The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“VALUJET” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S11366 on Sept. 26, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
VALUJET
Mr. COVERDELL. Madam President, yesterday I came to the floor of the Senate to describe the predicament that faces a major corporation in my home State, ValuJet.
I will not repeat everything I said yesterday, but I pointed out we all have grieved over the tragedy, and we understand that safety in the air is a preeminent goal of the Federal Aviation Administration, and all of us. This corporation underwent the most exhaustive and thorough review possible and, in late August, was certified as flight-worthy by the FAA.
Subsequently, the airline had been confronted once again with bureaucratic delays and the like that are so typical of this city. Now it is the Department of Transportation.
I might point out that 4,000 families are not receiving their paychecks and can't make their mortgage payments. They can't make their car payments. They have been pushed out on the street. And we are about to fire 400 more even though the airline is now certified as worthy to fly.
Yesterday, I received a phone call--I want to add this to the Record--from Mr. Kent Sherman, who owns a company called Sky Clean, in College Park, right near the airport. This story illustrates and brings home the impact of this shutdown and how it goes beyond ValuJet itself. Sky Clean provides a cleaning service for airplanes cleaning the interior and exterior, and the largest client was ValuJet. If ValuJet is not in the air, this company will close and all of their employees are also put out on the street.
So there are peripheral companies that surround this corporation, all of whom are facing shutdowns and layoffs. This is an interesting story. It was founded 4\1/2\ years ago with $122. They spent most of it on fliers and business cards, and had $15 left to buy cleaning chemicals. They put their profits into more chemicals and rags and brushes, and went in there, and eventually had enough to buy a pressure washer. One year ago they got the breakthrough. They got a contract with ValuJet. Their motto is ``Just Plane Spotless.''
Today, they have 28 employees. Last year, they had $740,000 in revenues, up from $40,000 3 years ago. He said, ``We have been incredibly blessed. This has been the dream of a lifetime.''
In June, the company had $3 shy of $100,000 in their savings account. There are no savings today. They met their last payroll. If ValuJet shuts its doors, Sky Clean is finished.
It is absolute nonsense, Madam President. FAA has gone through that thing with a microscope. The airline is ready to fly. It is ready to get the paychecks going to those 4,000 families and, yes, to this small company in College Park, GA. It is time for the bureaucrats and their 9-to-5 attitude to get this job done and get that airline in the air.
I yield back whatever time I have.
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