John Mica: “And my colleagues, this is an extension of what would be known as the ``aviation bill.'' I come before the House asking…”

“And my colleagues, this is an extension of what would be known as the ``aviation bill.'' I come before the House asking for one extension under the leadership of the new majority in Congress. I also come to the floor to explain the history of how we got here today with 17 extensions. In 2001, I had the honor and privilege of being named the chair of the Aviation Subcommittee. Not knowing what the future would hold, of course, all of our lives changed on September 11, 2001, and mine did, too. In 2003, we passed a 4-year authorization: The Federal Government must provide authorization and set the policy for the operation of our Nation's aviation system and for the FAA, which is the primary and lead agency. The bill that we passed in 2003 sets forth the policy and the funding for all the projects and everything eligible for Federal participation. It authorizes all the programs. When we did that again in 2003, we did a 4-year bill. In 2007, the bill that I helped author and that we brought before the Congress--again after the fateful days of 2001, after the tragedy, and again after the difficulty the aviation industry saw from 2001 to 2003--the bill that expired in 2007, the 4-year bill, was extended some 17 times. That is shameful and irresponsible that we find ourselves in a situation where we haven't passed policy. Now, why is this important? Most of the emphasis in this Congress should be on getting people back to work.…”