[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 121 (Monday, September 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10313-S10315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--S. 2279

  Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in 
order for the majority leader, after consultation with the Democratic 
leader, to proceed to the consideration of S. 2279, the Wendell Ford 
National Air Transportation System Improvement Act. I further ask that 
during the pendency of S. 2279 only relevant amendments be in order to 
the bill.

[[Page S10314]]

  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, in spite of the extraordinarily good 
name this bill has, I just inform the majority leader that we are still 
negotiating. We hope that we can come to some accommodation here. I 
would personally like to see this legislation pass, but we are not 
there yet. On behalf of colleagues on this side, I will object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. LOTT. Madam President, on this subject, this is a very important 
Federal Aviation Administration bill. It is critical and is must-pass 
legislation. I discussed it briefly with Senator Daschle and he 
indicates that he will work to see if we can clear any objections or 
holds that we might have on it. It involves billions of dollars in 
airport improvement grants, which cannot be distributed without the 
authorization bill that has been named the Wendell Ford bill, since he 
has been a member of the committee and has worked on this particular 
bill and its authorization for many years. It would provide funding for 
projects at nearly every airport in the Nation and for work that is 
really essential. I hope we can come to an agreement on this and get it 
up for consideration within the next 2 weeks so it won't get caught up 
and lost at the end of the session. So I will be talking further to 
Senator Daschle about this and any Senator that might have any 
problems. I know Senator McCain wishes to speak on this.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. McCAIN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona is recognized.
  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I thank the majority leader for trying 
to move this legislation. I thank the Democratic leader for expressing 
his willingness to try to work something out. But I also have to 
express my disappointment that we can't reach agreement yet on a manner 
to proceed to the consideration of the Wendell H. Ford National Air 
Transportation System Improvement Act. I pledge to do whatever I can 
within my power to work with my colleagues on a way to move forward 
with this critical legislation.
  This reauthorization bill is a must-pass piece of legislation. The 
bill must be reauthorized before the end of this fiscal year, or 
airport grants across the Nation will lapse. Grants to our airports 
will stop regardless of whether the transportation appropriations bill 
is signed into law or not.
  Madam President, the bill allows for approximately $2 billion to be 
spent annually on safety and security improvements, as well as capacity 
enhancements, at public use airports across the country. Ongoing 
construction projects at hundreds, if not thousands, of airports will 
be jeopardized if Congress doesn't act before the end of September. 
Funding for noise grants will halt, as well as funding for important 
FAA Letter of Intent projects.
  Madam President, coincidentally, the State of Texas happens to entail 
$26,942,447.
  This bill authorizes a number of safety initiatives, as well as 
provisions to promote competition in the domestic airline industry. We 
need only to look at the crippling effect of the Northwest Airlines 
strike to understand the need to advance legislation that enhances 
capacity at and access to our most congested airports.
  We must move quickly on this bill. Otherwise, we run the risk of the 
bill's getting caught up in unrelated politically charged issues at the 
end of the session.
  Also, we need to take the time to move through the appropriate 
process on this bill. There are too many significant improvements in 
the Senate reauthorization bill which would die on the vine if we don't 
proceed to consideration of the Senate version of the bill. Both the 
House and the Senate have completed action on their respective 1999 
transportation appropriations bills and are currently moving towards 
conference. Without an authorization bill these funds would be 
unavailable obligations to our Nation's airport.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Letters of Intent, as well as the 
Airport Improvement Program Formula Distributions, some $2.1 billion, 
be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                           Letters of Intent

       Current letters of intent assume the following fiscal year 
     1999 grant allocations:

Arkansas: Fayetteville (northwest Arkansas)..................$5,000,000
Colorado: Denver International...............................24,931,000
Georgia: Hartsfield Atlanta International.....................7,083,000
Illinois:
  Mid-America, Belleville reliever...........................14,000,000
  Chicago Midway..............................................3,000,000
Kentucky:
  Greater Cincinnati..........................................6,000,000
  Louisville.................................................18,243,000
Michigan: Detroit Metropolitan...............................16,400,000
Mississippi: Golden Triangle....................................300,000
Nevada: Reno/Tahoe International..............................6,500,000
New York: Buffalo International...............................1,700,000
Rhode Island: Theodore F. Green State.........................6,500,000
South Carolina:
  Hilton Head...................................................558,000
  Florence Regional..............................................94,000
Tennessee:
  Nashville International.......................................555,000
  Memphis International......................................18,733,000
Texas:
  New Austin at Bergstrom....................................11,430,000
  Dalls/Ft. Worth International..............................12,500,000
  Midland.....................................................1,327,000
Virginia: Reagan Washington National.........................14,232,000
Washington: Seattle-Tacoma International......................4,400,000
                                                       ________________
                                                       
