[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3101-S3106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, the Federal Aviation Administration
Reauthorization Act that is before us shines as a beacon of safety,
progress, and efficiency in the realm of aviation. It is not just any
piece of legislation; it is a commitment to safeguarding lives,
fostering innovation, and bolstering economic growth.
At its core, this bill ensures that our skies remain safe for all who
traverse them. It sets stringent standards for aircraft safety, air
traffic control, and airport operations, ensuring that every flight is
conducted with the highest level of care and expertise.
Today, I rise to especially acknowledge the hard work that our air
traffic controllers do day in and day out to keep our skies clear and
safe for all.
Back home in Olathe, KS, we have an Air Route Traffic Control Center
that is responsible for some 130,000 square miles of airspace.
Covering that much airspace is no small feat, and it takes a team of
highly skilled and trained controllers to get the job done. In fact, I
made a visit to that control center in Olathe, and what I found was
perhaps the most constant bombardment of mentally challenging tasks of
any job I have ever seen, more than anything I have seen in 8 hours or
12 hours in an operating room in 1 day, more than a day in an emergency
room, more than any task I have seen, the mental challenge, the
constant bombardment of different sequences, trying to make sure--not
trying but ensuring that every flight lands safely. There is no room
for error. There are no second chances. And it amazes me how, time
after time, day after day, these stalwarts do their job with
perfection.
And I have to admit, in years past, I have been disappointed that,
despite billions being spent, allocated to the FAA each year, this
Agency has continued to neglect hiring for air traffic controllers, not
only in Kansas but across the Nation.
Again, based on my visit to our towers in Kansas, it is clear that
our air traffic controllers need relief, and we need to hire more
people to prevent burnout among those critical workers for the sake of
preserving passenger safety.
Thankfully, we have a golden opportunity this week to make things
right with this FAA reauthorization. The compromise package includes
provisions to hire at maximum levels over the life of this bill and to
adopt a new staffing model to better project hiring needs in the
future.
I want to especially salute Senator Braun's Air Traffic Controllers
Hiring Act, as it is a commonsense, simple fix that over 30 Senators
have supported. Including this bill in this reauthorization package was
the right thing to do, and it is a bipartisan win that we can all
celebrate together. I applaud the committee for including this
important language and taking care of the folks who work around the
clock to keep our deliveries on time and our passengers safe.
And, finally, I want to just take a moment to remember and applaud
all of the Members of Congress, but, I think, even more importantly,
their dedicated staff, who have worked on this FAA reauthorization
legislation, along with all the dedicated aviation industry who strive
to keep us safe and on time.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the bipartisan,
bicameral agreement reached for a long-term Federal Aviation
Administration reauthorization. You would know, as a member of our
committee, that we have worked hard to bring the FAA aviation community
together to make certain that we do not end up with a result of one
more extension after extension after extension, and that we can provide
some certainty for the FAA in fulfilling its mission.
When I became the ranking member of the Aviation Subcommittee, I
stated the importance of passing a long-term reauthorization and
pledged to work with Senators Duckworth, Cruz, and Cantwell, as well as
my other colleagues on the Commerce Committee, to get a comprehensive
agreement completed.
I want to thank the leaders of both the Senate Commerce Committee--
Senators Cantwell and Cruz--and the House Transportation Committee--
Congressman Graves and Congressman Larsen--for their months of work to
get us to this point. I also want to thank my counterpart on the
Aviation Subcommittee, the chairman of that subcommittee, Senator
Duckworth of Illinois. She has been a pleasure to work with, with a
commitment to aviation and experience to back up that desire to see
success in this effort.
Multiyear reauthorization is vital for long-term planning and growth
in the civil aviation industry, including the maintenance and
modernization of aviation infrastructure and technology. Continuous
short-term extensions are detrimental to the Agency, industry, and to
the flying public.
This week and next week, Congress must come together to ensure our
current extension of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is
until May 10, will be our last--no more extensions.
Last October, the Senate recognized how critical the FAA is to the
country
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and evidenced that recognition by voting 98 to 0 to confirm Mike
Whitaker as the FAA Administrator.
