Political Quotes

“I wish to discuss the issue of preemption and ask to engage in a colloquy with Senators Tillis and Nelson. I come to the floor today to discuss the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016, which passed the Senate on April 19 by a vote of 95 to 3. This vote reflects the strong, bipartisan work that went into negotiating this bill, and I hope that the House will take it up. However, there is unfinished business with this bill: the need to remove section 2152. This provision of the bill would preempt any State or local laws related to the operation, manufacture, design, testing, licensing, registration, certification, operation, or maintenance of an unmanned aircraft system including airspace, altitude, flight paths, equipment or technology requirements, purpose of operations, and pilot, operator, and observer qualifications, training, and certification. This provision of the bill would be effective on the date of enactment prior to the FAA promulgating any regulations in these areas. When this came to my attention, as a former mayor, I became very alarmed about the possible reach of this provision and how it might impact local communities, State parks, schools, infrastructure, and other areas with a strong State or local interest. So I filed two amendments, and, ultimately, the managers of this bill--Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson--agreed to accept an amendment to strike the provision from the underlying bill. This is amendment No.…”