Don Nickles: “Senator Hatfield, I strongly support the Senate report language which opposes the House's earmark of $1,700,000 for the…”

“Senator Hatfield, I strongly support the Senate report language which opposes the House's earmark of $1,700,000 for the Mid-America Aviation Resource Consortium [MARC]. In order to fund the facility in Minnesota, the House transferred funds out of the air traffic controller training program from the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. This is an imprudent transfer of funds to a program which has not received the necessary support to continue. I refer my colleagues to the conference report that accompanied the fiscal year 1996 bill which stated, ``The conferees agree to provide $250,000 for continued support of the Mid-America Aviation Resource Consortium as proposed by the House, but intend that this be the final year of Federal support for this facility unless requested in the President's budget.'' Funding for this facility was not requested in the President's fiscal year 1997 budget. I would like to include in the Record a letter from Mr. Richard Sanford, director of the Florida Aviation Management Development Associates, an FAA contractor, to Senator Mack which references the reallocation of $1.7 million in the House bill.”