Mark Udall: “I wish that we did not have to adopt this motion--but I strongly support it. We should not have to have a conference on…”

“I wish that we did not have to adopt this motion--but I strongly support it. We should not have to have a conference on this legislation. Instead, the House should have approved the bill that was unanimously approved by the Senate--the bill I voted for last week--and sent to the President for signing into law. Unfortunately, that bill was rejected by a narrow margin. This motion instructs the conferees to resolve their differences with the Senate version of this legislation and return a bill for the House's consideration by this Friday, November 9th. In other words, it reminds the House conferees that with the normally busy holiday travel season just around the corner, it is urgent that Congress act to improve the safety of airline passengers and the health of our air transportation system. No such reminder should be needed. But it has been nearly a week since the House Republican leadership defeated the Senate bill, thereby preventing improved aviation safety procedure from being immediately launched. And, as we saw with yesterday's security failure at Chicago O'Hare Airport, we can't afford to wait another week. Aviation security is a matter of national security and public safety. It is part of the front line of our national defense and Congress should put in place an effective, federally managed system.”