If the United States is to remain a leader in the aviation and
aerospace domain, it is critical we provide the FAA with the resources
and tools they require.
The aviation sector has seen close calls and near misses plague our
Nation's air space, in addition to quality control concerns. Recent
incidents indicate now--now more than ever--that our aviation system
needs certainty and stability, and that is provided, in part, by a
long-term authorization of Congress.
The original Senate legislation was drafted after eight committee and
subcommittee hearings, and I am pleased that many of my priorities were
included in this legislation.
Kansas will have an important role to play in advancing our aviation
industry, including research and development and hypersonic flight and
testing, as well as AAM and UAVs.
This legislation also includes my priorities to, one, bolster the
aviation workforce, improve the FAA backlog, promote women in aviation,
expand travel access for people with disabilities, attract air service
to small communities, support staffing and training for air traffic
controllers for the first time in decades, address new aircraft
entering the air space, expand advanced air mobility, and safeguard
essential air service programs.
I encourage my colleagues to, once again, find a collaborative way to
move forward to address FAA reauthorization.
We manufacture lots of airplanes in the State of Kansas. We are the
air capital of the world. More general aviation aircraft than anyplace
in the world are manufactured there, as well as commercial aircraft.
And I sometimes think that if I have any reputation as being an
advocate for aviation, it is probably because we manufacture so many
airplanes. And that certainly is true. But I also would highlight the
importance of an airport and airplanes to small communities across
Kansas, not just in the manufacturing that is centered around South
Central Kansas. But every community and their airport are an essential
way in which that community has a brighter future. Airports and
aviation, including commercial air service to small airports, are
hugely important to the wellbeing of States like ours.
The American people deserve the safest. In fact, that is probably the
most important component of what we can do here. It is to ensure, as
best we can, the safety of the traveling and flying public. There is no
future of aviation and aerospace in Kansas or elsewhere if citizens of
our country and around the globe are not feeling safe and secure to
fly. The American people deserve nothing less than the safest and most
efficient aviation system in the world.
Our bill provides critical safety enhancements, grows America's
aviation workforce, invests in infrastructure at airports in urban and
rural communities, sets clear priorities for advancing innovation in
aviation solutions, improves the flying public's travel experience, and
ensures a healthy general aviation sector for years to come.
Again, I thank my colleagues on the committee for working to
accomplish this moment. I look forward to the vote that takes place a
little later today, and I encourage my colleagues to work hard to see
that we get this completed in the next few days.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. President, I come to the floor today in support of
the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. This has been a truly bipartisan,
bicameral endeavor, and that is how it should be. It has taken longer
than we had hoped, but the final product is worth it.
This bill will empower the FAA to aggressively address the aviation
system safety crisis, make our aviation system more accessible for
passengers with disabilities, provide historic investments that will
enhance our Nation's capacity to recruit and train the next generation
of aviation workers, and do so without lowering, weakening, or watering
down the post-Colgan safety system, including pilot qualification
standards.
There are many important provisions in this bill, but I want to
highlight just a few today. First and foremost, this bill takes
important steps to address critical safety challenges facing our
aviation system. During the pandemic, retirements and buyouts drained
critical experience from our aviation workforce, both in the Federal
Agencies, like the FAA and the NTSB, as well as in the commercial
aviation sector.
The post-COVID surge in demand for air travel put a huge strain on
our system and stretched the remaining aviation workforce thin. Near
misses and close calls became so frequent that the FAA was forced to
convene a safety summit.
Despite this, the close calls keep happening over and over and over
again. Just last week, a Swiss Air flight had to abort takeoff at JFK
when four other planes were crossing the runway at the same time. The
week before that, a Southwest jet crossed the runway at National
Airport right as a JetBlue flight was starting its takeoff roll.
The need for Congress to act is urgent, and this bill takes important
steps to address safety-critical challenges.
Importantly, our bill also preserves an important pillar of the post-
Colgan safety system: the 1,500-hour rule for first officer flight
training. As both a commercial and a private pilot, I know how critical
real-world experience is in the cockpit. It can mean the difference
between life and death. As demand for air travel continues to grow, we
will continue to need more pilots. But putting safety first demands
that Congress always reject industry efforts to lower pilot
qualification standards, and that is why I worked so hard to make sure
that our bill left the 1,500-hour rule intact.
