Expressing gratitude for the contributions that the air traffic controllers of the United States make to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace of the United States running efficiently, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, H. Res. 1401, as amended, introduced by the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), which expresses gratitude for the contributions that the air traffic controllers of the United States make to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace of the United States running efficiently.

Our air traffic control system currently handles commercial aircraft with more than 700 million enplanements, and the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, predicts that this figure will reach 1 billion by 2023. In 2010, air traffic controllers will handle 39 million terminal radar approach control, TRACON, operations, which are forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 1.7 percent, and to reach 54.4 million in 2030. It is also expected that 39.4 million aircraft operating under instrument flight rules will be handled at FAA air route traffic control centers in 2010, increasing 2.5 percent per year, and reaching 64.1 million in 2030.

Air traffic controllers provide essential services to ensure separation between aircraft in the national airspace system. They work in difficult and stressful situations to assist pilots with navigation during arrival and departure from airports and while in flight, and provide critical information and advisories during flight. Because of the stressful environment in which they work, they must take regular breaks and they must retire by age 56. Air traffic controllers help to ensure the safety of approximately two million aviation passengers each day.

H. Res. 1401 recognizes the critical work performed by air traffic controllers seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The resolution describes nine recent incidents in which air traffic controllers were instrumental in ensuring the safety of flight crewmembers and passengers. These examples demonstrate air traffic controllers' heroic actions, dedication, and quick and skillful decision-making.

H. Res. 1401 commends air traffic controllers for the calm and professional manner in which they perform their duties. The resolution also encourages greater investment in modernizing the air traffic control system to ensure that controllers have the necessary resources and technology to better carry out their duties as air travel grows.

As we honor the nation's air traffic controllers in this resolution, there also several provisions in the House-passed FAA reauthorization bill--H.R. 1586, the ``Aviation Safety and Investment Act of 2010''-- that that support air traffic controllers.

H.R. 1586 creates certainty and stability for the FAA and its unionized employee groups, including air traffic controllers, by establishing mediation and arbitration processes for resolution of collective bargaining impasses. The new dispute resolution process makes it clear that labor-management disputes between FAA and its organized employees will be resolved through a fair and equitable process.

Under the bill, if the use of a Federal mediator in a collective- bargaining dispute does not produce an agreement, then the issues in controversy would be submitted to the Federal Service Impasses Panel, which would assert jurisdiction and order binding arbitration using a private three-member board. The bill requires the arbitration board to make its decision within 90 days; the decision would be binding and conclusive.

In addition, H.R. 1586 as passed by the House includes the following provisions that will benefit air traffic controllers in the important work they perform:

Stakeholder Involvement: Requires the FAA to establish a process for including and collaborating with qualified employees selected by each affected exclusive collective bargaining representative in the planning, development, and deployment of air traffic control modernization projects, including the Next Generation Air Transportation System, NextGen.

Staffing Studies: Facilitates the implementation of NextGen by requiring several studies related to the FAA's staffing needs and assumptions with respect to air traffic controllers and other safety- critical employees. Also requires the FAA to study training programs for air traffic controllers.

FAA Facility Conditions: Directs the Administrator of the FAA to convene a task force to study workplace conditions in FAA facilities.

Consolidation of FAA Facilities: Facilitates NextGen implementation and the protection of employee groups by requiring the Administrator of the FAA to convene a working group to develop criteria and make recommendations for potential consolidation and realignment of FAA facilities. The working group will contain members from airlines and affected labor groups, among other interested stakeholders.

We are currently negotiating with the Senate to reach a swift compromise on H.R. 1586. I will work to ensure that these provisions are included in the final FAA reauthorization legislation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1401.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Petri and Mr. Costello do a great job in leading the Aviation Subcommittee. They have both had the opportunity to serve in leadership positions. As a former chair of that Aviation Subcommittee, I do thank them for their work day in and day out to make certain that the United States continues to have the safest skies and continues to fly the safest flights of anywhere in the world.

Mr. Speaker, still, about two-thirds of all of the passenger flights in the world occur in the United States of America. Some 94 million commercial flights were handled last year by our air traffic controllers. Again, the safety record is just unprecedented. When you stop and think of all of the potential for human error, for something to go wrong, and of the record we have achieved, it is remarkable.

