[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 12, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H831-H834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AIRPORT AND AIRWAY EXTENSION ACT OF 2008
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5270) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend
the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust
Fund, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5270
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Airport and Airway Extension
Act of 2008''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF TAXES FUNDING AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST
FUND.
(a) Fuel Taxes.--Subparagraph (B) of section 4081(d)(2) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking
``February 29, 2008'' and inserting ``June 30, 2008''.
(b) Ticket Taxes.--
(1) Persons.--Clause (ii) of section 4261(j)(1)(A) of such
Code is amended by striking ``February 29, 2008'' and
inserting ``June 30, 2008''.
(2) Property.--Clause (ii) of section 4271(d)(1)(A) of such
Code is amended by striking ``February 29, 2008'' and
inserting ``June 30, 2008''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect on March 1, 2008.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST FUND
EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY.
(a) In General.--Paragraph (1) of section 9502(d) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--
(1) by striking ``March 1, 2008'' and inserting ``July 1,
2008'', and
(2) by inserting ``or the Airport and Airway Extension Act
of 2008'' before the semicolon at the end of subparagraph
(A).
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (2) of section 9502(f)
of such Code is amended by striking ``March 1, 2008'' and
inserting ``July 1, 2008''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect on March 1, 2008.
SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND OTHER
AUTHORITIES.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--Section 48103 of title 49, United States
Code, is amended--
(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (3);
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (4) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) $2,756,250,000 for the 9-month period beginning
October 1, 2007.''.
(2) Obligation of amounts.--Sums made available pursuant to
the amendment made by paragraph (1) may be obligated at any
time through September 30, 2008, and shall remain available
until expended.
(3) Program implementation.--For purposes of calculating
funding apportionments and meeting other requirements under
sections 47114, 47115, 47116, and 47117 of title 49, United
States Code, for the 9-month period beginning October 1,
2007, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration shall--
(A) first calculate such funding apportionments on an
annualized basis as if the total amount available under
section 48103 of such title for fiscal year 2008 were
$3,675,000,000; and
(B) then reduce by 25 percent--
(i) all funding apportionments calculated under
subparagraph (A); and
(ii) amounts available pursuant to sections 47117(b) and
47117(f)(2) of such title.
(b) Project Grant Authority.--Section 47104(c) of such
title is amended by striking ``September 30, 2007,'' and
inserting ``June 30, 2008,''.
(c) Government Share of Certain AIP Costs.--Section 161 of
the Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (49
U.S.C. 47109 note) is amended by striking ``in each of fiscal
years 2004 through 2007'' and inserting ``in fiscal year 2008
before July 1, 2008,''.
(d) Adjustment Authority.--
(1) In general.--Section 409(d) of such Act (49 U.S.C.
40101 note) is amended by striking ``2007.'' and inserting
``2008.''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
shall take effect on September 29, 2007, and shall apply with
respect to any final order issued under section
[[Page H832]]
409(c) of such Act that was in effect on such date.
(e) Airport Eligibility.--The first sentence of section
186(d) of such Act (117 Stat. 2518) is amended by inserting
``and for the portion of fiscal year 2008 ending before July
1, 2008,'' after ``2007,''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5270.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
{time} 1515
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5270 extends the financing and spending authority
for the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. The trust fund taxes and
spending authority are scheduled to expire on March 1, 2008. H.R. 5270
extends these taxes at current rates through June 30 of 2008.
On January 29, 2008, the acting administrator of the FAA sent a
letter to the Committee on Ways and Means indicating the ability of the
FAA to provide services in 2008 will be impeded if this extension is
not enacted. I will include this letter from the FAA for the Record.
The Committee on Ways and Means reported out a previous extension
bill with bipartisan support. This bill will keep the Airport and
Airway Trust Fund taxes and operations in place until the long-term FAA
reauthorization act is signed into law. I urge the full support of my
colleagues for this measure.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation
Administration,
Washington, DC, January 29, 2008.
Hon. Charles B. Rangel,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Rangel: Thank you for your continued
support to the mission of the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA). As you know, we have a pending reauthorization
proposal to establish a cost-based financing system, help
address congestion, and make the system more accountable to
aviation stakeholders. In the absence of an enacted
reauthorization bill, I am writing to you to bring to your
attention some serious issues that will impede our ability to
provide our services to the country during 2008 if not
addressed immediately.
