[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8654-H8656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
   AUTHORIZING SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TO MAKE EMERGENCY AIRPORT 
  IMPROVEMENT PROJECT GRANTS-IN-AID FOR REPAIRS AND COSTS RELATED TO 
                DAMAGE FROM HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1786) to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to 
make emergency airport improvement project grants-in-aid under title 
49, United States Code, for repairs and costs related to damage from 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1786

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

     SECTION 1. EMERGENCY USE OF GRANTS-IN-AID FOR AIRPORT 
                   IMPROVEMENTS FOR FISCAL YEARS 2005 AND 2006.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation may make 
     project grants under part B, subtitle VII, of title 49, 
     United States Code, from amounts that remain unobligated 
     after the date of enactment of this Act for fiscal years 2005 
     and 2006--
       (1) from apportioned funds under section 47114 of that 
     title apportioned to an airport described in subsection 
     (b)(1) or to a State in which such airport is located; or
       (2) from funds available for discretionary grants to such 
     an airport under section 47115 of such title.
       (b) Eligible Airports and Uses.--The Secretary may make 
     grants under subsection (a) for--
       (1) emergency capital costs incurred by a public use 
     airport in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, or Texas that is 
     listed in the Federal Aviation Administration's National Plan 
     of Integrated Airport Systems of repairing or replacing 
     public use facilities that have been damaged as a result of 
     Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita; and
       (2) emergency operating costs incurred by an airport 
     described in paragraph (1) as a result of Hurricane Katrina 
     or Hurricane Rita.
       (c) Priorities.--In making grants authorized by subsection 
     (a), the Secretary shall give priority to--
       (1) airport development within the meaning of section 47102 
     of title 49, United States Code;
       (2) terminal development within the meaning of section 
     47110 of that title;
       (3) repair or replacement of other public use airport 
     facilities; and
       (4) emergency operating costs incurred at public use 
     airports in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.
       (d) Modification of Certain Otherwise Applicable 
     Requirements.--For purposes of any grant authorized by 
     subsection (a)--
       (1) the Secretary may waive any otherwise applicable 
     limitation on, or requirement for, grants under section 
     47102, 47107(a)(17), 47110, or 47119 of title 49, United 
     States Code, if the Secretary determines that the waiver is 
     necessary to respond, in as timely and efficient a manner as 
     possible, to the urgent needs of the region damaged by 
     Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita;
       (2) the United States Government's share of allowable 
     project costs shall be 100 percent, notwithstanding the 
     provisions of section 47109 of that title;
       (3) any project funded by such a grant shall be deemed to 
     be an airport development project (within the meaning of 
     section 47102 of that title), except for the purpose of 
     establishing priorities under subsection (c) of this section 
     among projects to be funded by such grants; and
       (4) no project funded by such a grant may be considered, 
     for the purpose of any other provision of law, to be a major 
     Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the 
     human environment.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
DeFazio) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).


                             General Leave

  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on S. 1786.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in strong support of Senate bill 
S. 1786. This legislation authorizes emergency grants to airports to 
repair damage caused by both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  Specifically, this legislation authorizes the Secretary of 
Transportation to make grants under the existing Airport

[[Page H8655]]

