Jeff Duncan: “Chairman Shuster, myself, the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Oberstar, and the ranking member of the Aviation…”

“Chairman Shuster, myself, the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Oberstar, and the ranking member of the Aviation Subcommittee, Mr. Lipinski, introduced H.R. 2036, the Aviation Insurance Reauthorization Act of 1997 on June 25th. This war risk insurance program was first authorized in 1951, and, over the years, has been improved upon during the reauthorization process. On May 1, 1997, the Aviation Subcommittee held a hearing to review the War Risk Insurance Program, which expires tomorrow. Of course, we rarely hear about this program until a conflict arises, like Vietnam, the gulf war, or Bosnia. This insurance program was an integral part of our Nation's military response in those cases. The reauthorization of this program is also very essential for a viable Civil Reserve Air Fleet Program which meets the Nation's security needs. The Department of Defense depends on the CRAF Program for over 90 percent of its passengers, 40 percent of its cargo, and nearly 100 percent of its air medical evacuation capability in wartime. These flights could not be operated without the insurance provided by this bill. So it is very important that we reauthorize this program in a timely manner.”