Airport and Airway Trust Fund
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161)
extended the authority to make expenditures from the Airport
and Airway Trust Fund only until March 1, 2008. Without an
extension of the Trust Fund expenditure authorities, FAA will
be unable to obligate funds after March 1 from the Trust
Fund. Most notably, our airports, facilities and equipment
and research personnel would be immediately sent home, and
our remaining personnel funded by the Operations account
would follow after funding provided by the General Fund has
been fully obligated--most likely in early June. For this
reason, we plan to notify employees impacted by the March 1st
deadline within the next two weeks.
Aviation Excise Taxes
The Consolidated Appropriations Act only provided a
temporary extension of authority for the collection of most
of the aviation related excise taxes until February 29, 2008.
The authority to collect such taxes should not be allowed to
lapse. The uncommitted balance in the Trust Fund is
insufficient to sustain FAA operations beyond a few months
and a lapse in the authority to collect excise taxes could
quickly begin to impact FAA's operations.
Airport Improvement Program Grants
Contract authority for the FAA's AIP program expired on
September 30, 2007, however Congress, in a series of
continuing resolutions, provided temporary and limited AIP
contract authority through December 31, 2007. Without
contract authority, we are not able to make any new AIP
grants. For the airport grant program, we typically view
February 1st as a date when airport sponsors need to have
some confidence that grant funds will be forthcoming so they
can go out with their bids for construction projects to take
full advantage of the construction season. Unfortunately,
with the gap in AIP contract authority for fiscal year 2008,
we are near the point of losing a portion of this
construction season and airport sponsors will have to defer
critical safety and capacity projects.
We are confident that Congress will address these short-
term issues, but time is of the essence in moving toward a
resolution of these matters. We are ready to work with you
and other members to enact a reauthorization proposal that is
consistent with the goals of the Administration.
The Office of Management and Budget has advised that there
is no objection, from the standpoint of the Administration's
program, to the submission of this letter to Congress.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Sturgell,
Acting Administrator.
Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today I also rise in support of this legislation.
Congress must not stand by while the financing of our Nation's airways
are to lapse. The cost to our Nation's economy of doing so would be
devastating.
As you know, authorizing legislation permitting the collection of
aviation taxes and fees sadly expired at the end of the last fiscal
year. Congress since then has extended that authorization through the
end of this month in the consolidated appropriations act. It is
unfortunate, in my view, that Congress was not able to reach an
agreement with the other body on a longer term solution before
resorting to temporary extensions.
I feel that the Ways and Means Committee and the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee worked well together to put together a
workable bill that would continue financing our system with modest
changes for a period of 4 years. Four years would have given us enough
time to allow this body to devote the necessary time to make a close
examination of the financing of the system and consider the long-term
changes that technology and the demands of that system are imposing on
us, something that I believe the Committee on Ways and Means and the
Select Revenue Subcommittee did not have time to accomplish, despite
multiple hearings on this issue.
While today's bill will only extend current law authority through the
end of June, this is a necessary step in the process. It certainly does
not speak well of this Congress that we are not able to do these things
promptly with discipline and do so in a timely fashion, but I believe
that our committee, Ways and Means, together with the Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee, have provided value added, and I would
like to believe that given some additional time, that we would have had
an opportunity to put forward a permanent solution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that it is my
understanding the delay has been in the Senate, not in the House of
Representatives, not between the two committees, and not because of
disagreement from either side of the aisle here, but in the other body.
It is also my understanding the gentleman is going to be supporting the
bill in the end. If I am wrong, please indicate for the Record.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson-Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate
the Ways and Means Committee for the good work they have done with the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on coming forward today and
providing us with an opportunity to do the smart thing, and that is to
provide this extension for this trust fund.
Yesterday, in my capacity on the Transportation Security Committee, I
hosted the Transportation Security Administrator in my district at one
of my large airports. Obviously, the infrastructure of airports, the
safety of airports, travels parallel to the security of airports. This
is a vital fund for cities like Houston, Texas, which happens to have
one of the top 10 airports in the Nation.
Airports are sites used by millions and millions of Americans every
single day, and therefore it is important that the delay of the actual
completion of a final bill not be used to prevent the flow of dollars
to protect our airports and provide safe and secure passage for our
travelers.
