[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               WE MUST STRENGTHEN FLIGHT SAFETY MEASURES

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, nearly 8 years ago, western New 
Yorkers watched in horror as Continental flight 3407 crashed, 
tragically ending the lives of those on board. Since then, the families 
of those lost have turned their grief into a relentless fight to 
strengthen pilot training and flight safety rules.
  Today, the families of flight 3407 are in attendance at the Senate 
nomination hearing for the new Secretary of Transportation. Their 
presence is an urgent reminder that the work of Congress and the 
administration still remains to be done.
  In 2010, Congress passed landmark flight safety legislation with the 
families of 3407 leading the charge. Since then, there have been nearly 
8 years of no fatal commercial crashes on domestic U.S. airlines. Now 
the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization is on the horizon, 
and we must further strengthen flight safety measures.
  It is essential that we continue to stand alongside the families of 
flight 3407 and fight attempts to roll back pilot training and safety 
provisions. We must not forget those we lost nearly 8 years ago and do 
all that is possible to prevent another tragedy of this kind.

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