[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 54 (Monday, April 11, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3613. Mr. ISAKSON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 3464 submitted by Mr. Thune (for himself and Mr. 
Nelson) to the bill H.R. 636, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 to permanently extend increased expensing limitations, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       Beginning on page 178, strike line 13, and all that follows 
     through page 180, line 15, and insert the following:
       ``(A) Acceptance.--Subject to subparagraph (D), the 
     Administrator may accept an airworthiness directive (as 
     defined in section 39.3 of title 14, Code of Federal 
     Regulations) issued by an aeronautical safety authority of a 
     foreign country, and leverage that aeronautical safety 
     authority's regulatory process, if--
       ``(i) the country is the state of design for the product 
     that is the subject of the airworthiness directive;
       ``(ii) the United States has a bilateral safety agreement 
     relating to aircraft certification with the country;
       ``(iii) as part of the bilateral safety agreement with the 
     country, the Administrator has determined that the 
     aeronautical safety authority has an aircraft certification 
     system relating to safety that produces a level of safety 
     equivalent to the level produced by the system of the Federal 
     Aviation Administration;
       ``(iv) the aeronautical safety authority utilizes an open 
     and transparent public notice and comment process, including 
     considering comments from owners and operators of foreign-
     registered aircraft and other aeronautical products and 
     appliances in the issuance of airworthiness directives; and
       ``(v) the airworthiness directive addresses a specific 
     issue necessary for the safe operation of aircraft subject to 
     the directive.
       ``(B) Alternative approval process.--Notwithstanding 
     subparagraph (A), the Administrator may issue a Federal 
     Aviation Administration airworthiness directive instead of 
     accepting the airworthiness directive issued by the 
     aeronautical safety authority of a foreign country if the 
     Administrator determines that such issuance is necessary for 
     safety or operational reasons due to the complexity or unique 
     features of the Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness 
     directive or the United States aviation system.
       ``(C) Alternative means of compliance.--The Administrator 
     may--
       ``(i) accept an alternative means of compliance, with 
     respect to an airworthiness directive under subparagraph (A), 
     that was approved by the aeronautical safety authority of the 
     foreign country that issued the airworthiness directive; or
       ``(ii) notwithstanding subparagraph (A), and at the request 
     of any person affected by an airworthiness directive under 
     that subparagraph, the Administrator shall consider an 
     alternative means of compliance with respect to the 
     airworthiness directive and may approve such alternative 
     means, if appropriate.
       ``(D) Limitations.--The Administrator may not accept an 
     airworthiness directive issued by an aeronautical safety 
     authority of a foreign country if the airworthiness directive 
     addresses matters other than those involving the safe 
     operation of an aircraft.''.
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