Statement of Administration Policy: S. 1184 - Airport and Airway Capacity Expansion Act of 1987

(Senate)
(Ford (D) Kentucky and Cranston (D) Califotnia)

The administration opposes enactment of S. 1184 unless it is amended to:

— eliminate the penalty provisions that restrict the recovery of air ttaffic controller workforce salaries and other Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operational expenditures from the Trust Fund. The penalty provisions in the bill could mean continuing increases in the Trust Fund balance;

— authorize appropriations of $3.1 billion for fiscal years 1988-1990 for airport grant funding (instead of $5.1 billion); and

— eliminate the provision that would prevent the use of sealed bids and preclude the consideration of price in procuring architectural and engineering services.

The administration opposes any amendment which would extend the Essential Air Service air carrier subsidy program or revise existing procedures for the imposition of labor protective provisions for airline mergers. The administration also opposes the addition of any other extraneous subjects to the bill that will interfere with swift renewal of FAA programs critical to aviation safety and needed capacity enhancement.