Connie Morella: “I am pleased to support swift passage of H.R. 3824 so that it may be sent immediately to the President and enacted into…”

“I am pleased to support swift passage of H.R. 3824 so that it may be sent immediately to the President and enacted into law before the October 25th implementation date for the Fastener Quality Act regulations. As chairwoman of the Technology Subcommittee which has held a hearing to examine the Fastener Quality Act and Aviation Manufacturing, I can report that there is consensus among the aviation industry, FAA and NIST that a federal quality assurance process already exists to certify the quality and safety of proprietary fasteners manufactured or altered specifically for use by aviation manufacturers. Adding another set of federal regulations and involving another federal agency in that process would hinder the efficiency of aviation manufacturing and add to the costs of production, while potentially degrading the level of safety currently provided by the FAA. In addition to addressing issues raised about the Fastener Quality Act's impact on the aviation industry, I am pleased H.R. 3824 also includes an amendment that I offered during the Science Committee's mark-up of the legislation to delay the implementation of the Fastener Quality Act's regulations on all other industries until no earlier than June of 1999.”