Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this has nothing to do with OSHA and the cockpit at all. Frankly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the people who work in the airline industry, people who handle the airplanes, flight attendants, have one of the highest rates of accidents and illnesses in any part of the private sector. What happened is Congress urged the FAA to consult with OSHA about workplace safety. They entered into a memorandum of understanding. All this bill says is that FAA should consult with OSHA, work together to increase workplace safety in the airline industry. OSHA will have no regulatory power, they will have no subpoena power, they cannot issue citations, they cannot get in the cockpit. FAA merely consults with them. FAA still retains all of their authority, and it will not change in any way the way airline safety is regulated. FAA will continue to keep all of that authority. It will be the sole purview of the FAA. In addition, by terms of this memorandum of understanding, the FAA will not adopt any OSHA standard unless there is no impact on airline security. So that is a nonissue. Keeping OSHA out of the cockpit--OSHA is not about to get into the cockpit. What we do want to do is to have the FAA get the best expertise and advice on what they should do for safety around our airplanes and in our airports. Mr. President, I move to table the Paul amendment No. 18. I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There is a sufficient second.…”