsequently, the airline had been confronted once again with 
bureaucratic delays and the like that are so typical of this city. Now 
it is the Department of Transportation.
  I might point out that 4,000 families are not receiving their 
paychecks and can't make their mortgage payments. They can't make their 
car payments. They have been pushed out on the street. And we are about 
to fire 400 more even though the airline is now certified as worthy to 
fly.
  Yesterday, I received a phone call--I want to add this to the 
Record--from Mr. Kent Sherman, who owns a company called Sky Clean, in 
College Park, right near the airport. This story illustrates and brings 
home the impact of this shutdown and how it goes beyond ValuJet itself. 
Sky Clean provides a cleaning service for airplanes cleaning the 
interior and exterior, and the largest client was ValuJet. If ValuJet 
is not in the air, this company will close and all of their employees 
are also put out on the street.
  So there are peripheral companies that surround this corporation, all 
of whom are facing shutdowns and layoffs. This is an interesting story. 
It was founded 4\1/2\ years ago with $122. They spent most of it on 
fliers and business cards, and had $15 left to buy cleaning chemicals. 
They put their profits into more chemicals and rags and brushes, and 
went in there, and eventually had enough to buy a pressure washer. One 
year ago they got the breakthrough. They got a contract with ValuJet. 
Their motto is ``Just Plane Spotless.''
  Today, they have 28 employees. Last year, they had $740,000 in 
revenues, up from $40,000 3 years ago. He said, ``We have been 
incredibly blessed. This has been the dream of a lifetime.''
  In June, the company had $3 shy of $100,000 in their savings account. 
There are no savings today. They met their last payroll. If ValuJet 
shuts its doors, Sky Clean is finished.
  It is absolute nonsense, Madam President. FAA has gone through that 
thing with a microscope. The airline is ready to fly. It is ready to 
get the paychecks going to those 4,000 families and, yes, to this small 
company in College Park, GA. It is time for the bureaucrats and their 
9-to-5 attitude to get this job done and get that airline in the air.
  I yield back whatever time I have.

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