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Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 643) to authorize the Airport Improvement Program for 2 months, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. SHUSTER) briefly to explain the bill.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, this is a simple extension. We are taking the Senate's bill to extend the Airport Improvement Program for 2 months so that we can then deal with the major legislation in April or May. That is all this is.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. DUNCAN).
(Mr. DUNCAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.
On March 31, 1999, funding for the FAA Airport Improvement Program will be cut off. Last year, we attempted to pass a comprehensive long-term bill that would have extended AIP and FAA funding.
However, due to a breakdown in conference negotiations, only a short-term 6-month extension for the AIP was passed as part of the Omnibus appropriations bill.
In February of this year, the House passed H.R. 99, a six-month bill to extend AIP and fund FAA's operations and facilities and equipment programs through the end of FY 99.
H.R. 99 was passed so that AIP funding would not run out while we attempted to pass our long-term aviation reauthorization bill, AIR-21.
H.R. 99 was passed out of the House and sent to the Senate on February 3, two months prior to the expiration of AIP funding on March 31st.
In the shadow of this imminent deadline, last week the Senate passed a two-month extension bill that would fund AIP only through May 31st of this year.
The Senate bill also includes technical changes for the Military Airport Program and the small airport fund within AIP to allow them to work under the limited extension.
In addition, the Senate bill extends the War risk Insurance program for two additional months. Its funding is also set to expire on March 31st. This is an important issue, especially in light of current events.
The House passed H.R. 98 in February, which extended the War Risk Insurance Program through 2004. If the Senate should pass H.R. 98, it is our intention that that bill extension for 5 years should take precedence over this two-month provision.
Finally, the Senate bill allows the FAA to consider a PFC application from Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority up to a limit of $30 million. Under current law, FAA is not allowed to consider a PFC application from MWAA.
Although this bill only extends the programs for two months instead of the House-passed six month bill, it is important that this bill pass so that funding for AIP does not lapse.
I urge you all to support this bill so that this short term measure is in place and funding for your local airports will remain in effect while we attempt to pass a long-term FAA reauthorization bill.
(Mr. OBERSTAR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, it is regrettable that the other body did not act as responsibly and as promptly as this committee and this body did, but I do support this 2-month extension.
Further reserving the right to object, I want to observe with sadness the death of a good friend to airports, to this committee, and to the Congress, Ellis Ohnstad, the long-time employee of the FAA Airports Office, a constant source of good humor and solid information and support for our committee. We will miss him dearly.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support passage of S. 643. S. 643 provides for a 2-month extension of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and authorization for other Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs through the end of the fiscal year 1999.
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In February, the House passed H.R. 99 which extended the AIP until the end of fiscal year 1999. The other body was unwilling to agree to a 6-month extension and sent to the House a 2-month extension. The House approach is still the preferable one, but with AIP due to lapse on March 31, a 2-month extension is better than letting the program expire.
It is disturbing to me that the other body continues to play political games with AIP. AIP funds critical safety, security, and capacity projects at airports throughout this country. The stop-go-stop approach taken by the other body to this issue has caused administrative inefficiencies at the FAA and, more importantly, doubt for airports in moving forward on projects. I am particularly concerned about northern states where the lack of commitment to a full-year program threatens the construction season.
It is my hope that another extension will not be needed since the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on March 18th passed H.R. 1000, the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, known as AIR-21. With leadership support and assistance, we should be able to move this bill forward for floor consideration shortly.
H.R. 1000 meets four pressing challenges facing the aviation system: Capacity at our nation's airports; accelerating the modernization of the air traffic control system; promoting competition in the airline industry; and increasing safety in the aviation system.
We have tremendous needs especially in the airport system: renovating existing runways and taxiways; helping communities cope with noise problems; increasing capacity through projects like San Francisco's $1 billion runway project; and meeting airport requirements so the smaller airports can take advantage of technological breakthroughs like GPS/WAAS. AIR-21 meets these airport and other challenges and I look forward to working with Members of the House on its passage.
In the short-term, this extension is needed and I ask all Members to support S. 643.
Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Interim Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.--Section 48103 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking from ``$1,205,000,000'' through the period and inserting ``$1,607,000,000 for the 8-month period beginning October 1, 1998.''.
(b) OBLIGATIONAL AUTHORITY.--Section 47104(c) of such title is amended by striking ``March'' and inserting ``May''.
(c) LIQUIDATION-OF-CONTRACT AUTHORIZATION.--The Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 is amended by striking the last proviso under the heading ``Grants-in-Aid for Airports, (Liquidation of Contract Authorization), (Airport and Airway Trust Fund)'' and inserting ``Provided further, That not more than $1,300,000,000 of funds limited under this heading may be obligated before the enactment of a law extending contract authorization for the Grants-in-Aid for Airports Program beyond May 31, 1999.''.
SEC. 3. AIRWAY FACILITIES IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
Section 48101(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following:
``(3) $2,131,000,000 for fiscal year 1999.''.
SEC. 4. FAA OPERATIONS.
Section 106(k) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking from ``$5,158,000,000'' through the period and inserting ``$5,632,000,000 for fiscal year 1999.''.
SEC. 5. REMOVAL OF THE CAP ON DISCRETIONARY FUND.
Section 47115(g) is amended by striking paragraph (4).
SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF AVIATION INSURANCE PROGRAM.
Section 44310 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``March'' and inserting ``May''.
SEC. 7. MILITARY AIRPORT PROGRAM.
Section 124 of the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 is amended by striking subsection (d).
SEC. 8. DISCRETIONARY FUND DEFINITION.
(a) AMENDMENT OF SECTION 47115.--Section 47115 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``25'' in subsection (a) and inserting ``12.5''; and
(2) by striking the second sentence in subsection (b).
(b) AMENDMENT OF SECTION 47116.--Section 47116 of such title is amended--
(1) by striking ``75'' in subsection (a) and inserting ``87.5'';
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) in subsection (b) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and inserting before subparagraph (A), as so redesignated, the following:
``(1) one-seventh for grants for projects at small hub airports (as defined in section 41731 of this title); and
``(2) the remaining amounts based on the following:''.
SEC. 9. RELEASE OF 10 PERCENT OF MWAA FUNDS.
(a) IN GENERAL.--Notwithstanding sections 49106(c)(6)(C) and 49108 of title 49, United States Code, the Secretary of Transportation may approve an application of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (an application that is pending at the Department of Transportation on March 17, 1999) for expenditure or obligation of up to $30,000,000 of the amount that otherwise would have been available to the Authority for passenger facility fee/airport development project grants under subchapter I of chapter 471 of such title.
(b) LIMITATION.--The Authority may not execute contracts, for applications approved under subsection (a), that obligate or expend amounts totalling more than the amount for which the Secretary may approve applications under that subsection, except to the extent that funding for amounts in excess of that amount are from other authority or sources.
The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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