Ted Poe: “aircraft repair stations located in foreign countries are allowed to become certified by the Federal Aviation…”

“aircraft repair stations located in foreign countries are allowed to become certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to work on United States aircraft without meeting the same standards or being subject to the same oversight imposed on domestic stations in regard to drug and alcohol testing of workers. This amendment would close this loophole because it makes no sense to require U.S. mechanics to undergo various levels of drug and alcohol testing if workers doing the same work on the same type of aircraft for the part of the same airlines are exempt from this requirement simply because the station is located overseas in another country. According to a report by the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, the number of certified foreign repair stations has increased from 344 in 1994 to almost 700 in 2007, more than double the number of stations over the last 13 years. U.S. air carriers now outsource overseas 35 percent of their maintenance work to foreign repair stations, and that is up 21 percent from 2003. This growing trend necessitates the additional safety standards.…”