Kevin Roberts: “I rise today, as many of my colleagues have done, to speak in favor of the final passage of the conference report to…”

“I rise today, as many of my colleagues have done, to speak in favor of the final passage of the conference report to accompany the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Improvement Act. I don't know what the acronym to that is. It is a long name but it is a very comprehensive bill, and a very good bill. I especially want to thank Senator Hutchison and my good friend from West Virginia Senator Rockefeller and their dedicated staff for the countless hours they have dedicated over the past 5 years to produce legislation that will provide the Federal Aviation Administration with the tools necessary to begin finally to support the 21st century national airspace system. It is not often you have a staff and two Members dedicated for 5 years to finally come up with a good bill. It has been tough sledding, but they have gotten it done. The aviation industry remains one of the most important economic sectors in my home State of Kansas. Passage of this 4-year reauthorization is absolutely necessary for giving aviation companies necessary funding and the regulatory certainty to move forward with a number of important initiatives. It is not very often in today's world you talk about regulatory certainty. This bill will do that.…”