Air traffic controllers and surface detection is a key component of
the FAA reauthorization bill also. Our legislation will also give a
much needed boost to our air traffic controller workforce.
Coming out of the pandemic, our air traffic facilities are
understaffed and our controllers are overworked. Last year, only 3 of
313 air traffic facilities nationwide had enough controllers to meet
staffing targets, while controllers are working 60 hours a week to keep
up.
This is dangerous. These are highly stressful, safety-critical jobs
under the best of circumstances. Growing this workforce is a safety
imperative, and this bill takes aggressive steps to do so. It will set
a minimum hiring target equal to the maximum number of air traffic
controllers our academy can accommodate. It will also require a more
accurate staffing model going forward to ensure that there will be
enough air traffic controllers to meet the growing demand and keep the
flying public safe.
The bill will also expand deployment of surface detection technology
to more airports to help prevent near misses or, worse, actual
collisions.
Our bipartisan compromise also advances passenger safety by requiring
the FAA to finally update aircraft evacuation standards to account for
real-world conditions. Federal regulations require that, in the event
of an emergency, passengers can evacuate an aircraft within 90 seconds.
However, recent FAA in-person evacuation simulations used only able-
bodied adults under the age of 60, in groups of just 60, on a plane
with no carry-on baggage and nobody under the age of 18.
On a typical 737, you would see more than twice that number of
passengers. I think it is safe to say that you would also probably see
a couple of backpacks--maybe 100 backpacks--and probably some senior
citizens, children, and passengers with disabilities too. All of these
folks were left out of the latest FAA simulation.
So the fact is, we don't actually know if an aircraft can be
evacuated in 90 seconds in real-world conditions, and that is what is
so dangerous. The Miracle on the Hudson took more than twice that long
to evacuate--3 minutes.
In January, when a Japan Airlines crew miraculously managed to
successfully evacuate nearly 400 people from a burning Airbus A350, it
took closer to 18 minutes from the point of impact and, overall, 5
minutes from the point of when the plane had stopped moving.
In 2016, it took more than 17 minutes to evacuate a 767 at O'Hare,
after the
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plane came to a stop, well short of the 90-second threshold.
Carry-on bags slowed down that evacuation; and since then, the NTSB
has been recommending FAA take a closer look at this issue.
The bill before us today includes a provision Senator Baldwin and I
championed to require the FAA to finally do just that: along with
mandating the Agency, actually consider other real-world conditions
like the presence of children, seniors, and passengers with
disabilities.
The FAA bill will also make much needed progress in transforming
commercial air travel to be safer and more accessible for passengers
with disabilities.
I was proud and honored to work with individuals and organizations in
the disability community when drafting this portion of our legislation.
And while we still have a long way to go to ensure equal access for
millions of people with disabilities when flying, if passed, our FAA
Reauthorization Act would be one of the most significant leaps taken
over the past decade towards improving the air travel experience for
the disability community.
Our work builds on a yearslong effort by my colleague Senator
Baldwin. And I would like to thank her for her leadership on the Air
Carrier Access Amendments Act, which has been a priority of the
disability community for years.
And today, I am happy to say that several important provisions from
that Baldwin bill are included in this reauthorization.
Today's bill also includes a new grant program to upgrade airports to
make them more accessible for passengers with disabilities.
Two bipartisan, bicameral bills are also included: the Mobility Aids
on Board Improve Lives and Empower All Act--or MOBILE Act--which I
worked on with Senator Thune and Representatives Steve Cohen and Pete
Stauber, and the Prioritizing Accountability and Accessibility for
Aviation Consumers Act, which I worked on with Senator Fischer and
Representatives Steve Cohen and Brian Fitzpatrick.
I want to thank my colleagues across the aisle and in the House for
working with me to show that even in this divisive political moment, we
can--and we must--still legislate in a bipartisan fashion on issues
that impact Americans throughout every inch of this country, in States
that are both red and blue.
