[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 146 (Monday, September 8, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3875-H3876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FACILITY FOR RUNWAY OPERATIONS AND SAFE TRANSPORTATION ACT
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3423) to amend title 49, United States Code, to include
aircraft deicing storage facilities in the definition of airport
development, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3423
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 ``Facility for Runway
Operations and Safe Transportation Act'' or the ``FROST
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEICING EQUIPMENT PROTECTION.
Section 47102(3)(B)(v) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``and storage facilities for the
equipment and fluids''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Barrett) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5
legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 3423, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
[[Page H3876]]
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of H.R. 3423, the Facility
for Runway Operations and Safe Transportation Act, which will allow
storage facilities for aircraft deicing fluids and equipment to be
acquired through the Airport Improvement Program, AIP, funds.
Under the current structure, AIP funds can be used to acquire
aircraft deicing equipment, and when it comes to the storage facilities
that house that very same equipment, airports are forced to utilize
alternative and less reliable funding mechanisms. If you can use AIP
funds to purchase the equipment, you should be able to use those same
funding mechanisms to acquire the necessary facilities to house and
protect the equipment.
I thank Mr. Wied for his leadership on this commonsense piece of
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support, also, of H.R. 3423, the Facility for
Runway Operations and Safe Transportation Act, the FROST Act, a bill
that would make it easier for U.S. airports to store certain critical
safety equipment.
I thank Representative Wied for introducing this bipartisan bill as
well as his Democratic cosponsors, Representatives Scholten and
Representative Gillen.
Deicing an aircraft is a vital part to maintaining safe flight
operations, particularly during takeoff. As ice and snow accumulate on
an aircraft's surface, particularly its wings, it can make the aircraft
much harder to control and fly. That is why operators are federally
mandated to use deicing equipment when ice and snow accumulate to
ensure that the plane can be operated safely.
This equipment is so important that improper use has been cited by
the National Transportation Safety Board, or failure to have it at all,
as a cause of multiple aviation accidents, including a very famous one
right here on the Potomac River, a flight that took off in 1982 from
Ronald Reagan Airport.
Moreover, with climate change contributing to more extreme weather
across the country, deicing fluids and equipment have become even more
of a necessity.
The ability for airports to store this equipment on property is
essential to safe and efficient flight operations. Unfortunately, as my
colleague has mentioned, current law only allows airports to use their
AIP funding, the Airport Improvement Program funding, toward aircraft
deicing equipment and structures but not the storage facilities that
house that equipment. It is almost comical, but this is a serious issue
and something that we have to resolve.
This is a commonsense piece of legislation that we have gotten
together in a bipartisan way here to address.
H.R. 3423 would address this oversight by clarifying that airports
can use AIP funds on storage facilities for aircraft deicing equipment
and fluids.
Bolstering airports' ability to enhance aviation safety is a
commonsense solution that we should all support.
I thank Representative Wied, Representative Scholten, and
Representative Gillen for sponsoring this important bipartisan bill,
and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Wied), my friend who knows a little bit about snow and
ice.
Mr. WIED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3423,
the Facility for Runway Operations and Safe Transportation Act, or the
FROST Act.
This bipartisan legislation makes a simple but critical update to
title 49 of the United States Code by including aircraft deicing
storage facilities in the definition of airport development.
In cold weather States like Wisconsin and many others across the
country, safe and efficient deicing operations are essential to keeping
passengers, crews, and cargo moving during winter months.
Aircraft are uniquely sensitive to any amount of ice and snow that
accumulates on the airframe, causing irregularities that add weight,
interrupt airflow, and can come loose during flight, potentially
damaging critical flight systems.
By clarifying that these storage facilities qualify for Federal
Airport Improvement Program funding, the FROST Act empowers airports to
invest in infrastructure that protects lives and strengthens regional
economies.
This bill reflects a shared commitment to aviation safety and
practical governance. It has support from both sides of the aisle and
has been favorably reported by the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure.
I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense measure.
Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3423, the FROST Act, and I
urge my colleagues to do the same with this commonsense piece of
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, aircraft deicing equipment is critical, as we all know,
for ensuring safe aircraft operations and the ability to maintain
aircraft performance during colder months and during inclement
circumstances.
The Airport Improvement Program was established to fund essential
airport infrastructure projects that enhance safety and mitigate issues
that cold weather can bring.
H.R. 3423 is simple yet effective. It ensures storage facilities for
aircraft deicing fluids and equipment can be acquired with the Airport
Improvement Program funds.
I took a tour of an airport in my district not long ago, and this
very issue came up as a frustration they were facing. As such, I am
proud to support this commonsense piece of legislation, and I urge
support of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barrett) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3423, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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