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85–585 PDF 2003

S. HRG. 106–1135

NOMINATIONS OF DR. SUSAN BAILEY, TO BE

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL

HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION;

AND MS. ARTHENIA JOYNER AND

MR. DAVID PLAVIN, TO BE MEMBERS

OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION MANAGEMENT

ADVISORY COUNCIL

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, 

SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION 

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

WASHINGTON, DC

SEPTEMBER 14, 2000

Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

(

(II)

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

JOHN McCAIN, Arizona, Chairman 

TED STEVENS, Alaska 

CONRAD BURNS, Montana 

SLADE GORTON, Washington 

TRENT LOTT, Mississippi 

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas 

OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine 

JOHN ASHCROFT, Missouri 

BILL FRIST, Tennessee 

SPENCER ABRAHAM, Michigan 

SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas 

ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina 

DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii 

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia 

JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts 

JOHN B. BREAUX, Louisiana 

RICHARD H. BRYAN, Nevada 

BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota 

RON WYDEN, Oregon 

MAX CLELAND, Georgia

MARK BUSE, Republican Staff Director 

ANN CHOINIERE, Republican General Counsel 

KEVIN D. KAYES, Democratic Staff Director 

MOSES BOYD, Democratic Chief Counsel 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

Hearing held on September 14, 2000 ..................................................................... 1

Statement of Senator Lautenberg .......................................................................... 1 

Statement of Senator Rockefeller ........................................................................... 1 

WITNESSES 

Bailey, Dr. Susan, Nominee to be Administrator of the National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration ............................................................................. 4 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 5

Statement of Senator Bob Graham ........................................................................ 3

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 4

APPENDIX 

Cleland, Hon. Max, U.S. Senator from Georgia, prepared statement ................. 8 

McCain, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from Arizona, prepared statement ................ 7 

Joyner, Arthenia L., Nominee to the Federal Aviation Management Advisory 

Council, prepared statement ............................................................................... 9 

Mack, Hon. Connie, U.S. Senator from Florida, prepared statement ................. 9

Plavin, David Z., President, Airports Council International-North America, 

prepared statement .............................................................................................. 10 

Biographical and Financial Information Submitted by Nominees: 

Bailey, Dr. Sue .................................................................................................. 11 

Joyner, Arthenia L. .......................................................................................... 24 

Plavin, David Zachary ...................................................................................... 38 

(1)

NOMINATIONS OF DR. SUSAN BAILEY, TO

BE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL 

HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION; AND MS. ARTHENIA JOYNER AND MR. 

DAVID PLAVIN, TO BE MEMBERS OF THE 

FEDERAL AVIATION MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2000 

U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m. in room 253 

of the Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John D. Rockefeller, IV, 

presiding. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV,

U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. I would like to open the next hearing 

which will be brief. And Senator Lautenberg is here. 

I want to make this announcement. That is that we are about 

to go into a vote. I am not sure if it is the PNTR vote or not. But 

what I would propose to do here is to have Dr. Bailey, after Frank 

Lautenberg has said what he wants to say, to have you make your 

statement. And then because what Chairman McCain wants to do 

is do the confirmations. I do not think there are going to be any 

problems anywhere. But we have a time constraint. If we go vote, 

we will not come back. So let us officially do this right. 

Frank, who are you going to introduce? 

Senator LAUTENBERG. Dr. Bailey. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. So that works out nicely. And then Ms. 

Joyner and Mr. Plavin, please submit your testimony. There are 

not going to be problems. We want to be able to mark you up. If 

we do not have this hearing and go through some form of it, we 

cannot do that. So it is in your interest, in fact, not to testify, because there will be no problems. So now it is in all of our interests 

to listen to the distinguished Senator from New Jersey. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK LAUTENBERG,

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY 

Senator LAUTENBERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Knowing how 

much you and I like our particular phase of public service, it then 

makes me feel pretty good when I have a chance to introduce someVerDate Apr 24 2002 11:15 Sep 24, 2003 Jkt 085585 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\WPSHR\GPO\DOCS\85585.TXT SCOM1 PsN: CAROLT
2

one who can help us serve the public as they ought to be served. 

And such is the case with Dr. Sue Bailey. 

