and disabled. it's tempting to ask why you spend nearly $68,000 on hotels and travel from august through february just in five months, and $50,000 in modifications to your office, including a privacy booth that cost over $43,000, and an oversight of ornate wood working that cost over $2,000. but we already know some of these purchases were made in violation of federal law. when you appeared before the subcommittee in december, this subcommittee, you said that your phone booth is used for classified conversations and sensitive conversations with the white house. has this $43,000 phone booth -- >> coverage of this hearing with e.p.a. administrator scott pruitt continues online at c-span.org. we'll also air tonight at 9:00 eastern on c-span2. u.s. house about to start its session working through 116 amendments to the six-year f.a.a. re-authorization bill.

first votes about 4:00 p.m. eastern. a vote on final passage expected tomorrow. today is bring your child child to workday. so children will get an up close and personal look at work on the house floor tay. the house will be out next week for district work period. this is live congress of the u.s. house. members expected to gavel back in shortly here. the speaker: the house will be in order. the plb -- the prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain, chaplain phil crenshaw, lubbock, texas. the chaplain: dear holy father,

it is with grateful hearts that we begin this day with thee, the author and the finisher of our faith. we come praying for thy blessing for every man and woman in this assembly representing all the people of our great nation. we recognize our inability to exist at our best without thy supreme wisdom. a contrite t said heart god will not dess spice. because of this we seek supreme direction in the deliberation and our need for divine petition. we further recognize our imperfection and beseech thy forgiveness when unintentional errors in judgment are forthcoming. grant, dear father, thy unhindered blessing to all those assembled at this moment. remembering thy words, blessed is the nation whose god is the

lord. thank you for loving us and praying that we may in turn love you with grateful, overflowing hearts. it is in jesus' name we pray. men. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. gabbard. ms. gabbard: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from texas, mr. arrington, is recognized for one inute.

mr. arrington: mr. speaker, the good book says a righteous man's prayers availeth much. what a prayer mr. crenshaw, what a man, what a great american. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize our guest chaplain, and my dear friend, mr. phil crenshaw. mr. crenshaw's life has taken him across the globe, from serving our country in world war ii, to spreading the gospel of jesus in places like norway, israel, russia, india. at every stop on his journey, mr. crenshaw's mission has always been the same. simply to love god and serve others. while stationed in okinawa, he administered to marines and soldiers, and airmen, as well as over 4,000 japanese p.o.w.'s, living out god's commandment not just to love our neighbor, but to love our enemies as well. over the years following his return from war, mr. crenshaw,

along with his late wife ruth, with whom he was married for 66 years, opened up their home and their hearts to more than 50 young people who were in need of a place to stay, some of them were orphans. at 95 mr. crenshaw is the last living chaplain from world war ii and he still lives every day to the fullest. serving our community and serving the lord with all his body, with all his soul, and with all his strength. mr. crenshaw, your life of personal sacrifice and faithful service to our country and to the kingdom of god is an inspiration to all of us. and we are all honored to have you here this day. god bless you, mr. crenshaw. god bless the country you fought for and served, and go, west texas. i yield back, mr. speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek ecognition? ms. ros-lehtinen:00 to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the an honorees of organization named faith, facts about kubiak exiles. the awardees are gus, jorge, and cesar. these three men ed body the rive and spirit of cuban exiles and have made outstanding contributions to our south florida community. since its foundation, face has about exiles and have made outstanding contributions worki achievements of the cuban diaspora in miami. they have given voice to refugees like me who had no other choice but to leave our native homeland in search of freedom and human rights here u.s.

it forgotten. through u.s. it disseminates the truth about what is occurring in cuba and ensures the victims of the communist regime are not faith organization who is share the same goals, we will finally see a free and democratic cuba where citizens are given the opportunity to build up their country instead of being forced to flee it. for its o thank face 36 years. hese and again congratulate gus, jorge on this deserved honor. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> unanimous consent 36 years. and again congratulate gus, jorge on this to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, the house will vote tomorrow to re-authorize the federal aviation administration. in 2010 congress approved landmark flight safety legislation after the flight of 3407 crashed outside of buffalo, new york, in 20 2009.

the national transportation safety board concluded that pilot error was a cause of that trangdy. the bill the house will vote -- tragedy. the bill the house will vote on tomorrow must uphold and reaffirm our commitment to those safety standards. the southwest airline emergency landing two weeks ago is an urgent and inspiring reminder of the importance of pilot training to keep the flying public safe. the southwest pilot, tammy joe shultz, piloted that plane to a safe landing in a calm, controlled, and confident manner born out of one thing -- excellent pilot training. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition. >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: sorry, the afterutah. >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i'm pleased to stand before you today to celebrate national small business week.

30 million small businesses in the country, and nearly 280,000 of those in utah, i was proud to join 30 mi businesses in with my colleagues on the small business committee to co-author house resolution 840, to recognize the vital role of small businesses. it should come as no surprise that utah is consistently ranked among the best in the nation for innovative start-ups and small businesses. in fact, small businesses make up over 99% of utah's businesses. employ one half of all state -- all employees, and are responsible for 2/3 of our job growth. after spending much of my career as a scrappy small business owner myself, i strongly believe that small business is the heartbeat of our economy. from emerging tech companies, to mom and pop shops in rural utah, i'm proud to salute the overwhelming impact of these small businesses. thank you, i yield my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii seek

recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. gabbard: thank you, mr. speaker. for too long companies like perdue phrma have lied cheated and swinled the american people leaving death, addiction, and despair in their wake. all because of their greed and desire to improve their bottom line. through marketing lies and other overdistribution of these dangerously addicted drugs, they oversaturated parts of our country. already struggling from high levels of addiction, while knowing but not disclosing, their highly addictive nature and risks. because of their tactics, this opioid epidemic now takes 115 american lives every single day. the time for holding these drug companies and leader accountable is long overdue. these companies rake in billions of dollars in profit every year on the backs of the american people, and not one of them has been prosecuted or held accountable.

i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting bicameral legislation, the opioid crisis act, that would prohibit illegal marketsing and distribute shuven opioids and empower prosecutors to punish those who break the law. act, td we cannot allow perpetrators of this epidemic to continue ruining lives in this country. we must hold those responsible -- accountable for the damage, heartache, and suffering they caused. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today there are a loft boys and girls in the capitol who are dressed for success and ready to get to work. of course i'm talking about take your daughters and sons to workday. while my three sons are grown and my oldest has children of his own, i do have the privilege of having seth with me today.

seth lives in maryland and thanks to the nonprofit tuesday's group, he gets to spend the day with me, or rather i get to spend the day with him. this is my second year in a row with my friend seth. i have had the privilege of hosting seth for hour take our daughters and sons to workday. mr. speaker, in 2009, seth's dad was serving in the army and lost his life. a month and two days, seth tells me, before he was born. tuesday's children uses its experience and expertise to help our military families work through their own losses. april is also the month of military child. it is even more of an hanor for me to have seth with me again today. he's a great young man with a bright future. cub scout, hockey plarkse -- player, flag football player, and great kid. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair now recognizes -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition. >> ask unanimous consent to

address the house for one minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. green: i rise to call the attention to the rule that the trump administration is expected to release shortly which would allow fake short-term health insurance plans to be sold. during the 115th congress the republican majority has taken every action possible to undermine and sabotage the affordable care act. i expect these two regulations will be no different. no matter how the trump administration, our majority try to sell short-term health insurance plans to the american people, the devil is in the details. these junk plans, are just that, junk. according to the kaiser foundation report, these plans ikely exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions, cover essential services such as maternity care, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, and prescription drugs. the people need to know what's covered when they buy that insurance and what's not covered when they get sick. aarp, the american heart association, american medical association, and many other

health and patient advocacy organization vs. urged the president to withdraw this propose -- have urged the president to withdraw this proposal rule. i ask my colleagues to join me and urge president trump to withdraw this harmful rule. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition. >> mr. speaker -- unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. coffman: mr. speaker, it is my honor today to recognize a truly great citizen of aurora, colorado, dr. randy, as the executive director and c.e.o. of aurora mental health certainty for over 40 years. he has exemplified the qualities of a great colorado leader throughout his entire career. he has spent the last four decades providing access to mental health care to those in e greater aurora area, often

committing to 60 hour work weeks while keeping up-to-date in the behavioral health care field. which is constantly evolving. he has been committing to 60 hour work a true trail blazer in championing the expansion of mental health care. as it has rapidly progressed as part of the health care industry. especially over the last 50 years. he has served his community valiantly through try ump -- triumph and tragedy, offering free counseling through the aurora mental health a true tra anyone in the aurora area who was impacted by 20912 theater mass shooting. his commitment to serving his patients as well as his commute will be difficult to replace. however i know that the entire aurora community takes great pride in knowing that we have a as randy that ch are locally active. mr. speaker, i would like to extend my sincere congratulations to dr. randy and the staff of the aurora as mental health center for their unwavering commitment to offer mental health care services to

the people of aurora, colorado, for over the last 40 years. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the g.o.p. is consumed by chaos and confusion. my fellow democrats and i are focused on delivering better jobs, better wages and a better future for hardworking americans in philadelphia and neighborhoods nationwide. when it comes to child care, the republicans are offering a raw deal for our future leaders. we must protect, defend and provide for the american children, that means better child care, health care, and education. i'm a firm believe that are quality pre-k for our kids is an investment and continues -- that continues in the success of our cities. that's exactly what we've seen in the city of philadelphia. mayor kenny, pre-k initiative is our city making quality,

