On the recordJuly 20, 2011
I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding. Madam Speaker, the debt limit isn't the only deadline that is upon us. Here we are, facing Friday--D-day for the Nation's aviation system. This is the third Congress where our committee has passed this bill. Most of the sections of the bill do not have major disagreement. But, now, we are going for a bare 2-month extension. On the policy rider, all I've got to say is, why make it more difficult when you know that when it goes to the other body, it's either going to be stripped out or we're going to be facing another terrible deadline. I appreciate that negotiations have been going on all along with staff. I do believe, though, that the failure of the majority to appoint conferees is a problem with this bill because, once members are appointed, it seems to me that sends another signal and gets another set of people in it to move the bill. So the conferees do matter and should have been appointed. These are difficult issues, and they shouldn't be left to linger: Next Generation Air Transportation. {time} 1420 If we don't modernize our air transportation, we're going to be left behind even developing countries. Runway safety. We've had collisions on runways at airports right here where there are major airports. Aircraft noise, and we always have this issue, of whether or not the perimeter rule is going to be extended or violated again.…