This bill will also help grow the next generation of pilots, aviation
mechanics, and aviation manufacturing technical workers by expanding
the FAA's Aviation Workforce Development Grant Program. This is
critical to meet future demand, which is expected to grow tremendously.
The FAA estimates the 696 million mainline enplanements we saw in 2023
will grow to more than 1.1 trillion enplanements by 2044.
I want to thank Senators Moran, Klobuchar, Thune, Kelly, Fischer,
Warnock, and Capito for working with me to secure the highest level of
investments forever for these grants.
I want to give a special thanks to Senator Moran, who has been such a
pleasure to work with, and also to my colleagues in the House and
especially to our chairwoman of the committee, who has been so generous
in working with me as the subcommittee chair.
While this initiative may be relatively new, in its short history, it
has already proven incredibly popular with educational and training
institutions, with the demands for training grants vastly outstripping
supply.
Our bill will fix this imbalance by drastically strengthening the
capacity and capabilities of our Nation's aviation education and
training organizations, with the goal of successfully recruiting and
preparing the next generation of American aviation workers.
Before yielding, I want to say a brief word about Boeing--a company
with a proud heritage in American aviation. This bill does not fully
address our many vexing issues that have come to light since a door
plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight midair in January of this
year.
Congress must look more closely at these issues and assess what
additional legislation may be needed.
As Chair Cantwell has indicated, we will be conducting vigorous
oversight, but that will take time. And this bill contains urgently
needed fixes to address immediate imminent safety risks. We must not
delay passage of this FAA reauthorization while we continue our
oversight of Boeing and all aviation manufacturers.
So let's pass this bill.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to
speak for up to 15 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support for the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2024. This bill, negotiated by Chair Cantwell
and myself, with the leadership of the House Transportation and
Infrastructure and Science Committees, is a bicameral and a bipartisan
accomplishment. It is the culmination of many months of work between us
and our staffs and is reflective of the priorities of a great many
Senators.
On the Republican side alone, more than 200 Member priorities were
included. I am especially proud of the numerous provisions that make
for a safer and more convenient travel experience for Texans and for
consumers across the Nation and the provisions that will help grow
Texas's thriving aerospace sector. It will make significant strides in
aviation safety, the primary mission of the FAA--and something that I
know that all of us care deeply about. It will provide a clear path
forward to integrate new advanced aviation technologies and will make
it easier for fliers to get upfront information on ticket prices.
A flurry of near misses at our Nation's airports, multiple concerning
maintenance reports of United Airlines' flights, and the alarming
decompression event of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 have together raised
serious concerns with the safety of our airspace. Aviation safety has
been, and will continue to be, one of the very top priorities of the
Senate Commerce Committee. When the people of Texas board a flight,
they expect their flight--and their families--to be safe.
As a result, I am proud to say that our bill includes numerous
crucial safety provisions, such as requiring 25-hour cockpit voice
recorders in all commercial aircraft. This safety upgrade will allow
the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA to have access to
vital information needed during accident investigations. This became
abundantly clear after the cockpit voice recorder in the Alaska
Airlines flight was lost because of an outdated 2-hour requirement.
That is unacceptable, and it should never happen again. With this bill,
it will not happen again.
In response to recent runway surface incidents, this bill establishes
a zero tolerance runway safety policy. It prioritizes projects that
improve surface surveillance; it establishes a Runway Safety Council;
and it requires a timeline and an action plan to actually get better
runway and tarmac incursion technologies installed at airports that
need them.
Air traffic controller shortages have plagued airports across the
country--including in my home State of Texas--putting travel safety at
risk. This legislation aims to relieve the strain on air traffic
control by directing the FAA to hire the maximum number of air traffic
controllers, hopefully aiding the many facilities that have been
understaffed for far too long.
At a time when aircraft safety seems to be in the news every other
day, our bipartisan bill makes important upgrades to safety reporting.
Commercial aviation has improved in the last several decades, in part
because the FAA and industry have tracked trends in safety to respond
in a proactive manner to safety concerns, instead of waiting until
after a fatal accident has occurred. Furthermore, this bill recognizes
the important role that whistleblowers play and includes protections
for those reporting safety concerns.