I understand, as my good friend from New York has indicated, that the
delay is in the Senate. This is the right direction to go. I applaud
the Ways and Means Committee and Chairman Charlie Rangel, and I rise
enthusiastically to support this legislation.
[[Page H833]]
Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).
Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. English from
Pennsylvania, for yielding, and I appreciate the hard work that he and
members of his committee have done in this area.
I had the privilege of appearing before his subcommittee as we were
considering the financing of this legislation. In fact, in September of
last year, the House considered and passed a bill that resulted from
that hearing, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007, which was H.R. 2881.
It reauthorized the FAA for the next 4 years. On several occasions
after that, the House passed bills to extend the FAA programs.
Unfortunately, the other body has taken no action on any of these
measures; therefore, the authority of the FAA's essential programs and
taxes were extended through the end of this month as part of the
omnibus appropriations act. Regrettably, those FAA programs and
authorities not extended in the omnibus expired on September 30.
Additionally, although the omnibus appropriation bill provided money,
it did not extend the FAA's contract authority, and therefore as of
December 31, the FAA no longer has the authority to make new
obligations, including sorely needed Airport Improvement Program grants
to allow airports to complete vital infrastructure improvement
projects. The omnibus also included a provision that would prevent the
FAA from spending any money of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund after
March 1 of this year.
Without some congressional action to extend the FAA's authority on
March 1st, the FAA will be facing a partial shutdown. It is unlikely
that Congress will be able to send a long-term FAA reauthorization bill
to the President for consideration before the February 29 deadline.
We have before us H.R. 5270. This bill would extend the funding and
expenditure authority of the FAA through June 30 of this year, 2008.
The bill also extends the taxes funding the Airport and Airway Trust
Funds through June 30, provides Airport Improvement Program funding
through September 30, and extends eligibility for essential air service
subsidies and airport grant funding.
Ideally, we should be considering the FAA reauthorization conference
report at this time. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Instead, we
are considering the third short-term extension of the FAA's authority
by the House. However, this bill will ensure that our national aviation
system continues to operate until a full FAA reauthorization can be
enacted.
There is much work yet to be done on the FAA reauthorization bill. We
need to work in a bipartisan and bicameral fashion to pass legislation
that the President can sign.
I support this extension in order to allow us time to accomplish this
important goal.
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my
good friend, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the Chair of
the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for
bringing this bill to the floor and for the support of the Republican
side. Mr. English, it is good to have you participating, and our
colleague on the committee, Mr. Petri, thank you for your diligent work
on behalf of aviation issues.
The House has done its job on aviation. We passed, on September 20,
the reauthorization act to extend aviation programs through 2011.
Shortly thereafter, we passed another bill to provide a short-term
extension of FAA programs. Then in November, we passed another attempt
to extend aviation programs in the short term.
Regrettably, our colleagues across the way in the other body have not
acted on any of these. If we don't act, frankly, the FAA just simply
runs out of money. It will run out of authority to spend money. It will
run out of authority to collect the revenues. So the House again, thank
goodness the Ways and Means Committee is doing its job of carrying the
load, has brought to the floor with our participation and vigorous
support an extension of the revenue authority for the FAA programs.
First of all, we extend with this legislation the aviation taxes.
Now, that covers 80 percent of FAA's budget. And with an uncommitted
cash balance of only $1.5 billion, any lapse in the aviation taxes
could put solvency of the trust fund at serious risk.
Don't think it can't happen, because that did happen in 1995 when
Congress allowed the aviation taxes to lapse and the Aviation Trust
Fund ran out of money. Curiously, ticket prices didn't go down. The
airlines just kept charging the same price. They didn't give the
consumer during that period of lapse a break. They just kept on
collecting taxes, revenues, at the higher level, without giving any
kind of a rebate on taxes. We don't want to let that happen again.
The second thing that we do in this legislation is extend authority
for the FAA to make expenditures from the Aviation Trust Fund. Without
that, on March 1, FAA will face a partial shutdown. They will not be
able to pay some 4,000 employees, and a good many of those will be air
traffic controllers.
