Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Mica. I would like to thank Chairman Young, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Mica, for joining me in introducing H.R. 5076, the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2006. The NTSB makes safety recommendations to Federal, State and local government agencies and to the transportation industry regarding actions and recommendations that should be taken to prevent accidents and improve safety. Since its inception in 1967, the NTSB has issued almost 12,000 safety recommendations in all modes of transportation. The regulatory and transportation communities have accepted over 82 percent of these recommendations. This is significant, given the size of this agency: only 396 employees and 10 regional offices. The NTSB's recommendations and its vigilance on safety issues result in improvements in the way we conduct the business of transportation in all modes of transportation. Transportation accidents are increasingly complex, and the NTSB maintains the highly qualified technical staff and necessary tools to efficiently produce thorough and unbiased investigations and recommendations for the public and policymakers. I am pleased the reauthorization bill before us today authorizes $1.7 million more than the NTSB's current budget request for fiscal year 2007, which will allow for 11 more investigators to be hired by the agency.”