This bill also makes transformative investments in airports across
our country by making updates to the formula used to disburse grants
for airport infrastructure projects. As a result, all airports across
the country will be able to rehab their runways or acquire critical
safety technologies.
I am also pleased that the bill makes it easier to obtain permits for
airport construction projects. This bill is good
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for airports large and small across the Nation.
This bill does not ignore the fact that sometimes airlines screw up
and leave consumers hanging. One provision parents in the Chamber
should be really happy about is the requirement for airlines to ensure
that families are able to sit together. This just makes sense and will
help to make traveling with young children just a little bit easier.
I am also pleased that there is a requirement that customers who need
customer service will now be guaranteed that they can talk to a human
representative--an actual human being--24/7.
Finally, this bill makes important improvements for travelers with
disabilities, including requiring training, for employees who handle
wheelchairs, and it requires the DOT to actually respond to complaints
submitted by aggrieved passengers.
I know there has been a lot of attention paid to the additional five
round trip flights at DCA added by this bipartisan bill. Reagan
National is the only airport in the country that Congress has decreed
that a plane may travel no further than 1,250 miles from when landing
or taking off from. It is absurd, and it is unfair to millions of
fliers who are forced to pay higher prices because of this rule. It has
been over a decade since Congress has expanded access to DCA, and the
inclusion of five round trip flights is a modest proposal that will
bring down consumer prices for fliers in the DC region and from western
States. This modest increase will not result in negative impacts or
delays, nor will it result in loss of flights for anyone who currently
receives service.
I repeat: It will not result in loss of flights for any route that
currently receives service, despite the threats and the fearmongering
from the army of United Airlines' lobbyists who are actively working to
protect their Dulles monopoly. By my count of United's threatened
service cuts, these five round trip flights will lead United to cancel
air service to more than half the States in the Union. Don't believe
the propaganda.
And I have to say, it is not in the interest of any Senator to
support a policy that reduces competition, enhances monopoly products
for one airline--United Airlines--and drives up the prices not only for
the residents of Virginia, DC, and Maryland, but for the residents of
all 50 States who have come to our Nation's Capital.
In contrast, this modest addition of service would allow for further
competition between the airlines that serve DCA. Competition is good
for consumers, and it is good for lowering prices.
This change will also provide the ability for there to be a direct
flight from San Antonio to DC Reagan, delivering a more convenient
travel experience for members of the military traveling from Joint Base
San Antonio to the Pentagon, to Arlington Cemetery, to our Nation's
Capital, and also for business travelers and tourists in San Antonio.
I also want to talk about the benefits this bill has for new
aerospace technologies. Our bill helps the FAA both modernize and
transform its operations and handling of new entrants, like drones and
air taxis--a provision that will increase productivity and spur
economic activity. Importantly, this reauthorization includes measures
to eliminate inefficiencies plaguing the NextGen Office. This
legislation also directs the FAA to complete the Beyond Visual Line of
Sight rulemaking, which will expand drone delivery and other drone
operations across the country and especially in my home State of Texas.
I am also proud of the reforms aimed at better integrating commercial
space activities into the National Airspace System. Assisting launch
providers in navigating complicated airspace will be a boost for
Texas's thriving commercial space industry.
To carry out all of these ambitious goals, the FAA needs a workforce
that has the technical expertise to conduct effective oversight of
manufacturers and airlines, as well as technical experts who can help
in the certification of these new and novel technologies. This was a
major focus of our efforts. For example, in an effort to boost the
aviation workforce and provide more opportunities for America's
veterans, this legislation makes it easier for military servicemembers
to transition to civil aviation careers.
This comprehensive and bipartisan bill bolsters the FAA at a time
when the Agency needs support. The aviation system is more strained
than ever. Millions of Americans travel every single day. Millions of
Americans depend on this sector to earn their livelihood.
The U.S. aviation sector is the gold standard of safety, and I am
proud of the improvements and reforms made in this bill. I look forward
to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this
bill to final passage.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be
permitted to speak for up to 20 minutes prior to the scheduled rollcall
vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, my colleagues have already been out here
today. It is a great day for aviation because we have a product before
the U.S. Senate, and Members will be asked to vote to move forward on
the consideration of this important aviation safety legislation.
