Byron Dorgan: “There is an urgency to this legislation. I know it is not, perhaps, the highest profile legislation in the Congress…”

“There is an urgency to this legislation. I know it is not, perhaps, the highest profile legislation in the Congress these days, but we have a requirement to reauthorize the activities of the FAA. We have now failed to do that and instead had to extend their authorization 11 successive times. But because we extend it, we then do not improve the authorization and do the things that are necessary for improving airline safety, the things that are necessary to include the passenger bill of rights which is in this bill, airport improvement funds, and particularly modernization of the air traffic control system. I mentioned yesterday the urgency of moving on what is called NextGen; that is, next-generation air traffic control.”