093_HJ0029

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 1                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Commercial aviation is an important component of
 3    the economy of Illinois, both for business and leisure travel
 4    to, from, and through the State, and for the  major  presence
 5    of airlines and airline related employment in Illinois; and

 6        WHEREAS,  Illinois is the home of a major airline, United
 7    Airlines, and a major aircraft manufacturer, Boeing; and

 8        WHEREAS, Illinois is the site  of  the  nation's  busiest
 9    airport, O'Hare International, with extensive service by both
10    United  and  American  Airlines,  and  is  the site of Midway
11    Airport which is served by Southwest,  the  nation's  largest
12    low cost carrier; and

13        WHEREAS,  American, the country's largest airline, serves
14    Illinois through both its O'Hare and St. Louis hubs; and

15        WHEREAS,  Both  United  and   American   have   extensive
16    commuter/regional  service  to  multiple  points  in Illinois
17    linking citizens of the  State  with  safe,  dependable,  and
18    convenient service to the nation and the world; and

19        WHEREAS,  More  than  500,000 airline employees reside in
20    Illinois with an annual payroll of more than $12 billion; and

21        WHEREAS, The airlines serving Illinois are in a crisis as
22    they continue to struggle  with  declines  in  ridership  and
23    revenue in the aftermath of September 11, 2001; and

24        WHEREAS,  The  war  in Iraq and the war on terrorism have
25    exacerbated the industry problems  as  traffic  and  revenues
26    continue to decline; and

27        WHEREAS,   As  traffic  declines,  costs  such  as  fuel,
28    insurance, and security expenses continue to increase; and

29        WHEREAS, The airlines have slashed  fares,  flights,  and
 
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 1    staffing to reduce costs as demand diminishes; and

 2        WHEREAS,  The  Air  Transport Association (ATA) estimates
 3    that the nation's airlines will experience an  additional  $4
 4    billion  in  war  impact losses bringing the total losses for
 5    the year to $10.7 billion; and

 6        WHEREAS, Airline traffic is expected to drop  15  percent
 7    during  the  calendar  quarter  of  the war; 2,200 more daily
 8    flights will be eliminated and 70,000 more jobs will be lost;
 9    and

10        WHEREAS, The airlines are carrying $100 billion in  debt,
11    two  major  airlines are in Chapter 11, and others are on the
12    brink of bankruptcy; and

13        WHEREAS, The Air Transport  Association  has  proposed  a
14    series of specific options to reduce the damage being done to
15    the nation's air transportation system; and

16        WHEREAS  The  ATA  recommends that the passenger security
17    tax and air carrier security fee should be repealed; and

18        WHEREAS,  ATA  asks  that  the  Transportation   Security
19    Administration  take  over  all  screening  of passengers and
20    property and the costs thereof, as intended by  the  Aviation
21    and Transportation Security Act; and

22        WHEREAS  The ATA urges that the Aviation Security Program
23    contained in the  Department  of  Homeland  Security  statute
24    should  be  extended permanently as should the liability cap,
25    and that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve should be drawn down
26    to avoid the interruption of jet fuel supply and to  moderate
27    extraordinary fuel prices; and

28        WHEREAS,  The  ATA  advises  that  the federal government
29    should suspend certain taxes and fees on  air  transportation
30    paid  by  passengers, shippers, and airlines for the duration
 
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 1    of hostilities and  for  one  year  past  the  conclusion  of
 2    hostilities;  those taxes and fees include the Federal Ticket
 3    Tax, the Flight Segment Tax, the  International  Arrival  and
 4    Departure  Tax,  the Cargo Waybill Tax, the Jet Fuel Tax, and
 5    the Frequent Flyer Tax; and

 6        WHEREAS, The ATA proposes that some combination of  these
 7    suggestions  must  be  enacted  by the Congress of the United
 8    States as soon as possible to avoid  serious  damage  to  the
 9    airline industry; therefore, be it

10        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
11    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF  ILLINOIS,  THE
12    SENATE  CONCURRING  HEREIN,  that  we do formally request the
13    President of the United States and the Congress of the United
14    States to enact aid for  the  nation's  airline  industry  as
15    quickly as possible; and be it further

16        RESOLVED,  That  suitable  copies  of  this resolution be
17    immediately delivered to George W. Bush, the President of the
18    United States of America; Norman Mineta, the Secretary of the
19    Department of Transportation; Representative Dennis  Hastert,
20    the  Speaker  of the House of Representatives; Representative
21    Nancy  Pelosi,  the  Minority  Leader   of   the   House   of
22    Representatives;  Senator  Bill  Frist,  the  Senate Majority
23    Leader; Senator Tom Daschle, the Senate Minority Leader;  and
24    to each member of the Illinois congressional delgation.