The third provision critical in this legislation is the $2.76 billion
in contract authority for the Aviation Improvement Program, that is the
construction program for runways and taxiways, the hard side, the air
side of the airport. Because the previous authorization expired on
September 30, there is no contract authority in place now for the AIP
program in fiscal year 2008. No new airport grants can be made.
So without this legislation, not only is FAA going to have to lay off
4,000 employees, they are not going to be able to make grants to
airport authorities, we will lose tens of thousands of construction
jobs in building airport capacity, and we will lose the ability to meet
the needs of aviation capacity out into the balance of this fiscal
year.
So the several provisions I have already described, plus many other
provisions of the previous law, Vision 100, are continued in this
legislation. We extend that authority through to June 30 in order to
keep the pressure on the other body to take up our aviation
authorization bill, which passed our committee with overwhelming
bipartisan support, passed the House with an overwhelming vote, and yet
the other body sits over there in splendid isolation as though nothing
else in the world matters. And I find that very, very disturbing.
We need to pass this legislation that the House has already acted on
and let the Senate pass it and get in to conference with us. We will
get this resolved, we can get it passed and get it to the President in
very short order. But, meanwhile, we have to take the action embodied
in the pending legislation, and I urge its support by an overwhelming
bipartisan vote.
This legislation would extend the authorization for aviation programs
and taxes through June 30, 2008. Such an extension is urgently needed
to address significant budget problems facing the Federal Aviation
Administration, FAA, due to the current lapse in Airport Improvement
Program, AIP, funding, and the upcoming expiration of both the aviation
excise taxes and the authority to make expenditures from the Aviation
Trust Fund.
These current and upcoming lapses in FAA's authorities have occurred
despite repeated efforts by the House to pass legislation to extend
them. The House has acted on three separate occasions to extend the
authorization for FAA programs. On September 20, 2007, the House passed
H.R. 2881, the ``FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007,'' to reauthorize FAA
programs for fiscal years 2008-2011. On September 24, 2007, the House
passed H.R. 3540, the ``Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act
of 2007'' to provide a short-term extension of FAA programs. On
November 6, 2007, the House amended and passed S. 2265, in a subsequent
attempt to provide a short-term extension of FAA programs. The Senate
has yet to act on any of these bills, or on any other FAA
reauthorization legislation.
As I supported each of these prior attempts to extend FAA's programs
and financing, I again support the legislation before us today.
I strongly support the extension of the aviation excise taxes, as
proposed in H.R. 5270. These taxes are necessary to support the
Aviation Trust Fund, which in recent years has provided about 80
percent of the FAA's budget. With an uncommitted cash balance of
approximately $1.5 billion, any lapse in the aviation taxes could put
the solvency of the Trust Fund at risk.
[[Page H834]]
In addition to extending the aviation taxes, a second key provision
of H.R. 5270 is the extension of the FAA's authority to make
expenditures from the Trust Fund. Without this authority, the FAA will
face a partial shut-down beginning March 1st, as it will be unable to
pay approximately 4,000 of its employees.
The third key provision of H.R. 5270 is that it provides $2.76
billion in contract authority for the AIP. Because the previous FAA
authorization act, Vision 100, expired on September 30, 2007, there is
currently no contract authority in place for the AIP in FY 2008, and no
new airport grants can be made. It is our intent that the full $2.76
billion provided by H.R. 5270 be made available, without regard to any
previously enacted rescission.
It is imperative that we reinstate the AIP program immediately.
Unless we do so, we will lose the Spring construction season, and will
not be able to do much construction this year, even if the program is
reauthorized at a later date.
According to the FAA, a continued lapse in AIP funding will affect
important safety and capacity projects, including runway safety area
projects, letter of intent disbursements, runway safety action team
projects, enhanced taxiway and centerline marking projects, and
aircraft rescue, firefighting and snow removal equipment. We must act
now to extend this important program.
H.R. 5270 also extends several other provisions of Vision 100 so
that, until a long-term FAA reauthorization bill is enacted, aviation
programs may be continued under the same terms and conditions as were
in effect during the previous authorization period.
But this is only the first step. We need to enact a long-term FAA
reauthorization bill, which will permit us to go forward on
modernization of the air traffic control system, and improvement of our
airports, to combat the ever-increasing inadequacies of the current
system. Last year, our aviation system had the worst delay record in
its history. With the number of air travelers predicted to surpass 1
billion per year by the year 2015, the system is rapidly approaching
gridlock. I strongly urge the other body to bring their reauthorization
bill to the floor, so we can go to conference and pass a long-term
reauthorization of aviation programs.