I am pleased to introduce her, Mr. Chairman, to the Committee, 

and ask for expeditious treatment, so that she can do the job that 

we desperately want to have done. And it is being done now in an 

acting fashion. 

But when we look at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, we know that we have got an important task there. 

It is more than just another branch of government. It is the agency 

that is responsible for the safety of millions of American motorists 

and their families. 

I think we have seen in recent weeks how critical NHTSA is. It 

sets performance standards for motor vehicles, motor vehicle equipment, investigates safety defects, helps states reduce the threat of 

drunk drivers, researches driving behavior—that has got to be an 

endless pursuit—and promote the use of safety seatbelts and airbags. 

We have just been through what is a wrenching experience for 

all of America, and for those of us in Government as well, when 

we look at the controversy now that exists over the tire failures 

and the dispute between Firestone and Ford. I know, Mr. Chairman, that this Committee is looking at it. 

I watched Dr. Bailey’s testimony in the Appropriation Subcommittee on Transportation and it was just excellent. She is a 

highly competent and extremely qualified person for the job. She 

comes to us from the Department of Defense, where she was an assistant secretary. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Frank, we have a problem here. A distinguished Senator from Florida who has wandered in, obviously 

thinking this was another room, to present somebody. 

A vote just went off. 

Senator LAUTENBERG. How long has it been on? 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Well, it has been on about 4 minutes. 

Senator LAUTENBERG. So we will finish up very quickly. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Real quick, right. And I also want people 

to have a chance to introduce their families if they are here. 

Senator LAUTENBERG. Well, Mr. Chairman, I will continue if you 

permit me and we can move this thing along. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. She is a great American, right? 

Senator LAUTENBERG. She is better than a great American. 

There are so many great Americans out there, but all of them do 

not have a chance to serve in this very demanding capacity. 

She is the first woman to lead the military health system. She 

is responsible for the health of 8.2 million military personnel and 

oversaw a $16 billion defense health program. 

In that capacity, she did a great job. She incorporated the President’s Patients Bill of Rights into military medicine, and bolstered 

the role of preventive medicine in the U.S. Armed Forces. So we 

have in front of us someone who is eminently well-qualified. She 

is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the Philadelphia 

College of Osteopathy, completed her internship at George Washington University and did her residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. 

3

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Frank, that is a perfect place to turn to 

Senator Graham. 

Senator LAUTENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I waited patiently for the 

opportunity to sit here. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. I know it. 

Senator LAUTENBERG. And I sat here for a half hour, Mr. Chairman 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. I know it. 

Senator LAUTENBERG. This is an important job. And if you are 

satisfied with my testimony, Mr. Chairman, we will leave it at 

that. And I hope that the Committee will move appropriately. I 

have been available for this Committee since 10 a.m. this morning. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. I know. 

Senator LAUTENBERG. That was the schedule, Mr. Chairman. I 

thank you very much. Good luck, Dr. Bailey. 

Dr. BAILEY. Thank you, Senator. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Bob Graham. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BOB GRAHAM,

U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA 

Senator GRAHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In deference to 

your time schedule and the vote that is underway, I would request 

permission to file my full statement for the record. 

Mr. Chairman, it is a great pleasure to introduce an outstanding 

Floridian and a long-time personal friend, Arthenia Joyner, who 

has been nominated by the President to the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council. I would say that I am authorized by my 

colleague, Senator Mack, to state his strong support for Ms. Joyner. 

And he will submit a statement of that support. 

Just in summary, let me say that Ms. Joyner brings to this position her personal background of long activism in the community. 

While I was Governor, she was extremely helpful, particularly in 

a number of economic development issues. She is also a member 

of one of the outstanding law firms in our State. 

But what particularly has prepared her for this position is her 

service on the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority which is responsible for running a series of airports in the Tampa area, including Tampa International Airport. She served as a member, 

then as Vice Chair and finally as Chairperson of that very important authority. 

She brings all of that background to the position now of advising 

the Federal Aviation Agency on issues that will be important to the 

aviation structure of our Nation. I am pleased to be able to introduce Ms. Joyner to the Committee and urge prompt and affirmative action by the Committee on this nomination. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Which will happen. Senator Graham, 

thank you very, very much. Can I ask each of you to introduce any 

family members that you might have here? 

