[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 134 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E760-E761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SPORTS LEAGUES' CONCERNS ON FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WAIVER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TED LIEU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 8, 2023

  Mr. LIEU. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a Statement of 
Administration Policy about protected airspace over major sporting 
events. Temporary Flight Restrictions over stadiums and related 
facilities have been in effect for over 20 years, since Congress first 
enacted them into law in 2002. Congress acted not to protect the 
stadiums themselves, but the millions of fans who attend events and the 
athletes who compete in them. I submit as well a letter from the 
security directors of the National Football League, Major League 
Baseball, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and NASCAR, in 
which they affirm that the Temporary Flight Restrictions. which 
Congress created, form an essential part of the security architecture 
that protects these events. Section 813 of the pending bill opens up 
this airspace, putting those fans and athletes at undue risk. There is 
no valid public policy reason for it. I urge that before this 
legislation becomes public law, the decision to weaken these 
restrictions be reversed and the current law be left undisturbed.

                   Statement of Administration Policy


 H.R. 3935--Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation 
                                  Act

                             July 17, 2023

       The Administration supports enactment of a Federal Aviation 
     Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill and applauds the 
     bipartisan work of the House Transportation and 
     Infrastructure Committee. The Administration is focused on 
     ensuring that the aviation sector works well for the American 
     people, and reauthorizing the FAA in a timely manner will 
     help achieve that goal. H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and 
     Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, would enhance 
     aviation safety; invest in, and improve on-the-job safety 
     for, our aviation workforce; integrate into the national 
     airspace system new entrants such as Advanced Air Mobility 
     and Commercial Space operators; strengthen passenger rights; 
     and improve our aviation infrastructure.
       The Administration looks forward to working with the 
     Congress to address the Administration's concerns with this 
     legislation, a number of which are outlined below.


  Protection of Aviation Consumer Rights and Promotion of Competition.

       The Administration is strongly committed to protecting the 
     rights of aviation consumers and promoting competition in the 
     aviation industry. The Administration opposes provisions in 
     the bill that would reverse important gains made by this 
     Administration to combat junk fees in the airline industry 
     and would eliminate longstanding consumer protections. The 
     Administration believes that the disclosure requirements 
     currently in place for passenger tickets are necessary to 
     help consumers comparison shop for a ticket. The 
     Administration encourages the Congress to include the 
     Administration's proposals to expand consumer protections by 
     banning family seating junk fees, requiring up-front 
     disclosure of add-on fees, and requiring automatic refunds 
     and additional compensation for controllable flight 
     cancellations and delays. The Administration further supports 
     opening up airport gate access and preventing anticompetitive 
     practices that block new entrants.


                       International Commitments.

       While the Administration appreciates the language aimed at 
     ensuring continued U.S. implementation of Open Skies 
     agreements while promoting labor standards for U.S.-based 
     aviation sector workers, the Administration also urges the 
     Congress to add provisions to implement U.S. international 
     commitments and ensure our aviation partners follow suit. The 
     bill should be amended to include provisions for U.S. 
     implementation of global market-based measures of the 
     International Civil Aviation Organization, and to establish 
     U.S. leadership relating to the understanding and mitigation 
     of the non-Greenhouse Gas climate impacts of aviation.


                         Agency Restructuring.

       While the Administration supports the goal of improving the 
     efficiency of the organizational structure of the FAA, it 
     does not support the proposed changes in FAA rulemaking 
     review and the weakening of the Administrator's ability and 
     authority to determine the appropriate size and allocation of 
     the air traffic controller workforce. The Administration also 
     has concerns with provisions that would make fundamental 
     changes to the agency's structure, eroding the discretion of 
     the Administrator to manage the agency in the most efficient 
     manner.


             Implementation Timelines and Program Changes.

       The legislation includes multiple rulemakings, reviews, 
     reports, and other requirements with aggressive time lines, 
     along with the creation of numerous programs that are not 
     conditioned on the availability of appropriations.
       The Administration is also concerned that proposed major 
     structural changes to airport infrastructure programs are 
     untested, and may be difficult to implement depending on the 
     level of resources made available. The bill would also reduce 
     the amount of competitive airport grant funding, which would 
     reduce the FAA's ability to address important safety and 
     capacity issues.


                 Standards for Airport Service Workers.