I am sad that we don't have an FAA reauthorization bill here. I am pleased that my legislation, which I crafted back in 2003 or 2004 and which expired in 2007, I believe--some 3 years ago--may be on its 15th extension this week. I knew I wrote a good bill. I didn't know, though, it was that good to last this long, but I look forward to passing that legislation which is so important that it sets forth the policy, the projects, and the funding for keeping our aviation system safe and sound.

This resolution does honor the men and women who serve as air traffic controllers. As you know, there are 50,600 air traffic controllers-- those are Federal air traffic controllers--who operate in the towers, in the TRAYCONS, and in other facilities that we have. In addition, we have 1,250 civilian contract air traffic controllers. Now, that doesn't sound like many--it's a little less than 10 percent--but we also honor those private contract tower air traffic controllers. They serve at 250 airports. The contract towers represent 45 percent of all control towers in the United States because they are smaller facilities, but they are scattered in 250 locations across the country, and they handle about 25 percent of all of the traffic.

So, on 9/11, when our air traffic controllers were doing such a great job, the Federal air traffic controllers, we also had contract air traffic controllers. Unfortunately, they earn less pay, but all of the reports we have are that their safety record is equal to, if not superior to, in performance, and there have been several studies that have confirmed that.

They don't get as much compensation, but they do a great job, and we recognize them too.

The final thing that I want to do in recognition today of air traffic controllers, the unsung heroes of our military, men and women. We have more than 9,000 military air traffic controllers.

Now, an FAA air traffic controller, the average pay is $109,000, the base pay, I think about $160,000 with benefits. The average military air traffic controller, their base pay is $36,964. Here are dedicated men and women who serve, and there's 9,000 of them, who also have an incredible safety record.

It's not just at a commercial airport. These folks are all around the world. You saw them in Baghdad. You see them at foreign assignments, where they've had to land and attend to aircraft in hostile conditions and at very low wages. Each day, day in and day out, they do a great job in representing the United States of America and serving our military airlift needs.

So we commend all of our air traffic controllers today. We're going to need more of them, folks. They're retiring in record numbers. I'm told there may be 60 percent of the air traffic controllers, you know, many came on with Ronald Reagan when he replaced all of them, and they're aging now. They have a mandatory retirement age, and we need to replace them.

So we salute them for their work; we welcome the new hires on board. We've got to redouble our efforts to get the best trained, the most qualified on the job as soon as possible, because you just don't come on and take over New York airspace air traffic control or any of the other congested corridors and do it overnight. It takes years of experience. And those are the people we want to replace, these people that have dedicated their life to safety and service.

So we salute them. And I join Members in asking for passage of this resolution in their honor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1401, expressing gratitude for the contributions that the air traffic controllers of the United States make to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace of the United States running efficiently. I thank my colleague from New York, Mrs. McCarthy, for offering this resolution.

Air traffic controllers dedicate themselves to the protection of the flying public. Their job is important, and it is stressful and demanding. Air traffic controllers must make split second decisions at times when the lives of hundreds of passengers are in danger. They perform this work professionally and in doing so provide a great service.

My district in Southern California is home to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), one of the busiest airports in the world. LAX is an economic hub for my district and for the region--it brings people and business to Los Angeles and Southern California from all over the country and the world. LAX is also a job creator for many of my constituents, and this includes the men and women who serve as air traffic controllers, working to keep passengers, aircraft, and area residents safe.

A little more than a year ago, on June 28, 2009, an air traffic controller at the Southern California TRACON facility--Ron Chappell-- issued a traffic advisory to a jet aircraft landing at LAX after he saw another target on his radar screen at an unknown altitude and approaching the jet. This response by Mr. Chappell likely averted a deadly crash. I salute him and his fellow air traffic controllers who work in Southern California and throughout the United States to keep us safe.

I offered an amendment to prohibit consolidation of the Federal Aviation Administration's regional offices and air traffic control facilities without congressional oversight and public comment which was included when the House reauthorized the FAA earlier this year.

I am concerned that consolidation of air traffic control offices and facilities could have an effect on the safety of flying. In addition, consolidation would result in the loss of many jobs, including jobs of some of my constituents as the Western-Pacific Regional Office which serves all of Southern California is located in Hawthorne--a city in my district.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association recently presented me the Champion for Aviation Safety Award for my work to protect local jobs in Southern California and to keep passengers and the communities surrounding LAX safe. I truly appreciate this honor and will continue to be a strong advocate for air traffic controllers and passenger safety.

