Orrin Hatch: “I rise to speak about S. 1450, the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act. Let me first say that I…”

“I rise to speak about S. 1450, the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act. Let me first say that I support the intention of this bill. I want to ensure that the victims of this heinous crime receive just compensation while at the same time we provide much needed stabilization to the airline industry. That balance is a very difficult thing to achieve. I have very strong reservations about whether we accomplished that task in a fair or feasible manner here today. It is with mixed emotions that I support this bill. I hope that there is an opportunity to address these concerns down the road and to improve on what we have done here. This bill does do some good. We provide a generous administrative remedy for all victims who were physically injured or killed as a result of this attack. This will help ensure that injured people receive money and receive it faster than they otherwise would if left to pursue claims through litigation. It also provides that the Federal Government can recoup, to the extent possible, any money from the responsible parties, including the terrorists whose assets we may be able to recover in the future. We also provide the airlines with some much needed cash to cover the losses they incurred as a result of the Federal Aviation Administration's ordered shutdown of air traffic for nearly a week.”