reliable pre-k reliable for all kids. mr. evans: i visited several early education providers. king crest, parents investment center and smart beginnings. i can tell you firsthand the services they offer are building a stronger city. as your voice in congress, please know i'm working hard to deliver a better deal for our children, families, that means to ensure pre-k for our children. together we can build and we'll level the playing field for a strong philadelphia block by block and a better place. thank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does jfment -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. smith: mr. speaker, to ensure environmental progress, we must let technology lead the way. however, the liberal media often ignores news about innovations that would mitigate climate change. a recent report by the environmental protection agency

shows that u.s. greenhouse gas emissions have declined by 11% since 2005. no other industrialized country has made so much progress. investors business daily points out in an editorial how -- that backethroughs in technology and not one-size-fits-all regulations are the reason for u.s. success in at reducing emissions -- in reducing emissions. it also notes that many countries that sign the paris accords continue to increase their emissions. instead of innovating theerks countries are regulating. regulatings -- regulations set impossible targets for emissions and have little impact on the environment. the media should report on technological innovations that address climate change. instead they use scare tactics to promote more government regulations and government ontrol of the economy. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, today i'm introducing a resolution to recognize april 26 as international chart day, a celebration of charts, data visualization and info graphics of all types. mr. takano: an american public that is better equipped to understand what goes in a good chart will be better equipped to spot and discard fake news. in news reporting and academia, the use of properly sourced and formatted charts help explain complex issues. charts help the brain discern patterns and trends that large amounts of data often hide. the goal of international chart day is to study the history of data visualization, celebrate innovations and encourage wider adoption of their use across society. my colleagues and i in congress are prolific creators of charts. many of which are archived on

the excellent blog floorcharts curate bidwill yam gray. if you're interested in joining in on the celebration, please share your favorite charts online and use the #chartday. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from arizona seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. mcsally: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor tammy joe schultz, the captain who he had otherically and expertly landed the damaged boeing last week. she saved 148 lives through her courage, skill, professionalism and nerves of steel. we also mourn the death of jennifer reardon, who was killed by the immediate effects of this mishap. tammy jo schultz was a hero long before this successful emergency landing. captain schultz was one of the first female fighter pilots for the u.s. navy and one of the

first to ply the -- fly it the fa-18. she became an aggressive pilot and an instructorer. she reminds us that the airplane doesn't care whether you have ovaries or not. as long as you have the qualification and the training to complete the mission. that is why, mr. speaker, i introduced a resolution on monday to commend captain tammy jo schultz for her unflappable courage that saved so many lives. and for paving the way for women in the military and commercial aviation to finally fly in combat and lead as equals. generations of women can fight for freedom and save lives, like she did, because of her. thanks for leading the way, tammy jo. for all of us. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. yarmuth: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to offer real-life account of the raw deal the republicans gave the american people with their g.o.p. tax scam. dennis, a retired constituent of

mine from louisville, who still works part-time, recently wrote a letter to the courier general newspaper. he stated, quote, the so-called tax cut for the middle class is going to cost me an estimated $600 more in taxes in 2018. end quote. dennis pays his taxes quarterly which is why he did these calculations now. he added in part, quote, i urge people to look into this so-called great tax break for the middle class, this might change your mind on the current members of congress that have been misleading you to thinking they are actually working to of you unless you are one the big of the big donors, exclamation point, end quote. dennis isn't alone. by the time this scam is fully implemented, more than 80 million middle class families will see their taxes increase. that's not progress, that's a ripoff. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, yesterday's "new york times" carried a story headlined, quote, scandals and investigations, but few arrests for air marshals program. in fact, in the most recent 10-year period that was studied, 148 air mar shalz were arrested and -- marshals were arrested and throughout the history of this program there have been many more air marshals arrested than there have been arrests made by air marshals. mr. duncan: over the last 10 years congress has appropriated well over $8 billion for this needless, useless program. at least 250 air marshals have been terminated for misconduct and over 400 more have resigned or retired during conduct investigations. this has to be about the easiest job in the country today. all they do is fly back and forth on airplanes, usually are often in first class. "the new york times" story said the program is, quote, in such disarray that it does little to deter terrorists, many of their own employees say.

the story also said alcohol abuse is so rampant that the t.s.a., quote, has had to monitor whether the armed guards show up for their shifts sober. mr. speaker, yet we are going to give this needless, useless program another $800 million this year. ridiculous. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, in 2016 more than 63,000 people died from drug overdoses. more than 30,000 of these from opioids. we also know that 80% of heroin users started with prescription opioids. reducing opioid-related deaths will take a broad, multifaceted effort and everyone has a role to play, including physicians. in congressional hearings and community conversations, i consistently hear enhancing

continuing education for prescribers on the risks associated with opioid medications, and indications and treatment of addictive behaviors can help reduce dependence and abuse of these drugs. mr. schneider: this week i was proud to partner with congresswoman brooks of indiana to introduce the bipartisan adapt act. our bill would help ensure prescribers have continuing medical education on safe prescribing, opioid risk, pain management alternatives, early detection of drug abuse, and treatment options for patients suffering from addiction. we know more about opioid addiction today than we did 20 years ago. and with ongoing research we will continue to gain new insights and understanding. we need our doctors to be equipped with the latest tools and best practices when treating patients. i urge my colleagues to join us in support of this effort to equip those on the front lines of the opioid crisis with the latest and best training to help our communities. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from maine seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poliquin: thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday my fellow mainers broke up to heartbreaking news. corporal eugene cole, a deputy at somerset, was shot and killed in the line of duty. this horrific act was the first killing of a police officer in maine in almost 30 years. every day, mr. speaker, for 13 years, eugene cole put on his uniform and his equipment and set out to protect our families in maine. mr. cole served central maine with honor and integrity and a relentless sense of duty. mr. speaker, maine is one of the safest places in the country to live and work and raise your kids. and that's because of heroes like eugene cole. i am so grateful for his work

and his sacrifice. on behalf of all of my fellow mainers, mr. speaker, i send our deepest sympathies to the family of eugene cole. i'll be praying for them during this very, very difficult time. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in support of our nation's veterans. over the last 16 months, this congress and president have made tremendous progress for the men and women who have served our country in uniform. congress passed and the president signed into law the largest expansion of g.i. benefits since world war ii. appeals reform and the accountability and whistleblower protection act. and several other important bills. as a member of the house

veterans' affairs committee, i've been proud to author legislation and contribute to these initiatives on behalf of hoosier veterans. mr. banks: but there is still so much more to do for our veterans and to address many of the longstanding issues within the v.a. which is why it is absolutely vital that our next v.a. secretary has the experience and commitment needed to build upon the progress that we've already made. our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to keep our nation free and secure and they deserve the highest quality of people serving at the v.a. today i urge the trump administration to nominate a v.a. secretary committed to making important reforms and serving our nation's heroes who have served us so well. with that, thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman

s recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, p.c.a. has been betraying the international -- pakistan has been betraying the international community and is supporting terrorism. the financial action task force officially placed pakistan on its gray list of countries not doing enough to counter terror finance. not only does pakistan provide safe haven for all stripes of terrorist groups, it also turns a blind eye to so-called islamic charities tied to terrorist operations and other terrorist financers. pakistan has paid lip service to the fight against terrorism while supporting the very criminals that kill americans and our allies. mr. speaker, i was just at the white house where the president honored many of our wounded warriors. some of them wounded in afghanistan and iraq. pakistan's intelligence services have fostered a working relationship with the acanny network, al qaeda and the

taliban. terrorist groups. meanwhile, pakistan government has received over $30 billion of american aid. pakistan is a benedict arnold unfaithful ally. we need to stop paying pakistan to betray us. they will do it for free. and that's just the way it is. i'll yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate blue valley west high school in -- and pleasant ridge middle school on winning their regional competitions of the national science bowl. since 1991 the department of energy has been using the national science bowl to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to excel in science and mathematics, to pursue careers in those areas. mr. yoder: for our nation to remain the beacon in innovation and creation it is today, we must support and inspire our youth to experiment and explore the world around them. in january of this year, 9,000 high school students and 4,500

middle school students passionate about science and mathematics began to compete. young people from my district worked hard and have found themselves participating in national finals. starting today these two bright groups of young people will represent kansas in the national science bowl's national finals. mr. speaker, i call upon all of us in this body to join me in wishing blue valley west and pleasant ridge's team good luck in the finals. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. . the clerk: senate 447, an act reporting on certain foreign

countries on who case era assets related issues.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 839 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 4. the chair now appoints the gentleman from new york, mr. donovan, to preside over the ommittee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 4, which the clerk will report by title.

the clerk: a bill to re-authorize programs of the federal aviation administration, and for other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. general debate shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on transportation and infrastructure. the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. shuster, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shoes ir: mr. speaker, i now ask -- mr. shuster: i now ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 4. the chair: the gentleman's request is covered under general leave. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. for calling up h.r. 4, the of . re-authorization act