I thank Chairman Rangel and Ranking Member McCrery of the Committee
on Ways and Means for working with the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure to include the aviation authorization provisions in H.R.
5270. I also thank my Committee colleagues, Ranking Member Mica,
Subcommittee Chairman Costello, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Petri,
for working with me on this critical legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5270.
{time} 1530
Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
I think we have made the case here, Mr. Speaker, that it is important
that this legislation go forward to cure an inability of Congress to
bring closure on this very, very important issue. This is stop-gap
legislation that is necessary to allow America's aviation system to
remain airborne, and at a critical time. It is essential that we pass
this bill in order to ensure that thousands of FAA employees are not
furloughed through congressional inaction. It is also vitally important
for communities engaged in an airport construction project, communities
like my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, that the bill before us
reinstates the contract authority for the FAA to issue money under the
Airport Improvement Program.
I believe that this is an opportunity for us to get this right in the
coming months. It is essential that the House Ways and Means Committee,
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the
bipartisan leadership of this body engage the Senate in order to pass a
permanent solution that provides long-term funding for the FAA in a
manner that is consistent with the fundamental changes in that system
in order to provide the necessary investment in this essential piece of
our national transportation infrastructure. I urge my colleagues to
vote for the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CROWLEY. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his words of
support for this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, let me just point out as well, piggybacking on what he
just said about the airport improvement programs grants, that time is
of the essence. A failure to move now will further condense the season
in which we can actually improve the safety and the aesthetics of our
airports. So I thank him for his support, for recognizing the problems
not here in this body but with the other body. I thank my friend, as
well, Mr. Oberstar for pointing that out to us.
Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5270, the
Airport and Airway Extension Act. I want to thank Chairman Rangel for
bringing this to the floor today, as well as Chairman Oberstar and
Ranking Members Mica and Petri.
On September 20, 2007, the House passed H.R. 2881, the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2007, a long-term authorization of the Federal
Aviation Administration's (FAA) programs. However, until H.R. 2881 is
signed into law, it is important that we extend FAA's programs on a
short-term basis.
If Congress does not act before February 29, 2008, the FAA is
potentially facing significant FY 2008 budget problems due to the lapse
in funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), and the upcoming
expiration of both the aviation excise taxes and the authority to make
expenditures from the Aviation Trust Fund.
To address these problems, H.R. 5270 would extend not only the
aviation taxes and expenditure authority, but also AIP contract
authority, until June 30, 2008.
This is not the first time we have passed short-term extensions to
ensure FAA has the contract authority it needs to make AIP grants. In
1999 and 2000, as Congress was debating what eventually became the
Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st
Century, or AIR 21, we passed 4 extensions of FAA's contract authority.
Moreover, the House acted on three separate occasions last year in an
attempt to extend FAA's authorities, including passage of H.R. 2881,
the 4-year FAA reauthorization legislation. The Senate has yet to act
on any of these measures.
We must ensure that this extension passes without further delay to
not only improve safety and combat delays and congestion but to also
stimulate the economy.
H.R. 5270 creates $2.76 billion in AIP contract authority to fund the
program until June 30, 2008. When annualized, this $2.76 billion
equates to $3.675 billion for the full fiscal year 2008. H.R. 5270 will
allow the FAA to make AIP grants, so that airports can take advantage
of the full 2008 construction season. This, in turn, will put people to
work and improve the safety and efficiency of our aviation system.
Aviation is too important to our nation's economy--contributing to
$1.2 trillion in output and approximately 11.4 million U.S. jobs--to
allow the taxes or funding for critical aviation programs to expire.
Until H.R. 2881 is signed into law, we must ensure that FAA has the
funds it needs to continue its vital programs.
H.R. 5270 provides a short, 4-month extension to ensure FAA's
programs remain fully funded, and I urge my colleagues to support the
bill.
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
February 12, 2008--On Page H834 the following appeared: Mr.
CRAWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield
The online version should be corrected to read: Mr. CROWLEY. Mr.
Speaker, I yield
========================= END NOTE =========================
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 5270.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________