Oh, yes, Senator Graham. 

Senator GRAHAM. Mr. Chairman, Ms. Joyner does not have a 

family member in a biological sense, but she has Mr. Chris Hart 

who is a member of the Hillsborough County Commission and on 

the Hillsborough Aviation Authority. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Graham follows:]

4

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. BOB GRAHAM, U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

I am pleased to be here to introduce Arthenia Joyner, a fellow Floridian, and 

nominee for the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council to your Committee. 

Senator Connie Mack also joins me in support for Ms. Joyner. 

I understand he has submitted a statement for the record. 

Ms. Joyner was born in Florida and has a long connection to aviation in our State. 

She was the first African American appointed to the Hillsborough County Aviation 

Authority, where she served as chair and vice-chair. She was the 1999 recipient of 

the Airport Minority Advisory Council Award. 

Currently, Ms. Joyner is the managing partner at the law firm of Stewart, Joyner 

and Jordan-Holmes in Tampa. 

Her public service to the State is notable. The most recent chapter of this public 

service began September 5, when she was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. She is active in the University Community Hospital Board of Trustees, the 

Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, and the National Council of Negro Women. 

President Clinton appointed her to the U.S. delegation to the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt, and the United Nations 

Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. 

I have come to know of her dedication and sound judgment when I appointed her 

to the Federal Judicial Nomination Commission in 1992. 

I am happy to join her before your Committee, and trust that you will find that 

her qualifications and dedication will be well received at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Good. And we are very happy that you 

are here. 

Dr. Bailey. 

Dr. BAILEY. Yes, I would like to introduce my brother, Mr. David 

Bailey and my, son Dr. Barton Leonard, and two childhood friends, 

Kathy Meyers and Ellen Joyce. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. All right. 

Mr. Plavin. 

Mr. PLAVIN. Unfortunately, my family was not able to join me 

today. So I thank you for the opportunity. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. Now, what I think we need to do—the 

second bell has not gone off yet. Well, it just did. So, Dr. Bailey, 

are you capable of doing about a 3-minute presentation? 

Dr. BAILEY. Yes, sir. I will edit as I go. 

Senator ROCKEFELLER. All right. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF DR. SUSAN BAILEY, NOMINEE TO BE 

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC 

SAFETY ADMINISTRATION 

Dr. BAILEY. First, I want to tell you I am very pleased to appear 

before you this morning as you consider my nomination to NHTSA. 

In serving as Administrator, I am going to draw on my experience of 23 years as a physician and my work as Assistant Secretary 

of Defense that you have heard about here this morning which 

gave me, I believe, a real understanding of the Federal Government. 

In the 31⁄2 weeks I have been on the job, I have experienced firsthand the deep concern that people have about the vehicles that 

they drive and have also experienced the dedication of the NHTSA 

staff to assure their safety. 

I assure you that I will do everything in my power to complete 

that investigation expeditiously. 

The recall of defective vehicles is only one part of the mission. 

We have a broad mandate to improve all the aspects of vehicle and 

5

highway safety. Under Secretary Slater’s leadership, seat belt use 

is increasing, highway deaths and injury rates are decreasing, and 

alcohol-related crashes are declining as well. 

We are going to persist in our efforts to reduce the terrible toll 

of deaths caused by drunk driving. And with the combined efforts 

of agencies and organizations, we will steadily push the rate of alcohol-involved fatalities downward even further. I know that the 

President and Secretary Slater enthusiastically support, as I do, 

the establishment of a national .08 blood alcohol concentration 

standard. We can save 500 lives a year with that and I am intent 

upon accomplishing that. 

I look forward to building a good relationship with you, Mr. 

Chairman, and with the members of this key Committee. I want 

to go on record as thanking you for your support of this agency and 

I will answer any question. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Sue Bailey follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DR. SUSAN BAILEY, NOMINEE TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF

THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am pleased to appear before you 

this morning as you consider my nomination to serve as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I am truly honored to be 

nominated by the President and to have the opportunity to appear before you today 

regarding my confirmation and to answer any questions you may have about my 

qualifications and my plans as Administrator. 