2018. this bipartisan legislation is co-sponsored by every chair and ranking member of the transportation and infrastructure of committee. this bill is critical to our economy. millions of americans who work in aviation, to hundreds of millions of americans who use the system every year. h.r. 4 authorizes f.a.a. programs through f.y. 2023. this is a long-term bill, something that is overdue. too often our aviation programs face short-term extensions, c.r.'s, and threats of government shutdowns. we're now operating on the fifth extension, the last long-term f.a.a. -- from the last long-term f.a.a. law signed on february 14, 2012. before the bill was signed into law, congress passed 23 short-term extensions. this is an incredible amount of uncertainty for programs that rely on long-term stability. hat uncertainty was one of the reasons i initially pushed for air traffic control reform to separate the modernization of our system from unreliable federal budget process. in that reasons i initially regard, thi maintains the status quo.

i still strongly believe congress must soon pass real air traffic control reform for the u.s. to finally develop the most modern advanced aviation system in the world. right now we cannot claim that. the more we delay, the more we risk losing our position in the world as a leader in aviation. so while h.r. 4 does not contain all the reforms our contain eds, it does other important reforms that must be implemented. for example, this bill cuts red tape and the certification process so our manufacturers can get products to market on time, stay competitive, and continue providing millions of american jobs. it streamlines the regulatory process to encourage innovation and new technologies like unmanned aircraft systems. it provides critical fund for a.i.p. program and airport infrastructure across america. it strengthens protections for passengers and it addresses safety issues that have arisen in recent years. the bill contains many good provisions and i plan to offer a manager's amendment that provides additional

improvements. that includes an additional safety provision in light of the april 17 southwest flight 1380 engine failure. i want to commend pilot tammy jo shultz for herzegovinaoic performance after a catastrophic engine failure at over 30,000 feet. this was a prolonged emergency not over in just a minute or two. for the next 15 to 20 minutes with a hole in the cabin and believing a passenger may have been sucked out, she calmly and expertly guided the plane to an emergency landing. tragically one person died in the incident, but 148 people are alive today because of her and her crew. she prevented what could have been a large tragedy. in my opinion, this was one of the most heroic performances by a pilot and crew in recent memory. strengthen our aviation system is only one of the reasons we need to pass stayed's legislation. h.r. 4 also includes the disaster recovery reform act. a measure that passed the house

in december with overwhelming support but was not taken up in the senate. these provisions strengthen f.a.a.'s focus on predisaster mitigation, preparing our communities to bert withstand the next hurricane, wildfire, flood, or other disasters. building smarter will save lives and lower the growing costs of disaster recovery. investigating more in mitigating disasters before they strike makes common sense. this still is the result of hard work of the transportation committee, the bill sponsors, and many others. i want to thank ranking member defazio, chairman lobiondo, ranking member larsen, and the many other members who worked on this legislation. i look forward to a good debate today and moving this bill to the senate. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair: the the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i rise in support of h.r. 4 f.a.a. re-authorization act, 2018. i'm pleased to be here today with chairman of the full committee, mr. shuster, the

chairman of the subcommittee, mr. lobiondo, and my ranking member rick larsen from washington state. this bill also includes important provisions on the disaster recovery reform act, something the previously passed the house somehow escaped the attention of the senate. so we're sending it to them again in the hope they might notice if it's part of this package. last week was tragic. the first death on a u.s. flying passenger aircraft since 2009. and that just followed an alarming news story by 60 minutes a few days before about f.a.a. oversight of a low-cost carrier. as a result, ranking member larsen and i have sent a letter to the secretary of transportation demanding information on the oversight of the industry. i want to make sure that the f.a.a. is being the watchdog that they need to be. it was many years ago after the

horrible valujet tragedy the committee had already rejected my amendment to strip away the promotional duty of the f.a.a. and then after the horrible valujet crash when it turned out it was an incompetent subcontractor to a maintenance station, totally preventable accident, they suddenly decide to change their mind and decided to include my amendment and remove the promotional authority. the f.a.a.'s principle -- principal duty is to protect the safety of the flying public. so we have to be sure they are doing everything needed to do that. there is an important provision in the bill long overdue to ive flight attendsants a 10-hour minimum 10-hour minimum rest. think of the schedule now. eight hours. the plane landed you have to get off the plane, get out of the airport, get in a cab or van, go to the hotel, and reverse all that around and do that -- how much sleep do you get? finally we're going to give the

10-hour requirement. again long overdue. flight attendsants are critical safety personnel -- attendants are critical safety personnel on a plane. they cannot be fatigued, just like the pilot. another concern we're using computer simulations to meet the f.a.a. standard for evacuation of a plane mandated in 90 minutes. as they jam more and more and more seats into these planes, i wonder if we have reached a point where we can no longer meet that standard. and we're going to have that -- we're going to have the inspector general look at that topic and see whether or not we need to revisit it. it's critical that we be able to get people off as quickly as possible. the u.k. civil aviation authority led this many years ago after manchester accident with the spacing for the over wing exits, something it took me seven years to get done here. but they have also adopted more

strictures on handbaggage and other things and made that part of the briefing which we don't get. we don't want to scare people. we need to letting people know that they can't take stuff with them if they have to evacuate quickly. the pay-per-view certification process we have -- the f.a.a. certification process we have known for years needs reform. this bill answers that. it's a top to bottom reform of the process by which the f.a.a. certifies new airplane engine and component designs. this will help our manufacturers become much more competitive in the world market and introduce their products more quickly. to stay ahead of the market. but they will still be certified safe. the bill also contains the text convenience don't fly here act. there is some who would turn the airline industry into the cruiseline industry where planes would be crewed by the

cheapest labor you could find somewhere in the world. it's being done already with contract crews out of asia for a so-called european airline, norwegian air. and they are circumventing the process that the e.u. is bound to under our open skies agreement. the bill unfortunately let stand something that congress adopted in 2012 over my objections which is to say we cannot have a higher standard than the international civil aviation authority. on lithium batteries. they are incredibly, incredibly dangerous on aircraft. we probably -- already lost two 747's and i'll discuss this more when we get to my amendment. it's time to remove the pribble shouldn't and let them regulate as they see fit regarding the lithium batteries and not bind

ourselves to international group that captures other special interests. eight lithium batteries can take down an aircraft. that we'll discuss later. this bill also unfortunately cost not -- does not increase the cap on facility charge. i would observe flying a lot there are more and more and more tarmac delays because i'm sorry, your gate is occupied. the alley to the gate is full of planes. oh, this, that. but a lot of airports are bonded out. we haven't allowed them since 2,000 to increase the passenger facility charge. so that -- we're going to continue to have those delays until they can build larger terminals and build more gates. that's going to continue. we're also putting some new mandates on the airports which i support in this bill, having to do with pets and changing rooms and those sorts of things. but again we're not allowing them to get any increase in

revenues to meet these new federal mandates. i haven't given that up, but obviously we're not going to get it in this bill. nextgen will be all for natt --naught. it is progressing well despite what some say, if we don't have enough terminals and gates at those terminals. as former administrator randy babbitt said, we can land them with closer spacing, but tend of the day la guardia when it's one runway can only land 54 seconds. there are physical limits on the ground around the country. even if we enhance air traffic movement, avoiding weather and all that, we're going to be constrained at the airports unless the airports have what they need to make these investments. then there are a number of amendments that will improve safety and efficiency, and i look forward to discussing those here on the floor.

there's one amendment which is cropping up in this bill that relates to trucking. and the gentleman from california, mr. denham, will offer it. it's been offered before in the house. never gone anywhere in the senate. i predict the same thing will happen here. bottom line is, there is an case that court could be solved with a rifle shot, so to speak, regarding interstate commerce. instead, despite what the proponents have told representative denham and others, this language would case that y single state could be solved with a rifle shot, so to speak, and hour law that pertains to trucking in the united states of america. wage the rest would be wiped out by this amendment because of the unfortunate language. there is a real underlying problem, it could be solved much more discretely. but beyond, that this is a great

bill and i again thank the chairman and the chairman of the full committee, subcommittee, and my ranking member and other members of the committee. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair now recognize the gentleman from pennsylvania. -- now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> i thank the gentleman, the chairman. now it's my great privilege to recognize the gentleman from alaska for three minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. young: mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection -- the chair: without objection. mr. young: i want to thank the chairman, mr. shuster, and the ranking member, mr. defazio, for bringing a bipartisan bill to the floor. this is a piece of legislation that's long overdue. i think we've had how many extensions? five extensions. this bill is needed for air traffic. as everybody knows in this room, you take alaska, which is 2 1/2 sizes of texas, we don't have anything ne roads, we have air -- have any roads, we have air travel.

everybody travels in alaska, probably more than you travel in your car, by airplane. so this bill handles a lot of the problems in alaska that we have been addressing through the f.a.a., which plays a major role. number one is essential air service. many people don't understand the history of the central air service. when we deregulated the airlines, alaska was left out. senator stevens and i kept regulated airlines for two extra years. until we got the commitment from central air service so we can serve our communities. and this committee has always saw to it that that did occur. it has been used in other areas of the rural areas of the america. and i understand that need and there will be an amendment to do away with central air service. and i hope all of you will vote against that, it's crucially important to my state. we have another small issue that has come up and i want to thank the chairman again, lithium batteries. these are talked about, was just talked about, the ranking member, but in my state, again, we don't have highways. we can't truck things.

