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January 10, 2007

Petri to Lead Republicans On Aviation Subcommittee

WASHINGTON - Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), the Ranking Republican on the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced today that Rep. Tom Petri will lead the Republicans as the ranking member on the House Aviation Subcommittee during the current Congress. The term "ranking" denotes the leader of the minority party in committees and subcommittees.

"This subcommittee will handle the most important legislation to come before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the current Congress. With the current aviation program expiring this year, and with many other important issues coming before the Aviation Subcommittee, we are going to have a full plate," said Petri.

"Obviously, aviation is a major presence in our part of Wisconsin. We are the home of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Basler Turbo Conversions, and Oshkosh Truck, which is the leading manufacturer of aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicles. But aviation is also vitally important nationally," he said.

The Aviation Subcommittee has jurisdiction over civil aviation safety, security, infrastructure and labor, and exercises oversight over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Issues likely to be on the Aviation Subcommittee’s agenda in the 110th Congress include the status of the Aviation Trust Fund, air traffic control modernization, the integration of new users into the National Airspace System, FAA personnel management, increased deployment of baggage and checkpoint screening technology, international aviation trade issues, and other issues vital to the aviation industry.

“Going into a year when we will be dealing with the FAA’s reauthorization and other important issues, the selection of Congressman Petri to head up the Republican Members of the Aviation Subcommittee was an obvious choice,” said Rep. Mica.

“With Congressman Petri, we are benefiting from the expertise and diligence of one of our most senior, knowledgeable and hard-working Republican Members," he said.


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The text of Rep. Petri's full statement follows:

I'm quite pleased to have been named the ranking member - in other words, the leading Republican - on the House Aviation Subcommittee.

This subcommittee will handle the most important legislation to come before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the current Congress. With the current aviation program expiring this year, and with many other important issues coming before the Aviation Subcommittee, we are going to have a full plate.

Obviously, aviation is a major presence in our part of Wisconsin. We are the home of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Basler Turbo Conversions, and Oshkosh Truck, which is the leading manufacturer of aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicles. But aviation is also vitally important nationally.

I am excited and eager to dive in, and I'm looking forward to working with Representative John Mica of Florida, the new ranking member of the full transportation committee to get the job done.

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