WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week passed the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2006 (H.R. 5076). The measure was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and reauthorizes NTSB appropriations for two years. A similar bill (S. 3679) was approved earlier this year by the Senate Commerce Committee and was passed by unanimous consent by the Senate on September 25, 2006. The Senate version was sponsored by Senator Conrad Burns, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, and Senator Rockefeller, the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Aviation. The final bill will now be sent to the President for his consideration.

“ Alaska depends on aviation more than any other state in our nation. Safety is our number one priority,” said Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).  “It was not long ago that one out of every 11 pilots in Alaska was killed in an aviation related accident. NTSB has played a critical role in reversing that deadly trend.”

Summary of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Reauthorization Bill:

 

The bill authorizes the appropriation of $81,594,000 for FY 2007 and $92,625,000 for FY 2008 to fund authorized activities of the NTSB.  These funding levels would support 410 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff in 2007 and 430 FTE in 2008.

 

The bill requires the NTSB to develop a plan, to be implemented within two years of enactment, for the NTSB Academy to achieve self-sufficient operation and utilize the Academy’s resources and facilities.  It also requires the Board to annually submit to Congress a list of accidents the Board was required to investigate but did not, as well as a list of ongoing investigations exceeding the time allotted by Board order.

 

The bill allows each Board member, rather than the chairman, to appoint and supervise the employees in his or her immediate office.  The bill also requires the Board to establish a process for members to review and comment on documents submitted to the President, Office of Management and Budget, or Congress.

 

The bill allows the Board to enter into agreements or contracts for investigations conducted under the Board’s general authority without regard to any provision of law requiring competition, only if necessary to expedite the investigation.  The NTSB is also permitted to use refunds and reimbursements that are received in a fiscal year subsequent to the year for which the funds were originally appropriated.

 

In order to promote economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and prevent fraud and abuse at the NTSB, the bill requires the Comptroller General to evaluate and audit the programs and expenditures of the NTSB at least on an annual basis.  The bill also removes a requirement established in 2000 that the NTSB reimburse the DOT IG for costs associated with the review authority of the DOT IG, with the understanding that the DOT IG would be funded directly.

 

The bill directs the DOT IG to: (1) provide independent oversight of the activities performed by the Federal Highway Administration, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation, and the Massachusetts DOT for the project-wide safety review of the Central Artery tunnel project in Boston, MA; (2) investigate criminal or fraudulent acts committed in the design and construction of the Central Artery project; and (3) report to Congress on its oversight of this project.