[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2768-H2769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1330
EXPEDITED DELIVERY OF AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2021
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 468) to amend title 49, United States Code, to permit the
use of incentive payments to expedite certain federally financed
airport development projects.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 468
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Expedited Delivery of
Airport Infrastructure Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. ALLOWABLE COST STANDARDS FOR AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS.
(a) In General.--Section 47110(b)(1) of title 49, United
States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``(1) if the cost necessarily'' and
inserting ``(1)(A) if the cost necessarily'';
(2) by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting ``;
or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) if the cost is an incentive payment incurred in
carrying out the project described in subparagraph (A) that
is to be provided to a contractor upon early completion of a
project, if--
``(i) such payment does not exceed the lesser of 5 percent
of the initial construction contract amount or $1,000,000;
``(ii) the level of contractor's control of, or access to,
the worksite necessary to shorten the duration of the project
does not negatively impact the operation of the airport;
``(iii) the contract specifies application of the incentive
structure in the event of unforeseeable, non-weather delays
beyond the control of the contractor;
``(iv) nothing in any agreement with the contractor
prevents the airport operator from retaining responsibility
for the safety, efficiency, and capacity of the airport
during the execution of the grant agreement; and
``(v) the Secretary determines that the use of an incentive
payment is likely to increase airport capacity or efficiency
or result in cost savings as a result of shortening the
project's duration;''.
(b) Technical Correction.--Section 47110(e)(7) of title 49,
United States Code, is amended in the heading by striking
``Partnership Program Airports'' and inserting ``Partnership
program airports''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Missouri
(Mr. Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.
General Leave
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 468.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
There was no objection.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 468, the Expedited Delivery of Airport
Infrastructure Act of 2021. Introduced by the committee's ranking
member, Sam Graves, the bill incentivizes the early completion of
airport projects funded by the Federal Aviation Administration's
Airport Improvement Program.
As the global pandemic begins to subside and the number of vaccinated
Americans has steadily grown, the number of passengers traveling by air
has dramatically increased. In fact, last month, the Transportation
Security Administration recorded the highest number of daily passengers
screened at U.S. airports since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,
forcing airports to find ways to keep up with the growing passenger
demand.
This legislation will help address this need by allowing airports to
use their Airport Improvement Program funding to offer incentive
payments to contractors for early completion of airport development
projects.
Importantly, H.R. 468 includes conditions that ensure projects
completed early do not have a negative impact on airport safety,
efficiency, or capacity.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 468, which is the Expedited
Delivery of Airport Infrastructure Act of 2021, and I want to thank
Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves for cosponsoring the
bill.
H.R. 468 provides airports with some commonsense tools to incentivize
the early completion of airport projects using AIP funds, or Airport
Improvement Program funds.
Under this bill, the use of AIP funds for incentive payments is left
to the discretion of the airport operator, but the benefits of
incentive payments are already well-known in the surface transportation
sector.
This bill is going to allow airports to expedite the delivery of
airport projects, take better advantage of short construction seasons,
relieve operational disruptions that result from such projects and,
obviously, save the taxpayer money.
This is a commonsense practice that is utilized in so many other
Federal infrastructure projects and it does not increase Federal
spending.
H.R. 468 is supported by the American Association of Airport
Executives, the Airports Council International, and the Associated
General Contractors of America.
This bill was introduced in Congress last year. It passed the House
under suspension of the rules, and it was done by voice vote. I am
hopeful that we can get this commonsense bill across the finish line
this Congress. I would very much urge support of the legislation.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the ranking
member of the Aviation Subcommittee.
Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman
[[Page H2769]]
DeFazio; the sponsor of the bill, the ranking member of the committee,
Sam Graves; as well as Aviation Ranking Member Rick Larsen of
Washington State.
Madam Speaker, we need to be able to have the authority to make
incentive payments. We have seen an extraordinary shift in aviation
travel. In April of last year, there was a 95 percent reduction in
airline passengers. We recently saw TSA screen the same number of
passengers as before the pandemic.
The aviation demand is coming back with a vengeance. Our airports are
crowded. Our airlines are packed. Our airplanes are packed.
What this allows the FAA to do is to provide incentive payments to
expedite the completion of construction projects at airports. This is
for safety. This is for additional capacity. This is going to ensure
that the aviation industry, that our airport infrastructure can keep up
with increased demand.
And as the ranking member said, this same expedited authority and
incentive payments is allowed in other forms of infrastructure. So I
want to thank the ranking member, Sam Graves, for bringing up this
commonsense legislation.
Madam Speaker, I urge its adoption.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I
yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, this is commonsense legislation. It doesn't cost the
government any money. And the fact of the matter is, it is already
being done in so many other areas of transportation projects.
Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 468.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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