Members of Congress are perhaps some of the most frequent flyers, especially those of us who represent constituencies far away from Washington. We owe air traffic controllers--as well as flight attendants, pilots, ground crew, ticket agents, and others--a debt of gratitude for keeping us and our fellow passengers safe, and for keeping us moving safely and

quickly so that we can get back to our constituents and our families in a timely manner.

So I am proud to rise in support of this resolution, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from New York for offering it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the dedicated men and women who keep the flying public safe and our airspace running efficiently, our Nation's air traffic controllers. Approximately 15,770 Federal air traffic controllers in airport traffic control towers, terminal radar approach control, TRACON, facilities, and air route traffic control centers across the country monitor the airspace of the United States and 24,600,000 square miles of international oceanic airspace. Together with 1,250 civilian contract controllers and more than 9,000 military controllers, they work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to ensure that passengers and goods reach their destinations as safely and quickly as possible.

It is a well-established fact that air traffic controllers operate in one of the most stressful of work environments. With thousands of flights departing, arriving, and en route at any given moment, managing the flow of air traffic safely and efficiently is no simple task. It is a continuous process that requires great situational awareness, total concentration, and making split-second decisions.

While an air traffic controller's job is stressful and demanding by nature, it is also unpredictable because of nature. Without notice, weather conditions can change quickly. From turbulence to large storm systems, air traffic controllers adapt to all inclement conditions in a calm and professional manner to reroute aircraft safely.

The extraordinary service that air traffic controllers provide becomes even more apparent when they are faced with greater adversities. When emergency situations develop in-flight, it is up to air traffic controllers to provide leadership and guidance. These amazing stories have been well-documented by the media, with reports of air traffic controllers providing life-saving navigation to pilots and, in some cases passengers, to land their aircraft given extreme weather conditions or mechanical failure. Thanks to the heroic actions, dedication, and quick and skilled decision-making of air traffic controllers, many accidents and tragedies have been averted.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know many air traffic controllers in and around my

district in South Florida, and I can personally attest to the remarkable job they do. Air traffic controllers are motivated, decisive, committed, and self-confident individuals who often work many thankless hours. They are the reason that we have the safest air traffic control system in the world, and that is why we must continue to support them.

As we modernize our nation's air traffic control system, we must ensure that air traffic controllers are best equipped to continue delivering the highest levels of service to those flying within our airspace.

Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate the hard work that our nation's air traffic controllers do each and every single day to keep us safe when we fly and to guide us home. Their reputation for expertly handling complex situations and responding to dangerous developments on a daily basis is well-deserved.

I want to thank Chairman Oberstar, Chairman Costello, Ranking Member Mica, and certainly Congressman Petri for bringing this resolution that I introduced to the floor. I want to also thank Representative Peter King for his support as well.

Most of all, I want to thank our Nation's air traffic controllers for keeping us all safe.

Air traffic controllers work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long to keep the traveling public safe and to keep our Nation's airspace running efficiently. The more than 15,600 controllers are responsible for almost 1 billion passengers each year.

They handle dangerous and complex situations in a calm and professional manner, oftentimes working long shifts in dark rooms and monitoring many planes at one time. Their heroic efforts on September 11, during the miracle on the Hudson River landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, and during other incidents are all well-known.

Though, what we don't hear about are the dangerous situations they help to avert on a regular basis. I was pleased to include nine separate success stories in this resolution, but it is not a complete list. These types of stories happen every single day--averting accidents and disasters in the sky and on the ground.

The controllers help to make sure that air travel runs efficiently so that the planes avoid dangerous weather and so that families and businessmen and -women who are traveling reach their destinations as quickly as possible. We also must make sure that our air traffic controllers have the resources they need to do their jobs as well as they can.

We need to have greater investment in the modernization of the Nation's air traffic control system, which will create jobs and have an environmental, performance and safety benefit for all of us. As air traffic continues to grow, air traffic controllers must have the resources and technology needed to better carry out their mission.

I look forward to the completion of the FAA reauthorization bill, and I want to thank the committee for all of their hard work in conference.

Finally, we need to make sure our air traffic facilities are well staffed. In my State of New York, our controllers handle thousands of flights every single day that are departing, arriving, and traveling through the tightly packed New York airspace. I have enjoyed visiting facilities like the New York TRAYCON, located in Westbury, New York, which is in my district. Our air traffic facilities should be fully staffed with experienced controllers, and the facilities should be properly run in order to ensure the safety and welfare of the flying public. I look forward to continuing to work with the committee and with the FAA to make sure that this happens.

Once again, please join me in expressing gratitude to the Nation's air traffic controllers. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.