SENATE COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE WARREN G. MAGNUSON, Washington, Chairman JOHN O. PASTORE, Rhode Island STROM THURMOND, South Carolina JOHN W. BRICKER, Ohio ANDREW F. SCHOEPPEL, Kansas NORRIS COTTON, New Hampshire EDWARD JARRETT, Chief Clerk II UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS Statement of— Page Baker, Warren E., General Counsel, Federal Communications Com- 102 Curtis, Edward P., Special Assistant to the President for Aviation Durfee, James R., Chairman, Civil Aeronautics Board, Washington 25, Hartranft, J. B., Jr., president, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Lawton, William K., executive director, National Business Aircraft Sayen, Clarence H., president, Air Line Pilots Association, National Skifter, Dr. Hector R., special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Tipton, Stuart G., president, Air Transport Association of America, Statement submitted by: Riley, George D., AFL-CIO legislative repre- 19 39 47 67 3 71 31 60 135 Letters from: Parker, Charles A., executive director, National Aviation Trades 107 Abney, A. E., president, National Association of State Aviation 136 Reports from Civil Service Commission, dated June 5, 1957. 109 110 108 General Accounting Office, dated May 15, 1957. Edward P. Curtis, Special Assistant to the President for Aviation Facilities Planning... 109 17, 111 III of the common system shall be furnished to the Board to the maximum extent appropriate to insure that common system application potential is properly considered. (c) The Board is also authorized (1) subject to the civil-service and classification laws, to select, employ, appoint, and fix the compensation of such officers, employees, attorneys, and agents as shall be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act, and to define their authority and duties; (2) to appoint such advisory committees as shall be appropriate for the purposes of consultation and advice to the Board in performance of its functions hereunder and to obtain services as authorized by section 15 of the Act of August 2, 1946 (5 U. S. C. 55 (a)), at rates not to exceed $100 per diem for individuals. Members of such committees, shall be entitled to travel expenses and per diem authorized by the Act of August 2, 1946 (5 U. S. C. 73 b-2), for all persons employed intermittently as consultants or experts receiving compensation on a per diem basis; (3) to enter into contracts without regard to section 3648 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (31 U. S. C. 529) ; (4) to use with their consent the available services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of other agencies and instrumentalities of the Federal Government on a reimbursable basis when appropriate, and on a similar basis to cooperate with other agencies and instrumentalities in the use of services, equipment, and facilities of the Board; (5) to place in grades 16, 17, and 18 of the General Schedule established by the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, not to exceed twenty positions. Any such position shall be additional to the number authorized by section 505 of that Act and shall be subject to the standards and procedures of such section; (6) to establish and fix the compensation for not to exceed five positions of officers and employees of the Board of a scientific or professional nature without regard to the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, each such position being established to effectuate those research, development and related activities of the Board which require the services of specially qualified scientific or professional personnel. The rates of basic compensation for positions established pursuant to this subsection shall not exceed the maximum rate payable under Public Law 313, Eightieth Congress, as amended, and Public Law 854, Eighty-fourth Congress, and shall be subject to the approval of the Civil Service Commission. Positions created pursuant to this subsection shall be included in the classified civil service of the United States, but appointment to such positions shall be made without competitive examination upon approval of the proposed appointee's qualifications by the Civil Service Commission or such officers or agents as it may designate for this purpose; and (7) to construct, improve, or renovate laboratories and other test facilities and to purchase or otherwise acquire real property required therefor. (d) With approval of the President, uniformed personnel of the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force, may be detailed by the appropriate Secretary, pursuant to cooperative agreements with the Board. for services in performance of functions under this Act to the same extent to which they might lawfully have been assigned to such service in the Department of Defense. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRMAN SEC. 3. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) hereof, and in the selection of systems, procedures, facilities, and devices, the Board shall assign to the Chairman responsibility for carrying out activities of the Board. Included among the responsibilities of the Chairman shall be (1) the appointment and supervision of personnel employed under the Board, (2) the distribution of business among such personnel and among administrative units of the Board, and (3) the use and expenditure of funds. (b) (1) In carrying out any of his functions under the provisions of this section, the Chairman shall be governed by general policies of the Board. (2) The appointment by the Chairman of the heads of major administrative units under the Board shall be subject to the approval of the Board. (c) The Chairman may from time to time make such provisions as he shall deem appropriate authorizing the performance by any officer, employee, or admin istrative unit under his jurisdiction of any function of the Chairman assigned to him by this section. TRANSFER OF RELATED FUNCTIONS SEC. 4. The Board, upon unanimous decision and with approval of the President, may transfer to itself any functions (including powers, duties, activities, facilities, and parts of functions) of the Departments of Defense or Commerce or of any officer or organizational entity thereof which relate primarily to selecting, developing, testing, or evaluating systems, procedures, facilities, or devices for safe and efficient air navigation and air traffic control. In connection with any such transfer, the President may provide for appropriate transfers of records, property, necessary civilian personnel, and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds available or to be made available of the officers, department, or other agency from which the transfer is made. TERMINATION SEC. 5. This Act and all authority conferred thereunder shall terminate at the close of June 30, 1960, but the President may continue the Board for purposes of liquidation for not to exceed six months after such termination. Concurrently with the said termination all functions transferred under section 4 hereof shall, except as may be otherwise hereafter provided by or pursuant to law, revert to their status as it existed prior to such transfer. The President shall provide for the disposition to be made of the records, property, employees, and funds of the Board, consonant with law, at or after the time of termination of the Board. APPROPRIATIONS SEC. 6. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated without fiscal year limitation, such sums as may be necessary and appropriate for the carrying out of the provisions and purposes of this Act. The CHAIRMAN. The chairman decided the bill was important enough to keep it in the full committee and not send it to the Aviation Subcommittee. The subcommittee agreed with us. So we can, if the committee approves of the bill, get as fast action as possible on the matter. Mr. Rothschild, we will be glad to hear from you. Do you have a written statement? Mr. ROTHSCHILD. I have, sir, very short one. The CHAIRMAN. We will get it. Go right ahead. STATEMENT OF LOUIS S. ROTHSCHILD, UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR TRANSPORTATION; ACCOMPANIED BY JAMES T. PYLE, CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATOR Mr. ROTHSCHILD. I am Louis S. Rothschild, under Secretary of Commerce for Transportation. I appreciate the opportunity this committee has afforded me to appear and testify on Senate bill 1856 which will probably be known as the Airways Modernization Board bill. Its purpose as you stated, Mr. Chairman, as stated in the preamble of the bill, is To provide for the development and modernization of the national system of navigation and traffic control facilities to serve present and future needs of civil and military aviation. The Board would also direct the research required to accomplish this development and modernization of our air traffic control facilities. Organizationally, the Board would consist of three members, a Chairman, to be appointed by the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Commerce. The Secretaries would be authorized to designate an officer of their respective departments to act in their |