so an air carrier that has no passengers can transport lithium batteries. they were not allowed to do that under a law of the toxic transportation clause in our law, says they can't do it. i will tell you again that it takes care of the alaska part 121 pilots, which are subject to burdensome terminal drone forecasting regulation. and this will allow the pilots to use the area forecasting for weather, etc., for flying our airplanes. this is a good bill. i'm really proud what have mr. shuster's been able to do, congressman shuster. congressman lobiondo, i believe this will be his last bill. working on something with this significance for the united states of america. we do have a great air system. i will say that it has worked, it is working, and i'm quite

proud of the people that work for the airlines. and i will only make one suggestion in closing, mr. chairman, is that i'm a little concerned about some of the airlines making the spaces a little bit more narrower, less leg room. and i think frankly when you have less leg room, you have safety problems. and i say that because it's awful hard to get, in a three-row seat, get people out from the window, if there's an accident when they're all jammed together. i'm just respectfully suggesting the airlines don't take away any more space. in fact, give some of it back. it's a good bill, mr. chairman. i urge my colleagues to support it, vote for it, and let's get this bipartisan piece of legislation passed. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair now recognizes -- the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from oregon, who is gone. washington. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise in support of h.r. 4.

the f.a.a. authorization active 2018. i'm pleased that congress sheer today to consider a long-term bill to re-authorize the f.a.a. this moment has been a long-time -- a long time in coming. congress is not -- has not enacted a long-term f.a.a. bill since 2012 and it's currently running on its fifth extension since that time. mr. larsen: we're here to consider a comprehensive piece of legislation and a bipartisan piece of legislation that provides long-term, predictable funding for the f.a.a., and proves -- improves aviation safety, addresses work force needs and advances vital research in the aviation field. whether large or small, airport as i cross the united states play an important role in community -- across the united states -- airports across the united states play an important role in communities. in washington state, my constituents rely on airports of all sizes. in my hometown of arlington, general aviation at arlington municipal airport is vital and the annual e.a.a. fly-in brings in people from all as crot country.

bellingham international airport in northwest washington is a developing airport which requires further investments in terminal and operations infrastructure to help keep pace with passenger demands. and another airport is a growing hub in the pacific northwest. with the construction of a new terminal and expanded air service expected later this year. each of these airports play a different yet important role in serving the local community and the national aviation network. the bill reflects congress' consensus to reform f.a.a.'s aircraft certification processees, improve aviation safety, provide additional protections for u.s. passengers, and help to better prepare the aviation work force and further the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national air space. one of the most important things this bill does is to make the f.a.a. certification process more streamlined, consistent and efficient, while maintaining the highest level of safety. the u.s. aviation industry is an economic powerhouse. it is particularly important to

my home state of washington. and our state, general aviation alone contributes over $3 billion to the economy and more than 30,000 jobs a year. so without question, predictable and timely certification of aircraft and aircraft components is critical for domestic manufacturers to get their products to market. these reforms are desperately needed to allow u.s. aviation manufacturers like constituents in everett who -- as well smaller contractors, to help them compete globaly. this bill ensures the f.a.a.'s product certification remains the gold standard abroad, as well so, that u.s. manufacturers remain competitive. as passenger growth continues, congress must ensure airports have the right tools in place to safely accommodate this new demand. the bill makes a host of improvements to make our skies safer, including ensuring the f.a.a. safety work force is utilized feshtly and receives enhanced training -- efficiently and receives enhanced training. the safety program for pilots so that critical safety

enhancements are not needlessly delayed. making progress towards nextgen implementation through engagement of local communities and airports in the process. improving the federal contract tower program. to allow airports to make investments in their critical frals. ensuring flight attendants have sufficient rest between duty periods. it also includes numerous provisions that enhance the air travel experience for more than 900 million passengers who fly each year, including a prohibition on airlines involuntarily bumping passengers after they've boarded, a prohibition on the use of cell phones for voice communications during flight, and a requirement for airlines to create a one-page document outlining the rights of passengers which will bring much-needed transparency to the industry. one of my top priorities is to ensure working families in the northwest parks civic northwest, get a better deal, which means expanded opportunities, creating more jobs and making sure the next generation of workers have the tools necessary to succeed. and this bipartisan bill that my colleagues and i have agreed to will protect and create american jobs through airport construction and aerospace

manufacturing, ultimately boosting the nation commea. -- the nation's economy. we're working to build new hangars and longer taxiing runways and these improvements are not only for safety, but will create well-paying jobs in construction. further, the washington initiative aims to connect more than 100,000 students over the next five years with career focused learning opportunities building a bridge from school into high-demand and good-paying jobs. across my district, nearly 900 young adults participate in this initiative, have connected to apprenticeships, job shadows or other structured work based activity. the bill builds on these efforts to better prepare students for the aviation work force. by encouraging schools, industry, and other stakeholders to address the skills gap in aviation maintenance field, and requiring a g.a.o. study of best practices, to incentivize, recruit and retain new aviation workers, and i am pleased that the bill includes my proposal to create a youth access to

american jobs in aviation task force. this task force will work with aviation trade schools and community colleges, airline carriers and industry, labor unions and other relevant stake holders to develop recommendations to encourage high school students to enroll in aviation manufacturing, maintenance and engineering apresents at theships. and finally this legislation includes a title on unmanned aircraft systems or drones. which are flourishing in the skies at a pace we did not imagine just a few years ago. provisions in the bill will help the commercial drone industry safely thrive while addressing the many issues that these new users present as they become integrated into the u.s. air space. this bill enacts a multiyear re-authorization, mr. chairman, of aviation taxes and f.a.a. expenditure authority. that will provide stable, predictable funding needed to carry out its safety mission and ensure the f.a.a. remains the world leader in aviation research and development. while these are positive areas to address, i understand that some amendments will come today on slot exemptions and slot

swaps and those have been made in order that could have regional consequences. i oppose these efforts and believe it would be better to have a more substantive discussion to address these issues in the committee. mr. chairman, we have the biggest, most complex and busiest aviation system in the world. we are years past due in enacting a long-term f.a.a. re-authorization that will alout u.s. to remain the gold standard in aviation and i'm pleased to co-sponsor this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: mr. chairman, it's my great pleasure and honor to recognize the subcommittee chair of aviation on the committee of transportation, chairman lobiondo, who has been a tireless advocate for aviation safety, efficientsy, but also been a great partner -- efficiency, but also been a great partner on committee to me and other members of the committee. so -- and also i want to mention too that i think this is accurate, i think he's the only mber of congress that has -- driver's license. so he's in a very unique

position to not only know and advocate for aviation, but also on the ground he knows how commerce moves. so with that i yield five minutes to my friend, mr. lobiondo. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. loebsack: -- mr. lobiondo: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. shuster, thank you very much. i rise in support of this bill. the subcommittee on aviation began the re-authorization process over three years ago. very long process. in that time, we have held the series of round tables and hearings on the state of the f.a.a.'s certification safety processes, regulatory efforts, and airport grant programs. customer service in the air traffic control systems. the subcommittee also had more than 200 stakeholder meetings in order to gather feedback and hear from various constituencies to understand what would work in the real world. not what 535 members of congress may think. but to get input from the people

who have to make it work every day. i want to thank those who came to the table willing to share their thoughts and their work together with us, with the passage of h.r. 4 we will be taking an important step toward ensuring the f.a.a. and our aviation industry does not suffer through another long series of extensions. unfortunately it seems like just about every year congress is voting to keep government open while the f.a.a. and nearly 4,000 of the f.a.a.'s incredible employees that are my constituents, working at the technical center in egg harbour township, which is at atlantic city airport, are forced to make preparations in case they have to shut down. just so everybody understands, when we do an extension, we generally don't act on it until the last minute. these dedicated employees, these engineers and these laboratories, that only exist at

this tech center, are forced to stop their work and prepare for a shutdown. it costs a tremendous amount of dollars each time we do this. hopefully with the passage of this bill, whether he be able to avoid that. -- we will be able to avoid. that h.r. had also provides long-term authorization of the f.a.a. which will allow to us avoid these shutdowns and threats of shutdowns. this means that the important safety projects will be able to move forward without inefficient starts and stops and they come without any hesitation. as we've seen in the past. most importantly, f.a.a. employees, included again the dedicated employees of my tech center, now, just keep in mind, this is the premier facility in the nation for safety, security, research and development. as i mentioned before, these laboratories don't exist anywhere else. many of these engineers, their expertise doesn't exist anywhere else. this will enable them to help keep the united states premier

in the world. mr. larsen referenced our position in the world. we don't want that challenge. we want this bill to be able -- challenged. we want this bill to be able to allow us, as an economic driver, and when you start looking at the numbers of what aviation means to the economy of the united states, you get an understanding of how critically important this is. we've worked closely with a number of constituency groups that i think we've included their provisions in this bill. i want to point out that some of these battles take a while. d very diligently and very forcefully the flight attendants have made their case for the 10-hour rest period. as mentioned by mr. defazio, this is something that we don't want flight attendants being fatigued, no mar than we want pilots being -- more than we want pilots being fatigued. i thank chairman shuster for including this in the bill. as we move forward i want to particularly thank rick larsen,

who has been a great partner. for those who may not be aware, rick and i have been together first through coast guard subcommittee and now through aviation. i think the relationship that we have and what we've been able to do is a model that can and should be worked for the rest of congress. i thank bill shuster for helping me become aviation chair six years ago putting his faith in me. i think we had a great partnership. bill has been a great leader in transportation. i value our relationship. i value our work together. and urge everyone to support the bill. i think it's going to move america forward, and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from washington is recognized. >> thank you. i want to thank the chairman

shuster and ranking member defazio as well as chairman lobiondo for their work on this bill. i know mr. lobiondo is leaving congress at the end of the year and we may get a better democrat or better republican in that seat but we will not get a better representative for this congress in that seat than frank lobiondo. mr. larsen: i'd like to yield a minute and a half to the gentlewoman from nevada. the chair: the gentlelady is ecognized. ms. titus: i come to address the long-term needs of the f.a.a. and our aviation industry. it includes a number of priorities i fought for which are critical to my state of nevada. first, the legislation extends the authorization of the nevada u.a.s. test range to ensure completion of its critical work in coordination with the f.a.a. and nasa on low-altitude air traffic management systems, commonly referred to as u.t.m.