As my colleagues have already said, this is a bipartisan, bicameral
agreement on the FAA reauthorization.
It is important to reauthorize both the Federal Aviation
Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board for another
5 years. We are not only giving them direction and resources to improve
safety, but we are asking them to keep up to date on the implementation
of the latest technologies that help us do just that.
I want to thank my colleague Senator Cruz, who was just on the Senate
floor, for helping negotiate this through the Senate Commerce
Committee.
I want to thank Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen from my
State for their participation and dedication to producing this
bicameral, bipartisan legislation.
I certainly want to thank Senators Duckworth and Moran, who chair the
subcommittee in the aviation area, for their important contributions to
this legislation.
I also want to thank President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, and
Administrator Whitaker for helping us on all of the input as we move
forward on this legislation.
I certainly want to thank Senators Schumer, Thune, Duckworth, and
Sinema, who helped to negotiate key provisions of this as it relates to
pilot safety and training.
I definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely want to thank the
very hard work of our committee majority staff and the committee
minority staff for working diligently on this important legislation.
I can't tell you how important it is at this point in time for us to
show that we are paying attention to these issues. Over the last 12
months, several incidents--including a door plug blowout and a string
of close calls at airports--have made the public question where we are
with aviation safety. We need to show them that we are asking for,
implementing, and holding accountable the FAA to a gold standard for
safety.
These incidents underscore why we need a strong reauthorization bill,
why we need to implement safety improvements, why we need to invest in
a safety workforce at the FAA, and why we need strong consumer laws on
the books that give consumers a right to a refund. The FAA
reauthorization bill does all those things. It provides the direction.
It provides the resources. It helps us build that aviation workforce.
It helps us implement safety technologies that will be part of the
next-gen system and improve aviation and airport infrastructure
nationwide.
Some of my colleagues may think, well, FAA, OK--it is an aviation
bill, but what is behind this?
Aviation contributes to 5 percent of our GDP. That is $1.9 trillion
of economic activity and 11 million jobs. Getting this right is
paramount.
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I think some people look at what has happened during COVID and say:
Everybody has workforce shortages. Everybody has problems with the
workforce everywhere.
But when you have a workforce problem in aviation, it means you don't
have the highest standards for safety. That is why we have to pass this
legislation. Our bill gives the aviation workforce the tools and the
platform they need. I am talking about machinists, about engineers,
about mechanics, about pilots, about flight attendants, about baggage
handlers, about maintenance workers--the people who really are the
backbone of an aviation economy.
It is simple: This bipartisan bill puts safety first. It says we are
authorizing over $100 billion so that the FAA does meet that gold
standard.
We also are including a robust reauthorization of the National
Transportation Safety Board so this organization has the resources it
needs to hire more investigators, conduct thorough investigations, and
produce the highest level of critical analysis as to why--why--we have
had safety accidents.
The NTSB needs to have the critical funding to carry out its
important mission, like investigating Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 and
the train derailment in East Palestine. These are important missions
that help inform us what is wrong with our systems and how they should
be improved. Unless we have those inspectors at NTSB--and we have lost
some of them lately, and some have retired. We need to continue to have
these most critical investigators.
This bill also funds key safety improvements of our system. It
requires current and newly manufactured commercial aircraft to be
equipped, as my colleagues have mentioned, with a 25-hour cockpit voice
recorder. The standard today is just 2 hours. What unfortunately
happened in the Alaska Air door plug issue is that, in those short 2
hours--when people were in the aftermath of the confusion, that 2 hours
was overridden. Now we are asking the National Transportation Safety
Board to investigate without the most critical information that would
have told us exactly what was happening in the cockpit at that time--
the voice recorder. This legislation is critical to have a mandate and
never to have that overridden in this time period so we have enough
time to investigate.
The NTSB also will strengthen its Board and its workforce. It
investigates more than 2,600 accidents every year; however, it has had
the same number of people as staff for decades. That is why those 33
more investigators would be better equipped and better able to
understand emerging technologies.
