Bill Nelson: “the Senate is going to vote shortly on legislation called the FAA bill. It addresses the concerns of air travelers…”

“the Senate is going to vote shortly on legislation called the FAA bill. It addresses the concerns of air travelers across the country. The bill before us has some key safety and security aviation measures. We have worked across the aisle to bring to Congress a 5-year authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. This is the first 5-year bill of the FAA that has passed and will pass this Congress since the 1980s. Why is that important? There needs to be stability for planning purposes for the aviation industry. Fortunately, this bill is a new mark of bipartisanship that would allow us to get an extensive bill charting the authorization for aviation for the next 5 years. Remember, there was a time during one year in which we had multiple extensions. That has caused an inability to bring bipartisan agreement to the FAA's governing of aviation. Well, we have that agreement, and it is going to be a 5-year bill. I have already commended Chairman John Thune in another hearing this morning on another topic in the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. It is that bipartisanship that brings us to this point. Along with the FAA bill, the bill will also provide long-term stability and continued focus on security and safety at the Transportation Safety Administration, the TSA, and the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, which is charged with determining the cause of aviation and other transportation accidents.…”