it also includes my amendment with congressman webster from florida to ensure the nation's largest airports, including mccarron in las vegas, participate in a streamlined approval process for passenger facility charged projects so we can modernize our crumbling airport infrastructure. in addition, it includes, as you have heard, a number of critical provisions that enhance safety, protect consumers, and keep our aerospace industry number one in the world. as the new ranking member of the economic development, public buildings, and emergency management subcommittee, i'm also pleased that the language of the disaster recovery and reform act are included in this bill. last year's back-to-back-to-back massive hurricanes, followed by mudslides and devastating wildfires demonstrate the growing challenges we face as we continue to grapple with global climate change. lives were lost, individuals and animals were injured, and

property damages were just outstanding. many are still trying to get their lives back to normal. so it would be irresponsible and unacceptable for us to follow the flat society -- flat earth society's notion that this doesn't really exist. it indeed is a threat to our health and safety. the act takes concrete steps towards making our communities safer. an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. for every $1 you spend on premitigation, you save $6 in future disaster costs. the drra addresses this by providing stable funding for the emergency management predisaster mitigation program and also additional funding for wildfire suppression. in addition, it requires that communities build back to the latest model building codes. since the federal government is paying for a minimum of 75% of major disaster costs, it's necessary for us to protect our

investment by requiring stronger, smarter, and more resilient rebuilding. so mr. speaker, i hope that the bill moves forward without any poison pills because we need this legislation. it's a good bill, and i support it and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back -- the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: it's my pleasure to yield for three minutes to the chairman of the subcommittee on economic development and emergency management, public buildings, my good friend from pennsylvania, mr. barletta. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. barletta: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 4, the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2018, which includes provisions of my bill, the disaster recovery reform act. unfortunately, this is the second time my bill has been considered on the house floor because our colleagues on the other side of the capitol refuse to take up these critical reforms. i find the failure to move in the senate puzzling.

especially given that many of those individuals represent states struggling to recover from recent disasters. n fact, in 2017, 8% of the united states population was affected by at least one disaster. this statistic highlights the importance of investing in mitigation infrastructure before tragedy strikes, which is exactly what my bill would do. studies have repeatedly shown for every $1 invested upfront we can save $4 to $8 in avoided recovery costs. my bill would allow us to realize those savings by transforming how we approach disaster spending. it would provide fema with the tools to help our communities plan for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from disasters. both republicans and democrats in this chamber already recognize the critical need for these reforms. the disaster recovery reform

act passed out of the transportation and infrastructure committee by voice vote, and in december, passed on the house floor. it is my hope that this time our colleagues in the senate would stop playing politics with people's lives and will act quickly to send this bill to the president's desk. i know just how important disaster assistance is because in 2011 my own district was devastated by flooding from hurricane irene and tropical storm lee. i visited with families and employers affected by this tragedy, and it made me realize we need to do something to help communities build better and smarter before disaster strikes. my bill will do just that. i thank chairman shuster, my house colleagues for their continued commitment to making resiliency a priority. i'd also like to thank the chairman for including language i offered with my friend from missouri, mr. graves, in the manager's amendment.

our amendment would create a new grant program for airport infrastructure investment. i believe it is critical we invest in our airports, which are some of the largest economic drivers in the country. we have an obligation to ensure this entire system, including everything from large hubs to regional airports, is maintained and improved to better serve the american people. while i was disappointed our original committee adopted an amendment to increase funding levels for the airport improvement program was not included in the final bill, i'm hopeful this grant will give airports a new infrastructure tool in their toolbox. again, i urge passage of h.r. 4, and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. >> may i inquire how much time remains? the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania has 15 1/2 minutes. mr. shuster: sorry. the chair: 15 1/2 minutes.

the gentleman from pennsylvania . the gentleman from washington 14 minutes. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield two minutes to jorment connecticut. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. esty: i rise in support of my bipartisan amendment to h.r. 4, the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2018, which would address the underrepresentation of women in aviation careers. women make up 50% of the national work force, but are significantly underrepresented in the aviation industry, making up only 2% of airline mechanics, 18% of flight dispatchers, and 6% of pilots. to address these shortfalls, i introduced the promoting women in the aviation work force act with my colleagues congresswomen walorski, bustos and our bill was reported unanimously out of committee. this bipartisan will

incorporate our bill into this legislation, directing the f.a.a. to create and facilitate an advisory board to develop strategies that the administration can take to help more women pursue and succeed in aviation careers. we need only look to the extraordinary skill of southwest pilot and navy fighter pilot veteran tammy jo schultz who just one week ago heroically saved the lives of 140 passengers and her crew on southwest flight 1380. or ronnie bradley from my district. here is ronnie at age 19 who signed up in 1942 to become one of the first female marines. she served as an airline mechanic. now still only 2%. and we celebrated her life at 95 two weeks ago in my district. we need more tammy jos and more ronnies. i thank my colleagues for supporting this legislation and commend as well the excellent

legislation updated our fema rules for disaster resiliency and relief and, again, i urge support of this legislation and urge the senate to adopt it quickly. thank you and i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. it's now my privilege to recognize for three minutes the chairman of the science committee, mr. smith from texas. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. chairman, i appreciate the gentleman from pennsylvania, the chairman of the transportation committee, mr. shuster, for yielding me time. and mr. chairman, i support the f.a.a. leadership and groundbreaking high-tech research and development act, our flight r&d act, incorporated in h.r. 4, as title 7 of the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2018. title 7's flight r&d act will ensure america remains a world leader in aviation innovation. by making prioritized and strategic investments today, our nation will continue to push the boundaries of aerospace technology, maintain

a safe and secure aviation transportation system, and foster a healthy and growing aviation economy. i thank science committee member steve knight for introducing this important legislation and chairman shuster for including it in his bill. the safety of the flying public is of paramount importance. that's why title 7's flight r&d act prioritizes research and development to improve aviation safety. title 7 authorizes increased funding for aviation safety research and development. improving aviation safety is the fundamental mission of the f.a.a.'s research and development agenda. title 7 establishes an f.a.a. associated administrator for research and development to manage and oversee all f.a.a. research and development programs and activities. these will include the r&d provisions in this bill regarding unmanned aircraft systems, cybersecurity, the national aerospace system, aviation fuel, air traffic

surveillance, remote and computer piloting, and spectrum use. in closing, mr. chairman, i strongly support title 7, the flight r&d act, and urge my colleagues to support this fiscally responsible, commonsense initiative to ensure that america remains at he forefront of civil aviation innovation and safety. mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. larsen: thank you, mr. chairman. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from washington, d.c., the district of columbia. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. norton: i thank my good friend for yielding, and i want to thank him for his very special efforts for this re-authorization. perhaps our whole committee and subcommittee do some self-congratulations for reaching a bipartisan agreement for a long-term f.a.a., ization of the

but the lion's share of the appreciation belongs to chairman shuster and i thank him for his leadership, especially as he's retiring from the house. and my good friend, mr. defazio. there was only one major disagreement, and that was, of course, on privatization of air travel control operations. this bill includes many areas that demonstrate the importance of bipartisanship. it is almost impossible to help democrats invite republicans and vice versa when it comes to matters affecting aviation. i appreciate my own amendments in the bill addressing airplane noise, because many of them are embedded in the bill, and i am sure, given the complaints throughout the country, that they, too, are bipartisan.

i ask that the house oppose the cuellar amendment. this is a special destinations amendment for san diego and san antonio mainly to benefit the house members from those districts so they can fly into reagan national airport nonstop rather than dulles which is nearby and baltimore-washington, which is also very close to the district of columbia. congress has spent billions of dollars to expand dulles, which is still very underutilized because it is a little further than reagan. the limit on slots to reagan help relieve -- can i have another 30 seconds? >> i yield an additional 30 seconds. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized.

ms. norton: the slots help relieve enormous congestion there and ensure the safety of one of the nate -- of one of the nation's most crowded and critical air fields. i yield back and appreciate the yielding. the chair: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. it's now my pleasure to recognize for three minutes the subcommittee chairman on highways and the full committee of transportation and infrastructure, and the bleeding voice on the general aviation in congress, chairman graves. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. graves: thank you, mr. chairman, for yielding the time. and i proudly rise today in support of the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2018. there's a lot of important policies in this bill that i worked on. but the main thing i'm glad to see included is that we accomplished this bill as a long-term bill. a five-year authorization. passing long-term bills is something that the chairman has remained committed to during his leadership on the committee. and i strongly support.