I want to thank Senator Klobuchar for her leadership. She, in her
provision on runway traffic and landing safety technology, is helping
us to reduce collisions or near misses at airports. This bill invests
in deploying this technology that NTSB accurately assessed has been
saving lives at various airports and says it needs to be deployed more
across the entire country. These critical airport technologies will be
required at all medium and large hub airports--to implement this within
the next few years.
Building on the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability
Act--the bill that we passed in the aftermath of the two Boeing MAX
crashes--this bill continues to make reforms in aircraft certification
to ensure that the planes we fly meet the highest standards of the FAA.
To further the reform certification, we require the FAA to provide
public notice and opportunity to comment on significant aviation
product design changes. A lot of the confusion in the MAX incident, on
the MCAS system, is people said they didn't know or didn't understand.
This provision ensures transparency for proposed exemptions from
current airworthiness standards. It puts the flying public--and,
unfortunately, families have been impacted--more in the driver's seat
of understanding what changes are being proposed to airplane
certification.
It also requires recurrent training and stronger standards for
manufacturer's representatives who act on behalf of the Federal
Aviation Administration as unit members, to understand the
manufacturing process. This includes strengthening the members'
understanding of what are the international aviation standards from
ICAO for safety management systems--which is the gold standard for
safety--and procedures to report safety issues, a key recommendation
from the Expert Review Panel's report.
To address safety concerns also, this legislation includes an
analysis of what are called Service Difficulty Reports and regular
updates to Congress. Service Difficulty Reports are information filed
by pilots every day after a flight that tells somebody: This happened
on our carrier. This incident happened.
We are strengthening the requirement for the FAA to analyze that
information early and frequently and to give Congress updates on this--
again, something requested by the families of the MAX air crash
incident.
Additionally, we authorize $66.7 billion to boost the FAA's staff and
programs and resources to strengthen the oversight of the manufacturing
process. This is critical in providing what are called safety
inspectors by the FAA. These are people we hire and train at the FAA.
They go to a community college and take a safety course, and they are
required to understand what are the obligations of a manufacturer to
implement the code that the FAA has. We need a more aggressive
investment in these individuals from the FAA--their training, their
skills, their ability to stay current on the latest and greatest
technology.
To better support the FAA's oversight, the Agency is required to
revise and implement an updated aviation safety inspector model to
reflect their increased oversight responsibilities. In 2021, the
Department of Transportation inspector highlighted critical staffing
shortages by facility at the FAA's Flight Standards and Certification
Management District Offices.
Mr. President, I want to take a moment to give my condolences to the
family of Ian Won. Ian Won was one of these people who helped
understand the certification process at what is called the Seattle
BASOO office. That is the office of the FAA that oversees
certification.
We need people to stand up like Ian Won did, who said that the
certification is only good when the FAA says it is good. Those are the
kind of people we need in the system. We recently lost Ian to cancer
but will remember his dedication to getting aviation right.
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, PASS, representing FAA
safety employees, estimates that the FAA is currently experiencing a
20-percent shortage of safety inspectors. So implementing a revised
model helps us better capture the inspector workload, what it takes to
ensure the next generation of technology is fully understood, and to
make sure that operators and manufacturers are complying with the law.
I also want to thank Senator Schatz for his helicopter tour safety
provision. Many people know how many people travel to the State of
Hawaii to travel on air tours in and around those beautiful islands,
but that important safety responsibility has to be clear to those
independent operators: that they are going to meet the highest
standards when moving the public around.
Another safety provision that went in the bill by Senators Baldwin,
Capito, and Welch, called the Global Aviation Maintenance Safety
Improvement Act, will strengthen the FAA's oversight of foreign repair
stations and create a more level playing field.
Unfortunately, as aircraft maintenance went overseas and the FAA
didn't have enough inspectors, where did they not inspect the
maintenance and repair of aircraft? In those overseas repair stations.
But now we are taking away any incentive for someone to go do that
overseas because the FAA will be there and will inspect and make sure
that we are meeting the standard. So this will help us bring this back
to the United States.
There are nearly 1,000 FAA-certified maintenance and repair stations
operating outside the United States, and we have to make sure that they
are properly regulated.
