Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part III

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2279, the ``Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part III.'' This bill is a ``clean'' extension of the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, to spend from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and to carry out airport improvement projects at current levels through July 22, 2011.

In February, the Senate approved a bipartisan, comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill by a wide 87-to-8-vote margin. Passage of the Senate bill was applauded by both labor and industry stakeholders, and it was estimated that the bill would create at least 150,000 jobs.

The House followed on April 1 with a bill containing some controversial provisions that the Senate has indicated it will not accept. These provisions include the repeal of a National Mediation Board rule on fair union representation elections and cuts to funding for FAA programs, airport construction and improvement, and air traffic control modernization.

For the last 2 months, we have worked with the Senate to resolve a number of differences between the two bills. The negotiations have made good progress, and, with just a handful of major differences remaining, we may be on the cusp of enacting a long-term reauthorization--a reauthorization that provides the FAA with the stability and funding necessary to safeguard safety, modernize the system, and create jobs.

Like my Republican colleagues, I had hoped that each of the previous two short-term extensions would be the last. I was reassured by their expressions of a commitment to deliver a forward-looking bill that could pass both chambers and be signed by the President. But now we find ourselves with the need for a twentieth short-term extension. This extension is necessary, but I again say to my Republican colleagues: Let this extension be the last. Get a long-term bill done.

I will work with my colleagues across the aisle to produce a bipartisan FAA bill that will create jobs and keep our economy moving throughout the 21st century and make this our last extension. For the present time, however, this extension is necessary, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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