Improvement Program, also referred to as AIP, funds in fiscal year 2006 
for hurricane-related costs incurred by public-use airports in the 
States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.
  Under this bill, affected airports may receive grants for emergency 
capital costs. Some of those costs include repairs to terminal 
buildings, to hangars, runways, airfield signage, lighting, fencing, 
navigation aids and fuel systems.
  In addition, emergency operating costs resulting from the hurricane 
will also be eligible for grants. This would cover items such as the 
cost of putting fences back up, renting generators and hiring extra 
security personnel. This bill would also waive the local cost-share 
requirement that traditionally applies to grants made under the AIP 
program, the Airport Improvement Program.
  Many of these airports, particularly the small airports that have 
been shut down for an extended period of time, lack the ability to pay 
even the traditional 10 percent local match that would otherwise be 
required of them under the Airport Improvement Program.
  Over 40 airports were damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and are 
in very serious and desperate need in some instances of the provisions 
of this bill. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that these 
airports, in total, will have sustained damages of some $160 million or 
more.
  Of this total, some $47 million has already been funded by using 
fiscal year, the current year that we are in, 2005, or just left, I 
should say, 2005 Airport Improvement Program funds. This was critical 
to getting some of the airports reopened quickly after the storms, and 
it also provided much-needed transportation links to the disaster 
areas.
  However, at least $113 million in damages still remains to be funded 
in fiscal year 2006. These repairs are essential to restoring our 
system of airports to pre-hurricane conditions and also to the high 
standards that we require.
  It is important to note that this bill does not increase Federal 
spending. Rather, it would temporarily broaden the eligible uses of 
existing Airport Improvement Program funds, AIP funds, so that the full 
spectrum of hurricane repair costs can be met.
  After the hurricanes that damaged several Florida airports last year, 
I am particularly aware of the devastation that can be caused by these 
storms and the need to repair critical aviation facilities and 
infrastructure as quickly as possible. I, therefore, am pleased to join 
wholeheartedly with the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), ranking member of the full 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Costello), Aviation Subcommittee ranking member, in 
urging the immediate passage of this much-needed legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  The chairman has made an excellent case for this legislation. It is 
not to set any precedent for the future use of AIP funds, since those 
funds we know are not going to be adequate in the future to meet the 
total needs of the system. But this is a recognition of an 
extraordinary circumstance of the disasters of Katrina and Rita and 
what it has done to the aviation infrastructure in addition to other 
elements of the infrastructure in those regions. And it is only, I 
think, appropriate that the Federal Government use discretion and 
flexibility in helping those airports to recover and to become fully 
operational. They obviously suffered not only physical damage but 
tremendous economic losses due to the storms and, in some cases, face 
perhaps an uncertain economic future because of the damage in the City 
of New Orleans and questions about how soon or when full aviation 
schedules will be reinstated to serve that airport.
  So I think this legislation is timely. It is appropriate, and I 
appreciate the chairman of the committee for bringing it forward in 
such an expedited way.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and also Chair of the Railroads 
Subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
  (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for 
not only yielding me this time but also for his leadership in bringing 
S. 1786 to the floor and also the gentleman from Oregon and the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello) on the Aviation Subcommittee.
  I asked for time today to indicate that S. 1786 is exactly the kind 
of legislation that we should be crafting in both the House and the 
Senate and sending to the President of the United States in response to 
the devastation of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. And primarily what 
motivated me to come speak today is that there was mischief afoot in 
the other body as this bill was being crafted relative to the issue of 
prevailing wages. And there is some thought that while we should extend 
grants through the AIP program to help ailing airports, perhaps we 
could do it on the cheap and suspend what are known as Davis-Bacon 
wages.
  And I want to alert the House and my fellow Members that this is 
something that will come to a head in a couple of weeks. It is 
disturbing to a number of us. Davis and Bacon happened to be Republican 
legislators who, after the Great Depression, became concerned with the 
issue of bands of roving laborers going from market to market and 
undercutting the local labor market and not living in the community, 
not receiving a decent wage, not paying taxes that supported the 
infrastructure, the schools and other things that go on. And unlike S. 
1786, other legislation that we have already crafted in the House and 
an executive order by the President of the United States has suspended, 
we hope temporarily, Davis-Bacon wages for the reconstruction of the 
gulf coast. And I have heard a lot of different stories as to why that 
was done. Some in my party say it is all going to go to the labor 
unions and we do not want to help the labor unions.
  I will tell them, not only was the history of Davis-Bacon of 
Republican origin, the sad and really the truth of the matter is that 
if we look at what the combined wage rates are in the gulf coast for 
the laborer, the carpenter, the operating engineer, it is certainly not 
some sop to the labor unions.
  For example, in Alabama, Madam Speaker, a laborer makes $5.15 an 
hour. Tell me, where we are going to find somebody to clear away the 
horrible debris in the gulf coast for less than $5.15 an hour, first of 
all, and why would we, as a Federal policy, even think that that was a 
good idea?
  The other unintended consequence of the suspension of Davis-Bacon is 
that we repeal things known as the Copeland Anti-Kickback provisions. 
And what that says is, if people are complying with the Federal Labor 
Standards Act, they have to, if they are a contractor, submit every 
week a certified payroll with the employee's name, what their wage rate 
was, what their Social Security number is, and what they did. They 
cannot come waltzing in as a contractor and say, I hired 50 guys with 
chainsaws last week and here is my bill. It makes sure that we do not 
permit profiteering in the gulf coast. It makes sure that our Federal 
dollars are spent as we intend them, and it makes sure that some 
unscrupulous contractors do not come in and make a boatload of money on 
the backs of the misery in the gulf coast.
  So while I think S. 1786 is a wonderful piece of legislation, we are 
doing it the right way, I do sort of serve notice to the House that 
there are some of us on this side of the aisle that do not intend to 
let this situation with reconstruction and the situation with Davis-
Bacon stand much longer.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would like to support the remarks of my colleague from Ohio. He 
mentioned what a laborer would earn under Davis-Bacon. I have become 
aware of the fact that a skilled pipe fitter under Davis-Bacon wages in 
the Southeast would earn $10.22 an hour. That hardly seems to me to be 
an excessive wage.

[[Page H8656]]