unfortunately we don't see enough of that in congress that much anymore. one of the big highlights of the bill is the long overdue reforms to the f.a.a. certification process. and the committee has developed bipartisan reforms that are going to streamline the f.a.a.'s certification. mr. speaker, i previously worked on the precursor reforms to this process with the passage of a bill, the small aircraft revitalization act, back in 2013. and i look forward to seeing the benefits of these reforms be applied more broadly to the aviation manufacturing community as certification reform provisions continue as the f.a.a. bill goes into effect. additionally there are a lot of policies in there that we worked on, that i worked on in the underlying bill. just to run through those earthquakely. expansion of the state block grant authority from 10 to 20 states. allowing greater testing and replacement fields. restoring the all makes and models certificate to experimental category aircraft. extending aircraft registration from three to 10 years, which i might point out it currently takes the f.a.a. at least a month to process paperwork to

register or re-register an aircraft. we also asked the f.a.a. to resolve disputes between approved air shows and major sporting events that require flight restrictions. we also worked on an important policy to prevent the local and state governments from targeting certain industries for discriminatory taxes like the rental car industry. finally, we correct a poorly written guidance document which hurts folks who are pursuing aircraft construction projects. f.a.a. wanted to restrict aircraft construction projects from individuals' hangars unless it was in the final stages of claiming -- by claiming it was not the air astronaut call use -- aeronautical use of a hangar which nikes sense and clearly this decision was not made -- makes no sense and clearly this decision was not made with understanding of how the project works. in closing, mr. chairman, i've been a pilot, a professional pilot, for virtually my entire life. i've been interacting with people in the aviation community for more than two decades now. i understand the issues that face the industry. when we talk about f.a.a. re-authorization, i think about ensuring all those who rely on

our aviation system can continue flying safely, securely and freely. america's always been a leader in pioneer -- and pioneer when it comes to aviation, since the days of the wright brothers. i want to ensure that continues. to do so we have to continue to look for opportunities to incorporate technology into our infrastructure network. i look forward to further advancing these goals in other areas of transportation as the committee works on an infrastructure bill later this year. with, that mr. speaker, i'd strongly support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same and with that i'd yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon is . cognized mr. walden: i would yield one minute to the gentlelady from california -- mr. defazio: i would yield one minute to the gentlelady from florida, ms. eshoo. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. esch esch i thank the gentleman -- ms. eshoo: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, first i want to acknowledge the hard work that my colleagues, congresswoman speier and congressman panetta, have done along with myself to

address airplane noise in our bay area congressional districts. i'm pleased to support mr. panetta's amendment to h.r. 4, which requires the f.a.a. to consider alternative metrics to the current average day-night sound level standard, including actual noise sampling. this will ensure that the f.a.a. has an accurate measure of the noise in communities surrounding airports and allow them to take steps to mitigate it. since the f.a.a. implemented nextgen in 2015, my silicon valley district constituents have been consistently subjected to a higher volume of noise complaints impacting their lives daily. i've never experienced anything like this in 25 years of representing -- of representation. it's unprecedented. there's a 1,000% increase in noise complaints. so this amendment is an important first step, and it is

a first step in alleviating the constant noise, consistent noise over our congressional districts. and i'm committed to working with the f.a.a. and the many engaged, really hundreds and hundreds of engaged constituents in my district, until this issue is resolved. and i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. i now recognize for one minute the gentleman from california, mr. knight. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. knight: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2018. chairman shuster and his staff should be recognized for their tireless work to bring all stakeholders together to modernize our aerospace system, streamline the process for bringing new aircraft technology to market, and lay the groundwork for safely integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the 21st century commerce. this bill is important for the continued growth of u.s. aircraft industry and for all passengers of today and the future. and for the continued legacy of aviation innovation in southern

california. safety is underwritten in several portions of the bill, including several drawn from the flight r&d act, a bill i introduced last year to prioritize research and development on several critical civil aerospace challenges. as reflected in this bill, the f.a.a. must develop a streamlined risk-based process per certifying the operation of new u.a.s.'s. the f.a.a. has a key role in working with private sector partners to tackle sense and avoid technology challenge, and enable safe set of tevting of beyond line of sight operation -- testing of beyond line of sight operations. putting appropriate resources behind these technology priorities will ensure american innovations have the spate to -- space to test, develop and safely integrate u.a.s. technology before foreign competitors capture these emerging industries. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. knight: 30 seconds. mr. shuster: i yield the gentleman another 15 seconds. mr. knight: thank you, mr. chair. this is a fiscally responsible bill and was drafted to ensure taxpayer resources are wisely

and efficiently used to meet public objectives for safety and economic growth in a -- and a better way to move around the country. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and thank you and yield back the balance of my time. thank you, mr. chair. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio: i reserve at this point in time. i'm waiting for other speakers. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. i now recognize a minute to the gentleman from ohio, mr. gibbs. the chair: for how long? how much time? mr. shuster: one minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gibbs: thank you. this bill is -- does a number of important things for our aviation industry, for the safety and the traveling public. including providing stable funding and a clear regulatory framework. in my home state of ohio, all these are critically important. the partnership between the federal government and the airports is strengthened in this legislation. stable funding for the airport improvement program ensures that airports can continue to evolve, grow and plan thoughtfully for the long term.

iowa's -- ohio's airports provide nearly d 14 billion of economic activity for the -- $14 billion economic activity for the state. they are partners for the reserve and guard and military wings. and they are the front door to interstate and international commerce for our communities. ohio's airports employ long-term planning, using a variety of funding mechanisms. to mechanize -- to maximize the value of investments and facilities and infrastructure. this bill advances and supports that growth. i am pleased to see long-term certainty for the aviation industry through a five-year re-authorization and encourage my colleagues to support this bill and pass h.r. 4 and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i would continue to reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: it is my great pleasure to yield to the gentleman from california, the chairman of the railroad, pipelines and hazardous materials committee, 1 1/2

minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. denham: thank you, mr. chairman. the disaster recovery reform builds on important management emergency reforms that the transportation and infrastructure committee produced in the recovery improvement act. representing a neighboring district to the california wildfires last year, i've seen firsthand how these reforms streamline disaster assistance to survivors. california was able to utilize those reforms like alternative procedures for debris removal, updated individual assistance, declaration factors, changes to the hazard mitigation grant program, and many others. but there's still work to be done and congress recognized that by passing legislation that i authored in the smart rebuilding act, to provide federal cost-share incentives to states. these measures encourage mitigation by establishing a national public information predisaster mitigation fund and allow implementation of design codes as an eligible cost for

fema's public assistance program. i want to clarify that the nationally recognizable design codes in this legislation are intended to include state and local participation and recognize the unique threats that our diverse country faces. another area which can be improved in california is the issue of inverse condemnation. this is a dangerous precedent which is threatening the ability of public and private utilities to survive in california. every $1 invested in mitigation results in $4 in cost savings. i support h.r. 4 and urge its passage. thank you, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: continue to reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. i believe we just have one more speaker and then i'm ready to close. i would now recognize mr. posey for one minute. the gentleman from florida. the chair: the gentleman is

recognized. mr. posey: mr. speaker, i thank the chairman for yielding. mr. chairman, for seven years i've been working to provide american companies with the capability to conduct commercial space support activities. american companies like to utilize space support vehicles to train crews and space flight participants for the riggers of space flight and research. last year our office worked with the transportation and infrastructure committee to draft language to address this issue. at the time we agreed on language that the committee included in the manager's amendment to an older version of the f.a.a. re-authorization. since that time, a whole lot of change in the commercial space industry. recently i worked with the industry in coordination with the f.a.a. to create a legislative solution to allow these companies to operate. my bill, h.r. 5346, was favorably supported from the space, science and technology committee a month ago. and has the support of industry and the f.a.a.

we owe it to our nation's commercial space industry to get this language right. i am sure you will agree with me that we cannot support the passage of outdated or problematic language and i hope you will commit to working with me going forward to provide the industry with an effective legislative solution. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. shuster: this is an issue i know he cares deeply about and has been a champion for his constituents in the commercial space industry. and i do commit to the gentleman to work with him as we move this, advance this bill forward. i thank the gentleman. mr. posey: thank you very much, mr. chairman. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i'm prepared to close -- mr. shuster: i'm prepared to close if the gentleman is. mr. defazio: i would yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: i thank the gentleman. i would encourage all members to support this positive re-authorization of the f.a.a. and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time for general debate has

expired. pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. no amendment to the bill shall be in order except those printed in part a of house report 115-650. and amendments en bloc described in house resolution 839. each such amendment printed in part a of the report may be offered only in the order printed in the report, by a member designated in the report, shall be considered read, and shall be debatable for the time specified in the report. equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in art a of house report 115-650. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. shuster: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: the -- the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part a of house report 115-650 offered by mr. shuster of pennsylvania.

