[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 163 (Tuesday, October 2, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6430-S6432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        FAA Reauthorization Bill

  Mr. President, turning to the FAA bill, which I hope we are going to 
be

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considering very shortly, I am pleased that the Senate is looking at a 
5-year reauthorization.
  It wasn't that long ago that we were talking about short-term 
extensions and didn't know if we could get to this point of clearing 
the rest of these issues. I would like to thank my colleagues Chairman 
Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Blunt 
for helping get us to this point.
  The work we have done on this legislation is so important because it 
is helping U.S. commercial aviation remain the safest and most secure 
in the world and to improve the traveling public's experience.
  Just like so many other reauthorizations, this reflects an agreement 
by Congress on the need to focus on safety and security, to implement 
the latest and greatest technologies, and to increase the use of bomb-
sniffing dogs to help the flying public feel more secure and to move 
quickly through our airports.
  This legislation recognizes the values of the latest technologies 
across many aspects of the aviation sector from NextGen--which allows 
us to fly more efficiently--to expanded use of unmanned aerial vehicle 
systems, to new TSA equipment that, as I said, will help us move 
through security lines more efficiently and help make us safer.
  While we need to keep on working to address infrastructure needs at 
our crowded airports, I can tell you most specifically that, for the 
Pacific Northwest, where we have seen some of the fastest growth in air 
transportation and demand by the public in recent years, this 5-year 
reauthorization does provide the FAA with the certainty it needs to use 
its Airport Improvement Program to invest in long-term projects that 
will help us increase capacity at large and small airports.
  Again, I can't tell you how important this is for airports all over 
the State of Washington. Many of us know that about 90 percent of 
businesses are housed within about 10 miles of an airport. So the 
investment in the airport and airport infrastructure is an investment 
in our economy for the future. These projects in this bill, like the 
new runway that will be completed next year at Pullman-Moscow Regional 
Airport in eastern Washington with $100 million in Federal funding, 
gives communities the tools they need to keep that economy growing.
  I can tell you, it is growing. With WSU and other institutions in the 
region, it is helping grow and attract some of the best technology in 
Next Generation Energy. The fact that the airport is able to expand 
helps all of us in the region grow.
  The Federal funding that will continue to be provided in this bill is 
critical for airports to increase their capacity and help our economy. 
Under programs reauthorized in this legislation, Sea-Tac is currently 
completing a $14 million runway and taxi reconstruction. Spokane has 
received $15 million for airfield improvements, and airports from 
Everett to Walla Walla to Winthrop have each received millions of 
dollars through these programs to keep their facilities up to date.
  The Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco was awarded $7 million to install an 
inline baggage screening system in their new terminal. Yes, our 
airports depend on to continue to move forward on FAA and 
infrastructure investment.
  This legislation also expands the Small Community Air Service 
Development Program, which provides grants to communities to help them 
attract and maintain critical air service by creating marketing 
programs and providing incentives to airlines. This has been a great 
tool for our State, including airports in Walla Walla, Spokane, Yakima, 
Wenatchee, and Pasco, as they have used these resources to help grow 
service. Once service is established, it is easy to maintain. Why? 
Because they have helped get the carrier and the traffic and they can 
see that it can be sustained.
  The United States has the best aviation safety record in the world, 
and the FAA's oversight and certification procedures are critical in 
maintaining that. This bill continues with making sure that those 
procedures remain strong.
  The bill helps us with what are called contract air traffic control 
towers in making sure that small communities that are working to retain 
air service can do so by making sure that their towers remain in 
operation. These contract towers provide a key layer of safety at 
smaller airports and in the region. Places like Yakima, Wenatchee, 
Spokane, Bellingham, Renton, and Walla Walla will not be saddled with 
the responsibility for these contract towers but will receive support 
so that they, too, can handle the demand of air transportation. 
Contract towers handle about 28 percent of ATC operations, yet they 
account for about 14 percent of the FAA's tower operations budget.
  The bill recognizes the important role, also, that flight attendants 
play in ensuring cabin safety by making sure they receive adequate 
rest. This legislation finally puts them on par with our pilots. It 
