On the recordFebruary 12, 2015
Today marks the sixth anniversary of the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in western New York, which forever stole the lives of husbands and wives, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers. Since that tragic day, the families and friends of those taken banded together as a new family to give others what their loved ones didn't have: a safe flight home. They descended in red by the dozens on Capitol Hill, turning pain into persistence, purpose, and progress. They saw success in the passage of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act, which establishes the ``one level of safety'' standard. This ensures that all commercial airlines, regardless of size, are held to the same high-quality training and rest requirements. Still, there is no rest for the brave families. Last week, I joined them on Capitol Hill to support reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration bill and to speak out against recent industry pushback on safety qualifications. With heavy hearts we remember the people of Flight 3407 and their courageous families. The flying public is safer today because of their work and persistence. ____________________