the chair: pursuant to house resolution 839, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. shuster, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: i thanku -- i thank you, mr. chairman. and i rise in support of the manager's amendment. a vote for this amendment is a vote for positive change. a vote against it will be a real missed opportunity to make the bill better. this amendment enhances the training of flight attendants, so they're better equipped to deal with sexual misconduct. it establishes working groups to address sexual misconduct on flights and improve airline employee training. the amendment addresses an issue which is important -- which is important to the traveling public and our constituents tooned each of us in a thoughtful and respect -- and to each of us in a thoughtful and respectful way. this establishes an airline passengers with disabilities bill of rights to clarify the rights of passengers with disabilities and responsibilities of airlines and airports. the amendment also strengthens the civil penalties for violations that involve injury to a passenger with a disability

or damage to a passenger's wheelchair or our mobility aid. finally the amendment will make it better for both passengers and service animals by harmonizing standards. this will provide much-needed clarity in an area where there is real confusion. we worked closely with organizations representing persons with disabilities as well as the airline industry and i want to thank all of those who were willing to come to the table to make those improvements. last week we witnessed a tragedy when an engine exploded in midair, killing a passenger, a far bigger tragedy was averted thanks again to the professionalism of the flight crew and to the pilot, which i talked about earlier. this amendment, again, the airline experience is similar to incidents two years ago and while the f.a.a. industry have begun inspections we must ensure that the airline engine safety is thoroughly assessed and this amendment mandates a call to action to review -- to bring relevant people together to examine and address any risk associated with airline engines. .

this sector of aviation has the higher number of accidents, injuries, fatalities. while general aviation safety has improved in recent years, in fiscal year 2016 there was still -- excuse me -- 215 fatal accidents and 379 fatalities. it must improve the safety of the general aviation community. they share the skies with airspace users and operate above our neighbors. we can and must do better. again, this amendment provides for direction how the f.a.a. should spend additional general revises the s, f.a.a. operation levels to update c.b.o. baselines for fiscal year 2018. in response to the drone sightings around airport, the amendment makes counterdrone systems a.i.p. eligible. it makes the ability to leverage private sector money for our infrastructure needs. there's good government reforms in here.

this will relieve a future burden on aircraft operators. the amendment would bring a certain f.a.a. process into the digital age and review agency practices. some other important agencies, offers expenditures for commercial space activities. it requires better intraf.a.a. authorization on use of the national airspace and addresses the industry's support aircraft. commercial space transportation operators like other users of the airspace must coordinate and follow instructions of air traffic controllers. air traffic controllers keep us moving safely across this country. this also in far off places like guam which this amendment addresses the f.a.a. workers with the department of defense for those folks and those families who can get good medical care on the island of guam. finally, the amendment establishes youth in aviation task force to attract young people to aviation jobs. this makes shurs our aviation system pros percent in the

years ahead. mr. chairman, this amendment is a good amendment. it will improve the underlying bill. i urge members to support the amendment. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio: i support the amendment offered by the gentleman. he listed a number of provisions. i'll just don't want to be repetitive but, you know, i think the call to action regarding uncontained airliner engine failures is critical. that is actually the second uncontained failure of that engine with southwest airlines in 18 months which means somewhere -- turbin blades are not a life limited part. there's something amiss in the manufacture process and we need to get to the bottom of that. also, we need to be sure the

proper testing needs to be done to ensure their integrity as the planes continue to fly. it also has language of incidents of sexual misconduct on flights. i support but i am preparing and will offer a broader stand-alone provision bill on that subject in the near future. it modestly increases funding levels for aviation programs. includes $1 billion from the general fund for certain a.i.p. programs -- projects. principally for small airports in rural communities. this falls short of meeting the needs of all airports and all gates and terminal work we need, as i mentioned earlier, in discussing the lack of a p.s.c. in this bill -- p.f.c. in this bill. it creates a newly named position in the f.a.a., that would be the chief technology officer. currently the deputy administrator acts as the chief

technology officer. so i'm not quite certain what that accomplishes but i will certainly look forward to monitoring that position and progress and reports on next gen that that person does in the near future. with that i reserve the balance f my time unless we're -- lois -- well, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: mr. chairman, it's now my privilege to yield for one minute to the chairman of the subcommittee on highways and our general aviation pilot, mr. graves. mr. graves: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank the chairman for putting together, again, a long-term bill. mr. chairman, one of the priorities which is included in the manager's amendment is a program to invest in our small airports. as part of the increased investment that was provided in fiscal year 2018 omnibus, we provided an additional $1

billion to the f.a.a. in discretionary grants to small airports. now, airports across the country are going to have the opportunity to compete for additional dollars to carry out the larger projects. we also have some very important accountability measures. as such, we're asking the f.a.a. -- we're asking to review all the f.a.a. reviews to date on nextgen. this is ensure accountability to make sure our tax dollars are being spent to execute the goals of next gen. with that, mr. chairman. i ask all my colleagues to support the manager's amendment and the underlying bill. this is a good bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from oregon is ecognized. mr. defazio: at this point, i would yield to a member of the committee, the gentlelady from florida, ms. frankel, one minute. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. frankel: thank you and

thank you to the leadership of this committee for your work. i'm rising to support the en bloc amendment and i wanted to specifically mention a provision that's very important to the folks who are in palm beach county and also in niege -- new jersey which is the constituency of mr. lance. it's important for the president, regardless what your political ideology is, it's very important for the president to be safe whenever he travels. and this often results in travel restrictions in the locality he visits. in terms of my locality, peam beach county, florida -- palm beach county, florida, mr. trump has spent 70 days this year at mar a lago dubbed as the winter white house. here's what happens. when he visits, a small business operating airport called lantana airport, which

is 10 miles from mar-a-lago is completely shut down which means basically there's a lot of lost income. it's estimated almost $1 million a year. so this is -- if you translate that out, that's -- mr. defazio: i yield the gentlelady an additional minute. ms. frankel: thank you. that would be $4 million. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. frankel: as i said, the president's safety is paramount and the impact to local business is a problem. there is a provision in this amendment that requires the f.a.a. to study the economic impact of flight restrictions, which i think is a good thing, and analyze the possibility of some other options. again, i do support this amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from pennsylvania has 15 seconds. mr. shuster: i'm prepared to close. mr. defazio: i yield back. mr. shuster: i yield back.

the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. he gentleman will suspend. the committee will rise nformally. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair will receive a message. the messager: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 2758, an act to amend title 36 united states code to provide for the display of the national league of families p.o.w. mia flag at

the world war -- pow-mia flag at the world war i memorial in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the committee will resume its sitting. the chair: the committee will come to order. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. shuster: mr. chairman, pursuant to h.res. 839, i offer amendments en bloc. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment the amendments en bloc. the clerk: en bloc amendments -- en bloc number 1 consists of amendments 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 8, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, printed in part a of house report 115- 650 offered by mr. shuster of pennsylvania.

the chair: pursuant to house resolution 839, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. shuster, the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, will each control 10 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: i ask amendment number 20 be modified in the form at the desk. the clerk: modification to amendment number 25 printed in part a of house report 115-650 offered by mr. sanford of south carolina. mr. shuster: i ask the reading of the modification be dispensed with. the chair: is there objection? without objection, the reading is dispensed with. is there objection to the original request? without objection, the modification is approved. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: mr. speaker, i support considering these amendments en bloc all of which have been approved by the majority and minority. these members put forward thoughtful amendments and i am

pleased to support moving them en bloc. mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i support the adoption of these amendments en bloc. this grouping includes many democratic and republican amendments and each, as the chairman has said, has been approved by the majority and minority for consideration en bloc. among the amendments in this package is my comprehensive solution to the ever-growing list of safety and security concerns that have resulted from an unwise provision of law adopted in 2012. that law prohibits the federal aviation administration from promulgating any rule or regulation relating to drones flown for a hobby or recreational purpose. let me repeat. any rule or regulation relating to drones flown for hobby or recreational purposes. this was put in at the behest

of model aircraft folks who have a long and very responsible history, know the rules of the road and the air, but now there are hundreds of thousands, millions of other people now, you know, operating relatively inexpensive drones. things have changed pretty dramatically in that time period. and we sorely need some reasonable regulations. there are very strong national security concerns expressed by homeland and secret service and others. they are saying that, you know, basically they're going to hold back any rules, anything regarding drones until they can be sure that the operators and the drone can be identified, which the commercial people can easily do. it would be an expense for the recreational manufacturer, so there is a competing amendment that leaves -- that is more conciliatory towards the

chinese drone manufacturers which is a concern i don't have. sooner or later, one of these little toy drones will take down an aircraft and people are going to die, plain and simple. they already conducted tests and they found a small quad copter can cause a fatal -- a fatal damage to aircraft controls, and they haven't even done the injection test yet into a jet engine, a turbine engine, which you will see contained failures which we saw last week, so it's critical we t a handle on this and the proliferation of these with people with little or no experience or knowledge of aviation rules. . countless stakeholders are supporting my version, which would be the commercial drone industry. u.s. airlines and pilots. air traffic controllers. aircraft manufacturers. state and local entities.

they've all been asking for modification or repeal of the that -- of that provision, prohibiting the f.a.a. from regulating recreational drone users. until this is done, our skies will be less safe and the true potential of the commercial drone industry will never be unlocked because of the security concerns that i already mentioned. my amendment among other things grants the f.a.a. the authority to impose standards on recreational users as needed, ensure the safety of our air space system going forward, including requirements remotely identifying and tracking drone operators. that first step is critical to protecting sensitive facilities, as ets and addressing the concerns -- assets, and addressing the concerns of homeland and secret service and others. so i urge support of this amendment en bloc and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair reminds all mens -- members during debate, the well is to be cleared. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman.