says that they have to have their 10 hours of rest, as well, so that 
they can function and continue to help us with the traveling public.
  The bill preserves access to important safety tools. It bans the FAA 
from removing contract weather observers from airports for the next 
several years. Why is this so important? Because at airports with 
changing conditions where we need human observation of critical weather 
measurements, this helps us maintain safety. In places like Spokane, 
WA, where conditions can change quickly and freezing conditions can be 
quite common, this helps us maintain safety.
  The bill also takes important steps toward securing airports and 
airplanes with reauthorization of the Transportation Security 
Administration.
  We know that there is no better tool in our airports today to helping 
us make sure they operate safely and securely by having explosive 
detecting K-9 units. That is why I was proud to lead a provision in the 
bill that will help us expand the use of bomb-detecting K-9s for 
screening our passengers and protecting the public at our airports. 
What we are seeing is that security lines at our airports move much 
more rapidly when these K-9s are present.
  Yes, they are a deterrent in and of themselves, and they help speed 
up lines. But they also are there to detect the use of explosives or 
other materials, and they are doing an unbelievable job. That is why 
this provision allows for larger airports to get more K-9 units 
certified by TSA and work with them to address long lines at our 
airports.
  In the Northwest, we have seen that these K-9s can do unbelievable 
things to help us. In fact, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has 
been one of the fastest growing airports for the last several years, 
and the K-9s have helped us through these checkpoints in the passenger 
screening process where they can screen almost 60 percent more 
passengers per hour than a checkpoint without K-9s.
  It is so important that this legislation helps us get more K-9s 
trained and more coordination between airports and TSA as these new 
tools are improved. We are so happy that it is included in this 
legislation.
  We also give smaller airports more tools to improve security. The 
bill contains a program to implement exit lane technology at small hub 
airports. It contains a $55 million authorization to reimburse airports 
for deploying local law enforcement officers to help maintain public 
areas in large and small airports.
  These tools are also important because our airports have had more and 
more responsibility; yet we need them to operate efficiently and 
effectively. At the same time, we are trying to improve the flying 
experience. More people are flying than ever before, and airplanes and 
airports are becoming more cramped and chaotic.
  This FAA bill is set to make sure that there are minimum dimensions 
for passenger seats. It raises the bar on some of the other safety 
improvements to make sure that the traveling public and disabled 
passengers are treated with dignity and respect.
  The bill also requires airlines to provide prompt refunds so that 
passengers are paid in a timely fashion when they are due a refund.
  It also improves other technology in unmanned air systems, an 
increased use of important commercial, scientific, and public safety 
issues that are now at the advent of what we see with drone 
applications.
  These are so important because we want to move forward with our Coast

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Guard, with our Forest Service, with transportation, using information 
and data to help us do our jobs better. This important piece of 
legislation helps us make sure we are improving safety and oversight by 
the right amount for these new systems that will be part of this 
package.
  I am so glad to have worked with my colleagues on this very broad 
bipartisan piece of legislation. I can't tell you how important 
aviation is to the State of Washington. We are a big aviation-
manufacturing State. Yes, we like to build and sell airplanes, but we 
also know that, as our economy has grown, our airports are a key tool, 
as they are in any State, to continue to grow and continue to manage 
the challenges of air transportation.
  This bill is the right tool for many airports across the State of 
Washington and across the Nation to continue to grow, to continue to 
manage that population growth, and ensure safety and efficiency.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. There are many 
more things we need to do, but this is a good down payment for the next 
5 years.
  I thank Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson for getting us to 
this point today.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hoeven). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I come to the floor to talk about a few 
good things that have happened in Washington this week. At a time when 
people are looking at Washington and wondering whether things are 
getting done, let me just suggest, on the floor this week, we are going 
to pass landmark legislation that will deal with a crisis we have in 
our States--every single one of us--and that is the opioid issue. I 
will talk about that in a minute.