S.Amdt. 3613

SA 3613. Mr. ISAKSON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 3464 submitted by Mr. Thune (for himself and Mr.
Nelson) to the bill H.R. 636, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 to permanently extend increased expensing limitations, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

Beginning on page 178, strike line 13, and all that follows
through page 180, line 15, and insert the following:
``(A) Acceptance.--Subject to subparagraph (D), the
Administrator may accept an airworthiness directive (as
defined in section 39.3 of title 14, Code of Federal
Regulations) issued by an aeronautical safety authority of a
foreign country, and leverage that aeronautical safety
authority's regulatory process, if--
``(i) the country is the state of design for the product
that is the subject of the airworthiness directive;
``(ii) the United States has a bilateral safety agreement
relating to aircraft certification with the country;
``(iii) as part of the bilateral safety agreement with the
country, the Administrator has determined that the
aeronautical safety authority has an aircraft certification
system relating to safety that produces a level of safety
equivalent to the level produced by the system of the Federal
Aviation Administration;
``(iv) the aeronautical safety authority utilizes an open
and transparent public notice and comment process, including
considering comments from owners and operators of foreign-
registered aircraft and other aeronautical products and
appliances in the issuance of airworthiness directives; and
``(v) the airworthiness directive addresses a specific
issue necessary for the safe operation of aircraft subject to
the directive.
``(B) Alternative approval process.--Notwithstanding
subparagraph (A), the Administrator may issue a Federal
Aviation Administration airworthiness directive instead of
accepting the airworthiness directive issued by the
aeronautical safety authority of a foreign country if the
Administrator determines that such issuance is necessary for
safety or operational reasons due to the complexity or unique
features of the Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness
directive or the United States aviation system.
``(C) Alternative means of compliance.--The Administrator
may--
``(i) accept an alternative means of compliance, with
respect to an airworthiness directive under subparagraph (A),
that was approved by the aeronautical safety authority of the
foreign country that issued the airworthiness directive; or
``(ii) notwithstanding subparagraph (A), and at the request
of any person affected by an airworthiness directive under
that subparagraph, the Administrator shall consider an
alternative means of compliance with respect to the
airworthiness directive and may approve such alternative
means, if appropriate.
``(D) Limitations.--The Administrator may not accept an
airworthiness directive issued by an aeronautical safety
authority of a foreign country if the airworthiness directive
addresses matters other than those involving the safe
operation of an aircraft.''.
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