i now recognize the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis. mr. davis: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. speaker. i'm proud to speak in support of this en bloc of amendments and then also in support of h.r. 4. it's finally a long-term re-authorization of the f.a.a. two programs of vital importance to my district are the essential air service program and the contract tower program. both programs are critical to rural areas and are protected in this bill. the bill also includes a provision i authored -- i authorized and authored to ensure small, low-risk microdrones can be operated safely, but also under different operational requirements than larger drones. safely and more appropriately integrating microdrones into the air space will foster innovation at companies like horizon hobby in my district, and incentivize better operator compliance. h.r. 4 also includes important customer service provisions, prohibits involuntary bumping of passengers once they have already boarded an aircraft. it makes fees and taxes more

transparent and when consumers have complaints about their flying experience, this bill will allow them to call a hotline or use an app on their smartphone. i also want to mention the disaster title of this bill. it's a shame that i have to speak about this again today. because this house already passed this legislation last december. unfortunately our colleagues in the senate stripped these provisions out of the disaster supplemental package we passed earlier this year, but now we have an opportunity to finally get this crucial legislation signed into law. included in this package is my bill, the disaster declaration improvement act, which requires fema to place a greater weight and consideration on severe localized impact of damage following a disaster. passing this bill will have real impact in states like illinois, where a large portion of our population is concentrated in a small geographical area in the northeast portion of our state. enacting this language into law will help level the playing field and help ensure rural

areas like my district are given a fair shake when disasters happen and help is needed. i want to thank chairman shuster and ranking member defazio for working to include this disaster package in this bill. for all the hard work on the underlying bill. i urge adoption and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i yield to a member of the committee, the gentleman from illinois, one minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i thank the ranking member, i thank chairman shuster for his work on this bill, on this en bloc of amendments, in which i have an amendment that i drafted that would allow airports to apply for grants from the small airport fund to construct air traffic control towers for participation in the federal contract tower program. mr. lipinski: this provision will ensure that our air space remains a gold standard for safety by helping small airports currently operating with towers to invest in life-saving safety infrastructure. it's my understanding that because this will be a new eligibility, the f.a.a. will need to classify the construction of an air traffic

control tower under the airport capital improvement program to ensure that it is scored properly for purposes of grant awards through the national priority ranking system. i ask the chairman if he will agree with me that, first, the f.a.a. has never classified control towers before. and second, that the f.a.a. should plan to ensure that these high-priority projects are classified properly for consideration in grant decisions. and third, that they should classify -- be classified in a manner that provides them with an appropriate level of playing field with other projects, to ensure competitiveness. i yield to the chairman. mr. shuster: i'm sorry, the gentleman -- the chair: the gentleman may proceed. mr. lipinski: i was yielding for an agreement on these three provisions that we want to lay out here for this amendment. mr. shuster: we're committed to work with the gentleman as we move forward. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired.

the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. i now yield a minute to the gentleman from our committee, mr. lewis from minnesota, for one minute. louis louis i thank you, mr. chairman, -- mr. lewis: i thank you, mr. chairman, and thank you for all your hard work. i'm pleased that my amendment to codify the f.a.a.'s unmanned aircraft system integrated pilot program is included in this en bloc package. drones are an innovation that i know our country's anxious to take advantage of. however, it brings with us a need to rethink and redefine some current policies. aviation regulations that manage the flow of air traffic get 30 -- at 30,000 feet or even 1,000 feet do not make sense when managing the operations of a u.a.s. five feet off the ground. congress should support this pilot program and learn from the data gathered here. we must also recognize the importance of nonfederal bodies like states, municipalities and tribal governments to be part of the drone oversight. this pilot program, which my amendment codifies and which

stem from a white house proposal, will help us do just that, and it has been widely supported. in fact, drones associations that -- association, -- associations, traditional aviation groups, wrote in support of this program. we hope that d.o.t. will now expand the program to further participation. and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from reserves, from pennsylvania. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: may i inquire the time remaining on each side? the chair: the gentleman from regon has 5 1/2 minutes. the gentleman from pennsylvania has 6 1/2 minutes. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from washington state. ms. jayapal: thank you very much. i would like to thank chairman shuster and ranking member defazio for including two of my amendments in the en bloc package. you've set a high bar for collegiality in this process and like forward to working with you as the f.a.a. implements this bill. my amendments focus on two issues important to the residents of washington's seventh district, but across the

country. namely, the issue of airplane noise and infrastructure needs of fast-growing airports, like ctac. many of our communities with large and medium airports are growing by leaps and bounds. according to airports council international, over the last 10 years, the passenger traffic has grown by 52.6%, second only to san francisco. and we need to be certain that our communities are able to prepare for that growth, while still ensuring that they remain livable. these amendments will help to build that evidence base and i deeply appreciate the consideration and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. i now yield one minute to the gentleman from wichita, kansas, mr.esties. the chair: the gentleman is ecognized. mr. estes: thank you. as a representative of the fourth district of kansas, which

includes wichita, also known as the air capital of the world, i have a deep appreciation for the importance of the aviation industry in our region and country. for more than 100 years, our community has pioneered aviation and manufacturing. today the greater wichita area is home to many of the world's largest aviation manufacturers and produces nearly 50% of all general aviation planes built. without question, aviation is a great source of pride for all kansans and i want to thank chairman shuster and the transportation and infrastructure committee for their efforts to support the industry and modernize the f.a.a. as part of the f.a.a. re-authorization of 2018, congress has tasked the f.a.a. administrator to establish a task force on flight standards review -- or reform. i believe creating this task force to improve aviation safety standards is a needed and overdue initiative. h.r. 4 mandates the task force be comprised of representatives from air carriers, general and business aviation, repair stations -- mr. shuster: i yield the

gentleman an additional 30 seconds. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. streststrest flight schools and aviation safety inspectors. today i'm offering an amendment to the task force to include representatives of aircraft manufacturers. mr. estes: i believe those responsible for producing our nation's aircraft can play a valuable role in updating safety standards and should have a voice. i want to thank our colleagues for their attention to the industry and consideration of this amendment and to support the f.a.a. re-authorization act. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i'd yield one minute to the gentleman from illinois. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you. and i thank the gentleman for yielding and i'd like to thank the chairman and ranking member for including my amendment in the en bloc. mr. krishnamoorthi: my amendment would require the f.a.a. to study the economic harm caused by excessive aircraft noise on

communities and businesses near major airports. companies adjacent to airports such as o'hare international airport in my district see that flight paths have to contend with the economic activity in that region. and noise disrupts their customers and interferes with business, in addition to the physiological effects that constant noise has on employees. under my amendment, the f.a.a. will study what happens to businesses when they are subject to excessive noise throughout the work day. this will include but is not limited to employee productivity and retention, workplace morale and satisfaction, and other data to help policymakers grasp the full effect of airport noise on neighborhoods. this is a bipartisan, commonsense amendment and, again, i thank the committee for including it in the en bloc. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. he has yielded back. the gentleman from oregon is ecognized.

mr. shuster: i continue mr. shuster: i continue to reserve. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. mr. defazio: i yield one minute to the gentleman from florida. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, thank you, mr. chairman. i thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership and bipartisanship on this bill. americans who watch "60 minutes" last weekend or who read the "tampa bay times" were shocked by serious airline safety concerns specifically with aliegent airlines. a carrier that operates 95% of the traffic at my hometown airport. it raises questions about the f.a.a.'s compliance philosophy, quote-unquote, focused on fewer enforcement actions, more working quietly with the airlines behind the scenes on safety issues. mr. crist: i sure hope it's true that airlines are more likely to self-report safety incidents if they do not fear retribution. but lives are at stake. and we must get the facts. my amendment would require an investigation into whether this hands an huff -- hands-off approach is in fact working. profits can never trump passenger safety. i ask my colleagues to support this straightforward amendment

and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. mr. shuster: i continue to reserve. the chair: the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i would yield one minute to the gentleman from washington, my neighbor to the north. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today in support of my amendment, which would modify the airport improvement program, to require the f.a.a. to explicitly consider the emergency preparedness needs of the communities served when reviewing an airport's master plan. currently the f.a.a. relies primarily on number of planements when making their fund determinations under the a.i.p. that disadvantages rural airports like fairchild airport in thigh mayorga district, which serves as a critical component of the state and fema's emergency response plan for the region, but has relatively few inplainments. mr. kilmer: this would help ensure that fairchild and other airports like it are able to

secure the funding necessary to maintain their runway and other critical infrastructure so that the resources are available when disaster strikes. this matters to folks in my neck of the woods who live in the shadow of the zone. when the big one hits, the fairchild airport will be essential to deploying emergency supplies, as well as for evacuating people to safety. i'd like to thank chairman shuster and ranking member defazio for their support of this amendment and i urge my colleagues voluntary to vote yes on it. thank you, mr. speaker. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: reserve. the chair: reserves. the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i would yield back. the chair: the gentleman from oregon yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. chairman. i encourage all of my colleagues to support the en bloc package and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendments en bloc as modified offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the en bloc amendments as modified are