In serving as Administrator, I will draw on my years of experience as a physician 

and as a government administrator. My medical education and my 23 years as a 

doctor give me an excellent base of knowledge and experience for a position that 

relates, above all, to the prevention of deaths and injuries. My service in the Department of Defense as Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs has provided me with an 

understanding of the workings of the Federal Government and experience in managing the large budget and human resources of a complex organization. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plays a vital role in the continuing effort to make travel safer on the Nation’s highways. Its mission is absolutely clear: to save lives and prevent injuries. As a physician, I have dedicated my 

life to public health. I welcome the opportunity to lead the agency in its service to 

the American public. 

In the 31⁄2 weeks I have been on the job, I have experienced first-hand the concern 

that people have about the safety of the vehicles they drive and the dedication of 

the NHTSA staff to assure their safety. Since my first day at NHTSA, the Firestone 

recall has been the overwhelming issue, bringing intense scrutiny not only to Firestone and Ford but to NHTSA. I assure you that I will do everything in my power 

to complete our investigation as expeditiously as possible and to ensure that the 

agency’s agenda focuses laser-like on the safety of the traveling public. 

The recall of defective vehicles and equipment is only one part of NHTSA’s mission. The agency has a broad mandate to improve all aspects of vehicle and highway 

safety. Through its power to regulate the safety of vehicles and equipment, it has 

significantly raised the overall level of safety on America’s highways. Under Secretary Slater’s leadership, seat belt use is increasing, highway death and injury 

rates are going down, and alcohol-related highway fatalities are declining. We can 

do better, and we must move forward to complete the safety actions on our agenda, 

such as a comprehensive plan for child safety seats. Of course, I have pledged to 

you that I will vigorously seek to improve the standards that address the problems 

identified in the Firestone recall. 

Today we are facing changing demographics in America. The baby boom generation is aging, at the same time that the school-age population is rapidly increasing. 

Our programs must address the needs of older drivers and ensure the safe performance of beginning drivers. Seat belt use for all groups is not high enough, nor are 

child safety seats being used as they should be. We must increase our efforts, in 

partnership with the States and the private sector, if we are to meet Secretary 

Slater’s goal of 85 percent seat belt use. We know this is possible, because some 

States have already exceeded that level. We must see that it happens everywhere. 

6

We will persist in our effort to reduce the terrible toll of deaths and injuries 

caused by drunk driving. With the combined efforts of many agencies and organizations, we are steadily pushing the rate of alcohol-involved fatalities downward, but 

it is still unacceptably high. Along with the President and Secretary Slater, I enthusiastically support establishment of a national .08 blood alcohol content standard, 

because I know it will save appproximately 500 lives a year. How often is there such 

an opportunity? 

I look forward to building a good relationship with you, Mr. Chairman, and with 

the Members of this key Committee. I want to go on record as thanking you for your 

support of this agency and for all of your past efforts on its behalf. I will be pleased 

to answer your questions.

Senator ROCKEFELLER. That is perfect. And it being perfection, 

and time running out on the vote, I want to thank you. I want to 

thank all three of you. You have all fulfilled a very important purpose here. We will now be able to markup all of you and do all of 

you before we adjourn. That is terribly, terribly important, I think, 

to all three of you. 

I thank you. I apologize for this most unorthodox way of conducting a short hearing after a very long hearing which is sometimes, I think, actually quite helpful because you can get into 

things. I thank you for your cooperation. 

This hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12:55 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.] 

(7)

A P P E N D I X 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN MCCAIN,

U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA

We will now move to consider three nominations before the Committee. Joining 

us today are Dr. Susan Bailey, nominated to serve as Administrator to the National 

Highway Transportation Safety Administration. She was appointed to this position 

by the President during the August recess. We are also joined by two of the President’s nominations to the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council, Ms. 

Arthenia Joyner, and Mr. David Plavin. I want to thank our witnesses for their time 

today.

Over the past few weeks, we have been reminded of the importance of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the person charged with leading 

the Agency. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was established in 

1970 to carry out a congressional mandate to reduce the mounting number of 

deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from car crashes on the Nation’s 

highways. While we certainly have had some success in improving safety, the Firestone tire recall reminds us we have much more work to do.