       The Administration urges the Congress to include provisions 
     that will improve job quality for, and therefore aid in the 
     recruitment and retention of, those who clean planes, handle 
     baggage, assist passengers who use wheelchairs, and provide 
     other services critical to safe, stable, and timely 
     operations for aviation customers.


                       Age Standards for Pilots.

       The bill includes a provision that would raise the 
     retirement age for pilots in commercial operations. Making 
     this change without doing research and establishing any 
     necessary policies would be outside the international 
     standard.


    Maintaining Safe and Secure Airspace During Major Sports Events.

       While the Administration supports the goal of providing 
     accessibility to and public use of the national airspace, it 
     is concerned that provisions proposed in the bill could 
     introduce unnecessary risks to those attending major sporting 
     events if the effectiveness of safety and security buffers 
     currently provided by temporary flight restrictions were to 
     be decreased. To the extent that the proposed provisions are 
     intended to accommodate airshows, the Administration urges 
     the Congress to consider alternative methods to deconflict 
     airshows and major sports events rather than potentially put 
     aviation operations in close proximity to events attended by 
     millions of Americans each year.
                                                    July 18, 2023.
       Dear Members of Congress: We write to urge you to oppose 
     the weakening of a law that protects the millions of sports 
     fans and spectators who attend professional and collegiate 
     sporting events each year. The current statutory ban on 
     aircraft--including unmanned aircraft systems (``UAS'') or 
     drones--flying over large stadium sporting events throughout 
     the country provides necessary safety and security 
     protections against real and potential threats.
       We are deeply concerned about section 813 ofthe House 
     version ofthe Federal Aviation Administration (``FAA'') 
     Reauthorization Act. If adopted, the language would establish 
     a broad and complex waiver program that would permit 
     countless aircraft to fly near and over stadiums during 
     games, putting millions of fans at risk, and unnecessarily 
     so. Congress wisely eliminated a similar waiver program back 
     in 2003, after discovering troubling and persistent failures, 
     gaps, and vulnerabilities in the process for conducting 
     background checks and issuing waivers.

[[Page E761]]

       The FAA first established flight restrictions over large 
     stadium sporting events immediately following the terrorist 
     attacks of September 11, 2001, in response to concerns about 
     terrorists using aircraft as weapons. Congress subsequently 
     twice codified and strengthened these restrictions, providing 
     specific criteria for aircraft operations permitted within 
     the flight restricted area. Section 813 would effectively 
     eliminate the specific criteria and replace it with an open- 
     ended waiver program.
       The long-standing, congressionally mandated flight 
     restriction enhances the safety and security of large stadium 
     events, while minimizing the disruption to the National 
     Airspace System (``NAS''). Specifically, airspace over large 
     stadiums--with a seating capacity of 30,000 people or more 
     and where a NFL, MLB, and NCAA Division I football games or 
     major motor speedway events, such as NASCAR and INDYCAR 
     races, are taking place--is closed to all aircraft from one 
     hour before until one hour after a major sporting event. The 
     flight restrictions extend to three nautical miles from the 
     center of the stadium and from the surface to 3,000 feet 
     above the stadium. The flight restrictions do not apply to 
     authorized aircraft, such as Department of Defense, law 
     enforcement or air ambulance flight operations, or those in 
     contact with air traffic control for take offs and landings 
     at nearby airports, among others.
       Having devoted substantial resources to secure our stadiums 
     on the ground, we regard the stadium flight restriction as 
     essential to safeguarding the airspace overhead. Moreover, 
     given the proliferation of UAS in our NAS, as well as the 
     continuing need to remain vigilant to other current and 
     emerging risks, the stadium flight restriction is as vital 
     now as ever to our national security and public safety. We 
     believe section 813 complicates the airspace over stadiums, 
     compromises public safety and security, and courts potential 
     disaster.
       We, therefore, urge you to uphold current law and maintain 
     existing flight restrictions that protect the safety and 
     security of millions of fans who attend large stadium 
     sporting events every year.
           Sincerely,
     Cathy Lanier,
       Chief Security Officer, National Football League.
     David Thomas,
       Vice President, Security and Ballpark Operations, Major 
     League Baseball.
     Bill Rhodes,
       Managing Director, Security, National Association for Stock 
     Car Auto Racing.
     Dan Gavitt,
       Senior Vice President, National Collegiate Athletic 
     Association.

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