    Total...................................................173,486,000

     (Source: United States Senate Report 105-249, Department of 
     Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 
     1999; pp. 86)

       In addition, there is $500,000,000 in discretionary funds 
     available for assignment by the FAA after the authorization 
     and appropriations process has been completed.

           Airport Improvement Program Formula Distributions

[Estimated FY98 entitlement and State allocations, Total formula funds 
                          at $2.1 billion] \1\

Alabama......................................................$5,823,950
Alaska.......................................................31,277,460
Arizona.......................................................8,759,576
Arkansas......................................................4,577,601
California...................................................31,086,667
Colorado......................................................7,958,160
Connecticut...................................................2,809,935
Delaware........................................................635,295
District of Columbia............................................468,506
Florida......................................................13,064,255
Georgia.......................................................8,040,687
Hawaii........................................................1,186,786
Idaho.........................................................5,134,047
Illinois.....................................................11,777,613
Indiana.......................................................6,148,104
Iowa..........................................................5,065,177
Kansas........................................................6,193,550
Kentucky......................................................4,932,788
Louisiana.....................................................5,778,788
Maine.........................................................2,734,919
Maryland......................................................4,298,977
Massachusetts.................................................5,091,338
Michigan.....................................................12,190,141
Minnesota.....................................................7,873,545
Mississippi...................................................4,490,016
Missouri......................................................7,558,689
Montana.......................................................8,289,328
Nebraska......................................................5,247,768
Nevada........................................................6,692,991
New Hampshire.................................................1,334,174
New Jersey....................................................6,348,164
New Mexico....................................................7,508,916
New York.....................................................16,573,616
North Carolina................................................7,827,567
North Dakota..................................................4,180,687
Ohio.........................................................10,647,533
Oklahoma......................................................6,061,992
Oregon........................................................7,247,957
Pennsylvania.................................................11,505,588
Puerto Rico...................................................2,632,148
Rhode Island....................................................832,693
South Carolina................................................4,302,524
South Dakota..................................................4,559,359
Tennessee.....................................................5,936,395
Texas........................................................26,942,447
Utah..........................................................5,752,302
Vermont.........................................................933,033
Virginia......................................................6,947,024
Washington....................................................7,410,694
West Virginia.................................................2,638,950
Wisconsin.....................................................7,204,305
Wyoming.......................................................5,421,196
Insular areas.................................................2,564,100
                                                       ________________
                                                       
  Total.....................................................388,500,000

     \1\ The list includes airport entitlement funds and State 
     funds that would be foregone in fiscal year 1999, assuming 
     the Senate AIP appropriations level of 2.1 billion dollars. 
     These figures don't include discretionary grants & LOI 
     payments.

     (Source: United States Senate Report 105-249, Department of 
     Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 
     1999; pp. 80-1).

     (Note: This does not include funds allocated to states for 
     general aviation, relieve, and non-primary commercial service 
     airports, nor does it include nearly half a billion dollars 
     in discretionary grants the FAA will allocate in FY99.)

  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, finally, in summary, let me just say we 
worked hard on this bill. There are some things that are controversial. 
We sat down and worked--I see the Senator from Illinois on the floor--
on the issue of Chicago O'Hare. We worked with Senator Warner on the 
issue of National Airport. We worked with a lot of other people.

[[Page S10315]]

  We need to move this legislation forward. I want to tell my 
colleagues that I have a commitment from the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee that he will not put a temporary 
reauthorization on the appropriations bill if we don't reach a 
resolution of the authorization bill. I have been working on a couple 
of these issues for now 10 years. I do not intend to see it delayed 
further. I am committed to seeing this reauthorization take place.
  I look forward to working with all of my colleagues in trying to 
resolve any differences that we might have.
  I thank the majority leader for trying to move this legislation at 
this time. I appreciate the Democrat leader's commitment to working in 
trying to work this thing out.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. DURBIN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
recognized for not more than 10 minutes as if in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________