Political Quotes

“I rise to join my colleague from Illinois, Senator Duckworth, in introducing the Promoting Women in the Aviation Workforce Act of 2017. Our bill seeks to encourage and support women pursuing careers in the field of aviation. As Chairman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I believe it is important to help women achieve their professional aspirations across all transportation sectors. Although women make up over 50 percent of our Nation's workforce, they are significantly underrepresented in the aviation industry, representing only two percent of airline mechanics, four percent of flight engineers, five percent of repairmen, six percent of pilots, 18 percent of flight dispatchers, and 26 percent of air traffic controllers. Our bill expresses the sense of Congress that the aviation industry should explore the possibility of offering opportunities, such as pilot training, STEM education, and mentorship programs, which would help to encourage women to pursue aviation careers from a young age. In addition, our bill would direct the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to create and manage a Women in Aviation Advisory Board to hold the industry accountable for providing education, training, mentorship, outreach, and recruitment programs that are aimed at women.…”