Fiscal Year 2010 Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3607) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 3607.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

We passed a bill to extend the programs of FAA to make wide-sweeping changes and improvements and increase the investment in the next- generation aviation technology in the previous Congress. We passed it again this year. But, regrettably, the other body has not acted on that legislation. We therefore are required to come to the floor with a bill to extend and keep in place existing programs, and that's really unfortunate that we have to do it this way.

The gentleman from Illinois who is the Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee, the gentleman from Wisconsin, the ranking member, have put an enormous amount of time, dozens and dozens of hours of hearings and time spent deliberating with committee staff on the provisions of the bill. We've worked out a truly bipartisan piece of legislation that represents the biggest investment in aviation in the history of the program.

In 1958 when the Federal Aviation Administration was created and President Eisenhower signed into law the legislation moving it from the old Civil Aeronautics Authority to the Federal Aviation Administration, the investment was under a billion dollars in aviation. Earlier this year we brought to the floor a bill to invest over $50 billion in the next 4 years in the Nation's aviation programs, in the construction of runways and taxiways on the hard side of airports, to improve terminals, to extend and increase the passenger facility charge so that airport authorities will have means by which to serve air travelers more efficiently, more effectively, with greater comfort and expediency than they're doing now. And on the technology side to make long-range investments, sustainable investments, in the future of air traffic control in the domestic airspace.

Goodness, a billion people traveled by air worldwide last year; 750 million of those traveled in the U.S. airspace. We have a responsibility to improve the speed with which air traffic controllers and the accuracy with which they communicate with aircraft and move aircraft in this vast airspace of ours. In addition to which, the United States has responsibility of over 3 million square miles of the Atlantic airspace and 18 million square miles of the Pacific airspace, both of which are fast-growing international air travel markets.

The transatlantic airspace is a $35 billion market for us, and the Pacific airspace is a $25 billion to $28 billion, growing at 5 to 7 percent a year. But to make it effective and to support our carriers as well as carriers from other countries, we need to advance the oceanic guidance system for aircraft above 39,000 feet. We can't do that unless we provide the funding for the FAA to improve these technologies.

Until the other body moves on this legislation, we have to proceed with this short-term extension. I hope that our action will encourage the other body to move ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Illinois, the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Costello, with authority to allocate time.

I thank Chairman Oberstar for yielding the time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Again, I want to thank Chairman Oberstar for yielding time to me. I rise in support of H.R. 3607, the Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2009. I want to thank Chairman Oberstar, Ranking Member Mica, Mr. Petri, and Chairman Rangel and Ranking Member Camp for bringing this legislation to the floor today. Chairman Rangel of the Ways and Means Committee and Mr. Camp were very cooperative in extending the taxes so we could do this extension today.

As Chairman Oberstar indicated, in a previous Congress and again in May of this year, the House passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009, a long-term authorization of the FAA programs. We have been waiting on the other body for several months to bring a bill to the floor and pass it. In fact, it has been almost 2 years since Vision 100, the last FAA reauthorization bill, expired. Congress has been unable to pass a multiyear FAA bill; so then, instead of approving that bill, because of the other body, we have had to approve a series of short-term extensions. However, until H.R. 915 is signed into law, it is imperative that we not allow the FAA's critical programs to lapse.

The Aviation Trust Fund is currently operating under a short-term extension that expires on September 30, 2009. To that end, H.R. 3607 would extend not only the aviation taxes and expenditure authority, but also the Airport Improvement Program contract authority until December 31 of this year.

H.R. 3607 provides an additional $1 billion in AIP contract authority, resulting in a full year contract authority level of $4 billion for fiscal year 2009. These additional funds will allow airports to proceed with critical safety and capacity enhancement projects, particularly larger projects that require a full year's worth of AIP funds to move forward.

Mr. Speaker, aviation is too important to our Nation's economy, contributing $1.2 trillion in output and approximately 11.4 million jobs, to allow the taxes or the funding for critical aviation programs to expire. Congress must ensure that this extension passes today to reduce delays and congestion, improve safety and efficiency, stimulate the economy, and create jobs. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to vote in favor of this extension. I join Mr. Mica and Mr. Oberstar and others in hoping that the other body will move very quickly on the reauthorization so we can get a bill on the President's desk. I urge my colleagues to support this extension.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In the 110th Congress, the House passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007, which was H.R. 2881. That legislation reauthorized the FAA for 4 years. In May of this year, the House voted again to pass a comprehensive reauthorization bill, this time numbered H.R. 915, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009.

Unfortunately, the Senate has been unable to come to an agreement on its bill over the last 2 years. So for the past 2 years, Congress has passed extensions of the Federal Aviation Administration's funding and authority through the end of budget year 2009. The latest extension expires next week. So today we're considering another extension.

H.R. 3607 would extend the taxes, programs, and funding of the FAA through December of 2009. This bill extends FAA funding and contract authority for 3 months; provides $1 billion in Airport Improvement Program funding through December of 2009; extends the War Risk Insurance program; and extends the Small Community Air Service Development Program. H.R. 3607 would ensure that our National Aviation System continues to operate until a full FAA reauthorization can be enacted.

As I have indicated many times since the passage of the House FAA reauthorization bill back in 2007, we need to pass a long-term bill so that we can meet the growing demands placed on our Nation's aviation infrastructure. Modernizing our antiquated air traffic control system and repairing our crumbling infrastructure need to be at the top of our list of priorities. While I have some concerns with the House-passed bill, I look forward to addressing these issues in conference to develop bipartisan solutions on some of the more controversial provisions.

I urge our colleagues in the other body to complete their work on a comprehensive FAA reauthorization package in a timely fashion. While I am disappointed that the FAA has gone so long without a comprehensive reauthorization, I support this extension as the best alternative to keep the FAA and the national air space system running safely until we can take up and pass a bipartisanship and bicameral bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the ranking Republican on the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you for recognizing me, and I just want to take a minute to add my support for the reauthorization that is before us today. I want to associate myself with the comments of Chairman Oberstar, the full committee chairman. I am pleased as the ranking Republican on the committee to join him, and I also support Mr. Costello in his statements for the reauthorization.

This delay in reauthorizing policy and projects and all of the Federal direction to the Federal Aviation Administration, this delay is unprecedented. Not only has the House acted appropriately, we passed in the last Congress and we passed again in this Congress authorization. The other body has yet to act on this important matter and left us in limbo. I am hoping that this is, in fact, the last extension. This is, in fact, the seventh extension. This is, in fact, I believe, the longest period we have gone in history without in place policy and law authorizing the Federal Aviation Administration.

One of the major issues is behind us, and that is the issue of the air traffic controllers' contract. That has been resolved. The administration has cut a deal with the union. I think it has got about a three-quarters of a billion dollar price tag, but that is off the table. It was an item that was contentious.

This legislation should be able to be conferenced with the other body in less than an hour. There are just one or two remaining items. I cannot believe that we are here again with a seventh request for extension. We have no choice but to request this extension now. Hopefully, Congress can reach a bipartisan and bicameral accord and pass a long-term FAA reauthorization. It is critical for the next generation. It is critical for having a policy in place that runs one of the key safety regulatory agencies in our government vital to the aviation industry and the economy of our Nation.

So I am pleased to join Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Costello, our ranking member, Mr. Petri, and I am hoping that we can move forward both with this reauthorization and then with a permanent bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H.R. 3607; that the bill be read the third time and passed; that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the matter be printed in the Record.