Dr. Bailey will take charge of this Agency at a critical time. I am hopeful that 

she will devote her attention to improving the Motor Vehicle Safety Statutes as they 

relate to detecting safety related defects as well as internal changes at the Office 

of Defects Investigations to improve its effectiveness. The Agency faces other difficult challenges in a number of areas including: addressing the important issue of 

vehicle rollover; implementation of the new airbag rule; continuing its battle against 

drunk driving and improving the use and effectiveness of child safety seats. The 

agency must be more proactive and aggressive in meeting its mandate to improve 

motor vehicle safety.

I want to thank Dr. Bailey for her continued commitment to public service and 

I look forward to hearing your comments. If you have family members present, 

please feel free to introduce them now.

The members of the Management Advisory Council are intended to represent collectively a broad cross-section of the aviation industry who will constitute an Advisory Board for the FAA Administrator. The main purpose of the Management Advisory Council is to help formulate, and to support and oversee the FAA’s goals and 

strategies. Although the Council is expected to hold the FAA Administrator accountable for meeting goals on time and living within budgetary guidelines, the Administrator retains the final authority on all matters within the agency’s jurisdiction, because aviation safety has been and must be the paramount mission of the agency. 

As such, the direct powers of the Management Advisory Council are intentionally 

limited.

As I mentioned during the nomination hearing in May, the substantive issues the 

Council will face are challenging. The FAA needs to do a better job of managing 

labor and air traffic control modernization costs during a time of enormous growth 

in aviation. Congress has provided the FAA with a nearly unprecedented boost in 

funding to provide the infrastructure necessary to accommodate increased air traffic. 

Yet as the hearing this morning indicated, delays are severely hampering an already overburdened system. The FAA must take the lead in returning air travel to 

a predictable and convenient mode of transportation that our economy has come to 

depend on.

I want the nominees to know that the Management Advisory Council has my full 

support in its endeavors. For your work to make a contribution will require an enormous amount of your time and patience. I thank you wholeheartedly for your willingness to serve. Please feel free to introduce any family members here, before you 

give your remarks. 

8

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. MAX CLELAND,

U.S. SENATOR FROM GEORGIA

Mr. Chairman, I wish to register my strong support for the nomination by the 

President of Dr. Sue Bailey of Bethesda, Maryland, to serve as Administrator of the 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) within the United States 

Department of Transportation.

Dr. Bailey, who comes to the post at a crucial time in the life of NHTSA, has 

served with distinction as Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) since 

1998. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 

Affairs during 1994-95 and as Medical Director of Chevy Chase Associates, Inc. from 

1988 to 1993 and other senior positions of responsibility in the health care profession.

Dr. Bailey’s professional career was preceded by medical training at the University of Maryland and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, an internship 

at George Washington University Hospital and residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. She has served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Both as an outstanding private practitioner-psychiatrist, neurologist and public health specialist, and as a member of our Nation’s military, she 

has been a shining star.

At the Department of Defense, where Dr. Bailey continued her career of public 

service, she has also been a trailblazer. She is the first woman to lead the Military 

Health System, responsible for the health of 8.2 million lives and the $16 billion 

Defense Health Program. She incorporated the President’s Patient Bill of Rights 

into the practice of military medicine and has instituted the inclusion of continuity 

of care, preventive medicine and health protection in the U.S. Armed Forces.

As a former soldier and Administrator of the Veterans Administration myself, I 

have deep personal admiration for Dr. Bailey’s achievements in looking after the 

health concerns of our Nation’s military as she has. In that sense, much of her mission in life has paralleled my own. Her service to country is laudable, even were 

she to return to the world of private medical practice after such a distinguished career at the Pentagon. She could, with justification, rest on her laurels as a public 

servant to whom a grateful Nation would owe a tremendous debt for a job well done.

Instead, she has chosen to answer the President’s call to assume yet another mantle of leadership, this time in the service of the safety of the millions of Americans 

who travel our interstates, highways and byways each and every day of the year. 

Rather than taking her well-deserved just desserts, she has chosen to join Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and his leadership team at the Department of Transportation in advancing the cause of safety, the No. 1 transportation goal of this Administration, even if for only a few months. Secretary Slater regards safety as his 

department’s North Star, by which USDOT is guided and willing to be judged.