And with the extraordinary poverty that was brought to the Nation's 
attention in New Orleans, one would think that we would want to have 
people working in jobs that pay a living wage, a decent wage, so that 
they can support themselves and their families. And it is just 
extraordinary to me.
  We had a meeting with the IG and the GAO regarding the FEMA contracts 
under Homeland Security, and we asked if they could document, 
particularly with Hurricane Andrew last year and some other times when 
Davis-Bacon has been suspended, that, in fact, the taxpayers came out 
ahead. And they said, well, they really could not. So I said, they mean 
we might just be lowering wages and increasing the profit margin? And 
they said, they had a lot of concerns about a lot of these contracts 
and the no-bid nature of the contracts and whether or not taxpayers 
were getting full value for their money. And it is particularly 
distressing when we do not know that we are getting full value for our 
money and we might, in fact, be only increasing profits while depriving 
people of a living wage.
  So I support the gentleman's remarks, and I do hope that we are 
allowed to bring legislation to the floor in the near future to 
overturn the President's misguided efforts in this area.
  Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support the legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to pass S. 1786. This is a needed piece 
of legislation and an immediately needed bill. It will provide some 
relief to some of the Gulf States that were hit by two of our most 
recent and very tragic hurricanes.
  Airports do provide a link between communities and a gateway to the 
Nation and the world. It is one of our most important economic 
generators in this country, and it is a Federal responsibility to move 
forward in the repair and the replacement of the infrastructure and 
facilities at these transportation hubs.
  I might repeat that this does not require any additional funding, but 
it does allow flexibility. It does allow additional payments to these 
areas for their traditional Federal requirement share and local 
requirement share.
  Also, in closing, we hear a lot of criticism about Federal agencies, 
but I am pleased to stand here and commend those of the FAA for their 
quick response to all of the States that were hit by the hurricane 
disasters we have seen this year.
  I also want to thank them for last year. My area in Central Florida 
was hit by three very serious hurricanes, and as the Members know, we 
had a fourth, a tremendous storm that hit the gulf coast.

                              {time}  1430

  In each instance, the Federal Aviation Administration, starting with 
Marion Blakey, the administrator, and also with Woodie Woodward, who is 
our national airports administrator, they were ready in advance. They 
assisted us then and they are assisting now in an admirable fashion. So 
I am pleased to also commend their work.
  Madam Speaker, I ask for passage of S. 1786, which will provide our 
airports much-needed relief in these hard-hit areas.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1786, which 
authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make emergency airport 
improvement project grants-in-aid under title 49, for repairs and costs 
related to damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  Madam Speaker, S. 1786 permits the Secretary of Transportation to 
make project grants from the Federal Aviation Administration's, FAA, 
Airport Improvement Program, AIP, fiscal year 2006 funds for capital 
costs to repair or replace public use facilities damaged as a result of 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which were incurred by a public use 
airport in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas that is listed in 
the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. The bill also 
permits AlP grant funding to cover emergency operating costs incurred 
by these airports as a result of the Hurricanes.
  According to the FAA, airports located in Alabama, Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Texas sustained structural damage costing over $162 
million. Importantly, S. 1786 provides FAA with the flexibility to fund 
repairs to airport structures, such as terminals and hangars, which 
would otherwise not be eligible for grants under the AlP program. The 
bill also requires the Federal Government to cover 100 percent of the 
allowable project costs, thereby waiving State and local government 
match requirements.
  Earlier this week, I joined several of my Committee on Transportation 
colleagues on a trip to the gulf coast to see the devastation of 
Hurricane Katrina first hand. Flying over New Orleans, Bay St. Louis, 
Biloxi, and Mobile, we witnessed destruction unlike anything we had 
ever seen.
  We also had the opportunity to meet with airport officials at the 
Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans. The bill addresses the direct 
emergency capital and operating costs to address the structural damage 
to the New Orleans and other affected airports as a result of Hurricane 
Katrina.
  In addition, the New Orleans and other affected airports face long-
term revenue challenges. Although the New Orleans airport has reopened, 
it is operating at a significantly diminished capacity, which is 
directly affecting airport revenues. The airport, which served as a 
major origin-and-destination airport with almost 10 million passengers 
per year prior to Hurricane Katrina, expects it to take several years 
to recover from this disaster. Passenger traffic in the coming year is 
expected to equal only 10-15 percent of pre-disaster levels and equal 
only 70 percent within 3 years. As a result of this lost revenue, the 
airport faces a potential deficit of approximately $90 million by the 
end of 2007.
  This legislation will enable the FAA to provide additional emergency 
capital and operating grants for the structural damage of the New 
Orleans and other affected airports in the region.
  I strongly support the bill and urge my colleagues to join me in 
support of this legislation.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 
1786, legislation to authorize emergency grants for airports damaged by 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This important legislation gives the 
Secretary of Transportation authority to use millions of dollars in 
existing federal grant funds to make emergency repairs at airports in 
the Gulf Coast region damaged by the hurricanes. The bill also permits 
grant funding to cover emergency operating costs incurred as a result 
of the devastating hurricanes by these airports.
  To get the local economy and jobs improving and moving again, fully 
functional airports are needed. S. 1786 will restore these airports by 
making the necessary funds available to immediately begin repairing and 
refurbishing the airport infrastructure to help restore passenger and 
commercial air traffic throughout the Gulf region.
  I recently visited the Gulf Coast region and saw the devastation and 
destruction Hurricanes Katrina and Rita left in their wake firsthand. I 
listened to state and local officials describe their immediate 
infrastructure needs and this legislation would provide some resources 
to address their airport needs. Those affected by these hurricanes 
should be commended as they continue to display tremendous courage and 
persistence.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation is an important step toward economic 
recovery of the entire Gulf Coast region and towards restoring these 
airports to their full operational capacity as soon as possible. I ask 
my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation.
  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 1786.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________