Expedited Delivery of Airport Infrastructure Act of 2021

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 468, which is the Expedited Delivery of Airport Infrastructure Act of 2021, and I want to thank Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves for cosponsoring the bill.

H.R. 468 provides airports with some commonsense tools to incentivize the early completion of airport projects using AIP funds, or Airport Improvement Program funds.

Under this bill, the use of AIP funds for incentive payments is left to the discretion of the airport operator, but the benefits of incentive payments are already well-known in the surface transportation sector.

This bill is going to allow airports to expedite the delivery of airport projects, take better advantage of short construction seasons, relieve operational disruptions that result from such projects and, obviously, save the taxpayer money.

This is a commonsense practice that is utilized in so many other Federal infrastructure projects and it does not increase Federal spending.

H.R. 468 is supported by the American Association of Airport Executives, the Airports Council International, and the Associated General Contractors of America.

This bill was introduced in Congress last year. It passed the House under suspension of the rules, and it was done by voice vote. I am hopeful that we can get this commonsense bill across the finish line this Congress. I would very much urge support of the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the ranking member of the Aviation Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, this is commonsense legislation. It doesn't cost the government any money. And the fact of the matter is, it is already being done in so many other areas of transportation projects.

Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 468) to amend title 49, United States Code, to permit the use of incentive payments to expedite certain federally financed airport development projects.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 468.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 468, the Expedited Delivery of Airport Infrastructure Act of 2021. Introduced by the committee's ranking member, Sam Graves, the bill incentivizes the early completion of airport projects funded by the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program.

As the global pandemic begins to subside and the number of vaccinated Americans has steadily grown, the number of passengers traveling by air has dramatically increased. In fact, last month, the Transportation Security Administration recorded the highest number of daily passengers screened at U.S. airports since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing airports to find ways to keep up with the growing passenger demand.

This legislation will help address this need by allowing airports to use their Airport Improvement Program funding to offer incentive payments to contractors for early completion of airport development projects.

Importantly, H.R. 468 includes conditions that ensure projects completed early do not have a negative impact on airport safety, efficiency, or capacity.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman

DeFazio; the sponsor of the bill, the ranking member of the committee, Sam Graves; as well as Aviation Ranking Member Rick Larsen of Washington State.

Madam Speaker, we need to be able to have the authority to make incentive payments. We have seen an extraordinary shift in aviation travel. In April of last year, there was a 95 percent reduction in airline passengers. We recently saw TSA screen the same number of passengers as before the pandemic.

The aviation demand is coming back with a vengeance. Our airports are crowded. Our airlines are packed. Our airplanes are packed.

What this allows the FAA to do is to provide incentive payments to expedite the completion of construction projects at airports. This is for safety. This is for additional capacity. This is going to ensure that the aviation industry, that our airport infrastructure can keep up with increased demand.

And as the ranking member said, this same expedited authority and incentive payments is allowed in other forms of infrastructure. So I want to thank the ranking member, Sam Graves, for bringing up this commonsense legislation.

Madam Speaker, I urge its adoption.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 468, which was received from House and is at the desk.

Mr. President, I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.