Wendell Ford: “this bill, the Airport Improvement Program Temporary Extension Act of 1994, is a piece of authorizing legislation, which…”

“this bill, the Airport Improvement Program Temporary Extension Act of 1994, is a piece of authorizing legislation, which would be S. 1491, and that will be postponed to a time within the next 60 days, hopefully, that we will bring that legislation up. The National Transportation Safety Board is available and we will be going to that one shortly. But, Madam President, I want to use this period of time for a little background. I do not want to use the word ``history,'' but I want to use it for a little background. Madam President, at the request of Senator Feinstein last Thursday, in order to avoid a floor fight on the airport fee issue I am introducing a bill that the Senate will consider today to allow a portion of airport grants to be awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration for a 60-day period. A number of Senators have indicated to me that they do not want to jeopardize an entire construction season and would like to see the airport grant money start flowing to airports, especially to small airports. I am in complete agreement and this legislation will authorize the FAA to issue grants for 60 days. Also, in this temporary bill the Secretary of Transportation will have temporary authority for 60 days on airport fee increases. If the Secretary receives a complaint from an airline he would issue an order freezing the increase in the fee or make a determination that the fee is reasonable.”