Senate and House committees held markups yesterday and approved legislation that would in essence repeal the Wright Amendment. In the Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced legislation (S. 3661) that would implement the agreement reached in June to lift all existing domestic flight restrictions at Dallas Love Field after eight years, effectively repealing the Wright amendment.
The Senate Commerce Committee passed their bill overwhelmingly by a vote of 21 to one -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) was the lone dissenter -- with one amendment. The amendment added a new "findings" section to the bill detailing the history of the Wright Amendment and the development of the agreement.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted unanimously in favor of their bill, H.R. 5830, which is similar to the Senate-passed version. Both measures include a provision requiring the FAA to ensure that the safety of the airspace serving Dallas Love Field will not be compromised under the proposed agreement.
The 2007 Department of Transportation Appropriations bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation this week also contains a provision implementing the Wright Amendment agreement. Because of the "must pass" nature of the DOT bill, it may be the legislative vehicle used to ensure the agreement becomes law, rather than either free standing bill.