We are also, in this legislation, making sure that the FAA workforce
is well trained and advised to help the FAA. It helps recruit skilled
technical and expert staff to ensure that manufacturers don't take
shortcuts. It helps the FAA do more direct hiring to quickly fill these
positions.
And one of the most important aspects of the legislation is our most
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pressing workforce problem, and that is the shortage of over 3,000 air
traffic controllers. Everyone knows that these air traffic controllers
are what guide us every day to the safety of our destinations. This
bill recognizes that we have shortchanged that investment, with air
traffic controllers sometimes working as many as 6 days a week. We need
a workforce that is going to continue to tackle these challenges, and
this bill makes the investment so that happens.
We have seen the FAA fall short of goals before in workforce
training, but this staffing model and the FAA staffing committed to in
this bill will help us fill that gap.
I want to thank Senators Klobuchar, Duckworth, Warnock, Moran, Thune,
Peters, and Kelly for their Aviation Workforce Development Grant
Program in this legislation. It helps us grow pilots, mechanics,
engineers, and technical workforce and streamline the job pathway for
veterans who have real skill in the military and can more easily help
us fill these aviation roles.
Our bill requires the GAO to also study airport worker standards, a
step toward getting our baggage handlers, our ramp workers, and our
aircraft cleaners the pay and benefits they deserve.
This bill also does something for the first time for consumers. It
says that you deserve a refund after a 3-hour delay, even if you have a
nonrefundable ticket. You also deserve a refund for an international
flight if it has been delayed for 6 hours. And you can get that refund
immediately by talking to the carrier or, if you decide you just don't
even want to be on the delayed flight, you can get a refund.
I want to thank Senators Markey and Vance for a mandate in the bill
that says families get to sit together, and you can't charge us more.
If the airlines break these rules, guess what happens. The DOT
Assistant Secretary is authorized to issue penalties up to $75,000 for
fines and penalties to have a strong deterrent here.
I also want to thank Subcommittee Chair Duckworth for her leadership
in making sure airlines better accommodate passengers with
disabilities. It is because of her unbelievable advocacy here that we
are going to reduce the damage that is done to wheelchairs and to the
passengers who have to make these flights for their own needs, and I
certainly thank Senator Duckworth, who is one of our national heroes
and veterans, for her unbelievable pilot expertise in helping us.
Senators Tester, Fischer, and Sullivan are to be commended for their
hard work to improve the Essential Air Service Program for small and
rural communities that need important economic lifelines to have
aviation in their community. We authorized a record $1.7 billion for
that program.
And, overall, airport infrastructure is getting a big boost too. I
thank Senators Peters, Baldwin, and Warnock for championing making sure
that airports dispose of harmful chemicals that are harmful to all of
us.
And I want to thank the Presiding Officer Senator Hickenlooper and
Senators Rosen, Moran, Thune, Young, Warner, and Wicker, who helped
usher in the next generation of technologies for aviation--not just
drones and air mobility aircraft but also the research and development
necessary to see the electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft industry
take off in the future. Companies like ZeroAvia in my State and
Universal Hydrogen are leading the way with the next generation of
strategies that will help us make these technologies a reality.
I just will say, too, that this legislation gives the FAA the
direction to provide safe operating standards for advanced air mobility
and safety for the 2028 Olympics, coming soon, in Los Angeles.
And I also thank Senators Thune and Warner for their legislation
creating a pathway for drones to operate beyond the visual line of
sight, which we have also included in this bill. And I acknowledge
Senator Rosen's hard work on the legislation for grants so that States
are using the U.S.-manufactured drones to inspect, repair, and fix
critical infrastructure.
So my colleagues can see that this legislation is full of safety
improvements. It helps address a huge part of our U.S. economy. It
helps make the aviation system today work better and guarantee that we
are going to continue to focus on this for the future.
So I thank all my colleagues. I urge them to support the motion to
move forward on this legislation that we will be taking shortly and get
this to the House before the May 10 deadline. It is great bipartisan,
bicameral work. But most importantly, it is safety improvements for our
aviation system.
I yield the floor.