Buffalo, New York- June 8, 2010 – As the Senate and House return from last week’s Memorial Day recess, members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ implored Senator Jay Rockefeller (WV), Chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Congressman James Oberstar (MN), Chairman of the House’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to guide the FAA Reauthorization Bill to a final resolution prior to July 3rd when the current extension expires.
‘We are now going on fourteen months since the NTSB hearings last May initially revealed the glaring deficiencies in the regional airline industry,’ stated John Kausner of Clarence Center, New York, who lost his twenty-four year old daughter Ellyce in the crash. ‘We are pleading to Chairmen Rockefeller and Oberstar, and the entire Senate and House, to come together and send this bill to the President’s desk; to do their part to make sure that a tragedy like this is not allowed to happen again. As we get closer and closer to August recess and mid-term elections the likelihood of this getting done gets less and less. These next three weeks are absolutely crucial.’
Since the last FAA Reauthorization expired in 2007, Congress has passed thirteen short-term extensions in the absence of passing a new authorization bill. Both houses have passed their own version of a comprehensive FAA Bill this spring, and each includes critical safety provisions intended to address the issues associated with Continental Flight 3407. All that remains is for the two committees to hammer out a compromise bill.
‘Regardless of your personal beliefs, party affiliation, et cetera, we can’t lose sight of the fact that we are talking public safety here,’ stated Scott Maurer of Moore, South Carolina, who lost his thirty year old daughter Lorin. ‘The implementation of NextGen and these safety measures that are designed to ensure ‘One Level of Safety’ for those who fly on regional airlines should trump any other considerations when it comes to this bill. We missed a lot of warning signs prior to Flight 3407, and we cannot afford to miss this opportunity to address these issues through legislation. July 3rd is coming up quickly and we need Congress to work with a sense of urgency here.’