H.R. 2910 - National Transportation Safety Board
Amendments Act of 1999
(Shuster (R) PA and 3 cosponsors)
The Administration has no objection to House passage of H.R. 2910, which
would authorize appropriations for the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) for fiscal years 2000-2002. However, the Administration will work
with the Congress to amend the legislation to:
Eliminate the restriction of section 6 to "intentional" criminal acts
by omitting the word "intentional." Unless the word "intentional" is
omitted, section 6 would exclude many environmental and other offenses
that do not require proof of intentional conduct.
Delete the exemption in section 5 of passive recorder devices from the
definition of "information collections" subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act, which would establish an undesirable precedent that
could hinder efforts to control Federal information collection burdens
on the public.
Delete section 4 relating to overtime pay for NTSB employees performing
accident investigations. This provision would make no distinction
between employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and those
who are exempt; create inconsistencies in the treatment of travel time
under Federal overtime laws; establish overtime pay limitations that
would be unique to NTSB employees; and fragment Federal overtime laws
and make them more complex. The Administration instead urges the
House to pass H.R.1770, which would address overtime concerns on a
government-wide basis.
