00Enrolled HR 5                                                                                                           
01 Urging the United States Congress to fund fully the essential air service program.                                      
02                                         _______________                                                                 
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:                                                                       
04      WHEREAS S.223, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety                                               
05 Improvement Act, has been introduced in the United States Senate; and                                                   
06      WHEREAS Amendment 4 to S.223 by the senior senator from Arizona would                                            
07 eliminate funding for the essential air service program; and                                                            
08      WHEREAS the 44 communities in the state that benefit from the essential air service                              
09 program under 49 U.S.C. 41731 - 41748 are the most remote and isolated communities in the                               
10 nation; and                                                                                                             
11      WHEREAS air carriers in the state that are subsidized by the essential air service                               
12 program provide critical passenger, cargo, and mail services to remote communities; and                               
13      WHEREAS, for many remote communities in the state, air travel is not simply a                                    
14 convenience, but the only scheduled passenger service to the rest of the world, making it vital                         
15 for basic economic, health, and safety needs; and                                                                       
16      WHEREAS the essential air service program ensures that remote communities can                                    
17 maintain a link to the national air transportation system; and                                                          

01      WHEREAS Alaska is a young state, and, because of the size and the unique                                         
02 geography of the state, relatively few roads provide access to remote communities, making                               
03 aircraft the dominant mode of transportation in many rural areas; and                                                   
04      WHEREAS the elimination or any significant diminution of the essential air service                               
05 program would significantly increase commodity prices and the cost of general passenger air                             
06 travel essential to residents of the state's rural communities; and                                                     
07      WHEREAS, without the essential air service program, at least 12,000 Alaskans living                            
08 off the road system would not be able to afford travel to regional hubs for essential medical                           
09 care; and                                                                                                               
10      WHEREAS the complete elimination or any significant diminution of the essential air                              
11 service program affecting Alaska would have a severe negative economic effect on remote                                 
12 communities in the state, many of which are already economically depressed, and could                                   
13 destabilize those communities;                                                                                          
14      BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives supports the essential air                                      
15 service program and urges the United States Congress to reauthorize full funding for the                                
16 program in S.223, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act.                                  
17      COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                              
18 the United States; the Honorable Raymond L. LaHood, United States Secretary of                                          
19 Transportation; the Honorable John McCain, U.S. Senator; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski                                   
20 and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.                                         
21 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and all other members of the                              
22 112th United States Congress.