On the recordFebruary 24, 2010
I mentioned that there are incremental ways to create jobs, which is important. Senator Reid has taken the lead to bring bills to the floor to do that with, earlier this week, the jobs bill that was passed and, in addition, the Travel Promotion Act. I want to mention as well that the majority leader indicated he intends to bring the FAA Preauthorization Act to the floor of the Senate, probably during this work period. It is also going to be job creating. I chaired the Aviation Subcommittee in the Senate. It is very important that we reauthorize the FAA and pass the legislation called NextGen, to do the next generation of air traffic control systems. We have an archaic system of ground-based radar that controls the airplanes in the American skies. Most people are walking around with cell phones that have a much more sophisticated way of tracking anything--a GPS. Most kids have the opportunity to be able to track--if their friends want them to--the location of their friends at any moment. They can track up to 20 friends. Teenage kids can track their friends, but we cannot track an airplane in the sky with a GPS. More commercial airliners are not equipped. We don't have the NextGen system that would modernize our air traffic control system and allow them to fly more direct routes from place to place, with less spacing, using less fuel, better for the environment.
