[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4581-4582]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FAA REAUTHORIZATION BILL

  Mr. NELSON. Madam President, we are close to the vote on the FAA 
bill. I want to underscore the importance for the Senate because it 
contains some of the most significant passenger-friendly reforms and 
airport security enhancements that we have seen in years.
  To get to this point has been no small task, especially in this era 
in which it is so difficult to find consensus and a bipartisan way to 
pass something. We have been able to do it with the able leadership of 
the chairman, Senator John Thune. The two of us have felt like we 
needed to focus on areas where we agree, and as a result the entire 
Commerce Committee came

[[Page 4582]]

together to get this done. Now we are about to pass this and get it on 
to the House.
  In a complicated bill like this, it doesn't contain everything that 
everybody wants, but we hope our counterparts in the House are going to 
take up and pass this bill without delay. We have given them a good 
bipartisan blueprint to follow and one they ought to pass easily.
  If they add controversial or partisan measures such as privatizing 
our air traffic control system, this bill will fail. The U.S. 
Department of Defense is unalterably opposed to private controllers 
controlling our military aircraft. If that path is taken in the House, 
it is going to be a big loss for consumers and for the safety of the 
flying public.
  When thinking about some of the irritations of passengers, such as 
the growing list of airline fees and charges, consumers feel they are 
nickel-and-dimed to death. This bill is going to require greater 
transparency and relief. Building on a minority Commerce Committee 
report that was released last summer, it requires fee refunds for 
delayed baggage. It requires refunds for ancillary services, such as 
seating fees that are paid for by a customer and then not delivered by 
the airline. It requires new standardized disclosure of fees for 
consumers and increased protections for disabled passengers.
  There are important safety reforms. Last night's national news was 
led by an international news report from London about an inbound 
British Airways flight into Heathrow that was struck by a drone. 
Computer analysis has been done. What would happen if the drone is 
sucked into a jet engine? It can certainly cause it to be inoperable 
and might start an explosion.
  Remember what happened when two seagulls were sucked into the engine 
of a flight called the Hudson River miracle, when captain Sully 
Sullenberger was able to belly it in because he had no power. That was 
caused by a seagull with feathers, webbed feet, and a beak. Imagine 
what the metal and plastic of a drone being sucked into a jet engine 
could do. Do we need any more reminders?
  This bill has a pilot program to test and develop technologies to 
intercept or shut down drones when they are near airports.
  Remember the tragedy in Brussels. Remember the downing of a Russian 
airliner in Egypt because somebody was on the inside and snuck a bomb 
onto the airplane. There are parts in this bill that will help reduce 
the insider threat that terrorists have previously exploited, including 
the soft targets in the queues at the TSA lines and at the ticket 
counters.
  This bill will improve the background checks and security screenings 
for airport workers and prevent hackers from potentially gaining 
control of an airplane. This bill also requires that the FAA develop 
standards on how aircraft manufacturers can keep flight control systems 
separate from inflight passenger entertainment systems. Remember what 
was shown on ``60 Minutes'' about the takeover and control of a car by 
someone going on the Internet and hacking into the car's entertainment 
system.
  The bottom line is, this is a good bill. It is the result of a hard-
earned collaborative effort. I thank Senator Thune and his staff for 
their good work and their good will in our negotiations. I also thank 
the Members of our staff who worked endlessly to get us to this point. 
After the vote, I am going to read a list of their names because I want 
them to be recognized.
  To our colleagues in the Senate, I thank you for working with Senator 
Thune and me on the creation and development of the bill up to this 
point and now the passage of the bill. I suspect the Senate will 
respond overwhelmingly and I certainly urge that result.
  Madam President, we have just a couple minutes until the vote.
  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. NELSON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. NELSON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. NELSON. Madam President, we are trying to get clearance for a 
package of 26 noncontroversial amendments that Senator Thune and I put 
together in a package. They are noncontroversial. They are amendments 
sponsored by a multiplicity of Senators, a whole array of different 
things that are needed.
  We have one Senator objecting to proceeding with the package of 26 
amendments. We are trying to get that objection removed; otherwise, we 
are going to be in a position of going to the bill, which we will have 
the votes to pass, but without these 26 amendments. These are 
amendments by Senators Hatch, McCain, Thune, Moran, Brown, Murphy, 
Kaine, Feinstein, Johnson, Leahy, Inhofe, Cornyn, Markey, Kirk, Cornyn, 
Durbin, Moran, Warner, Sullivan, Hirono, Hoeven, Heitkamp, Isakson, 
Murray, and Tester.
  All are noncontroversial. But we have one objection with regard to 
this package, which is noncontroversial.
  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. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, we have pending before us final passage 
on the FAA reauthorization. We have been waiting to see if there were 
not another 26 amendments that have been cleared on both sides that we 
can get added to the bill. Despite our best efforts, we have an 
objection to that. We have been trying all morning to get that cleared, 
but that has not been possible.

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