It is at this critical time in the life of NHTSA, with the recall of millions of defective tires on vehicles owned by hundreds of thousands of our citizens, that Dr. Bailey has arrived to bring her special brand of seasoned, reasoned, tough, but fair, 

leadership to this vital agency of the Department of Transportation. And we are all 

grateful for her willingness to do so.

As reported in a recent feature in the New York Times, Dr. Bailey, then a young 

mother in Philadelphia in the early 1970s, hired a mechanic to install a seat belt 

for her preschool son on the bus that hauled neighborhood children, and who, long 

before the advent of child-restraint seats, made one of her own by cutting holes in 

a plastic child seat so a seat belt could be looped through it to keep her infant 

daughter safe. Such is the nature of this candidate to serve our Nation as Administrator of NHTSA.

But, having said all this and so much more I could about her educational and career achievements and her exemplary service to country, I must conclude, Mr. 

Chairman, with the most stellar credential of all, Dr. Sue Bailey is a woman with 

a passion for bettering the human condition, be it the public health battles she so 

courageously fought and won on behalf of rank-and-file service people during her 

time at the Pentagon, or the safety of vehicular passengers traveling our Nation’s 

highways.

I commend the President for this outstanding nomination, and Dr. Sue Bailey for 

her dedication to serving our country as Administrator of the National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration. I urge my colleagues to join me in enthusiastically 

voting for her confirmation. 

9

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. CONNIE MACK,

U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce Arthenia Joyner for your consideration as a member of the Federal Aviation Administration Management Advisory Council.

Ms. Joyner, a native of Lakeland, Florida, has an impressive resume and a respectable background in aviation. She began her academic career at Florida A&M 

University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. Ms. Joyner then 

earned her Juris Doctorate from Florida A&M University School of Law.

Over the course of Ms. Joyner’s career, she has served as Chair of the Federal 

Judicial Nomination Commission for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, and a member 

of the Federal Judicial Nomination Commission for the State of Florida. Additionally, she has served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Hillsborough County 

Aviation Authority. In 1994, she was appointed to the U.S. Delegation to the International Conference of Population and Development, and in 1995 she served as a 

representative to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women.

Ms. Joyner is the recipient of numerous awards including the 1999 Airport Minority Advisory Council Leadership Award and the 1993 Criminal Justice Person of the 

Year Award. Ms. Joyner’s extensive civic participation includes the National Council 

of Negro Women, the University Community Hospital Board of Trustees and the 

Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Currently, Ms. Joyner is the managing partner in the law firm of Stewart, Joyner 

& Jordan-Holmes, P.A., a Tampa-based firm. Ms. Joyner specializes in probate, 

guardianship and public finance law. On September 5, 2000, Arthenia Joyner was 

elected to the Florida House of Representatives.

Mr. Chairman, it has been my pleasure to introduce this capable woman to the 

Commerce Committee this morning. Thank you. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ARTHENIA L. JOYNER, NOMINEE TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION

MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: I am Arthenia L. Joyner. It is a 

pleasure to appear before you as you consider my nomination to the newly constituted Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council (MAC). Given the Committee’s busy agenda, I am especially grateful that my nomination has been scheduled 

for consideration.

I am a lifelong Florida resident who has been a member of the Bar for more than 

30 years. Although time passes swiftly, it is difficult for me to believe that I was 

the first African American female attorney to practice in Tampa.

I have been very active in the American Bar and the predominantly minority National Bar Association, serving as its second female president in 1984.

Nearly 10 years ago, I became a founding partner in my present law firm, Stewart, Joyner, & Jordan-Holmes, P.A., where I practice predominantly in probate, 

guardianship, and municipal finance. However, I have a background in aviation that 

I believe will benefit this multi-disciplinary council.

Like MAC nominee David Plavin who is also before you today, I am particularly 

interested in airport operations. In 1991, I was appointed by Florida Governor 

Lawton Chiles to the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. The Authority has 

exclusive jurisdiction, control, and management over all public aviation facilities in 

the Tampa area.

Tampa is a medium-sized American city that owes much of its growth to the success of its airports.

During my two terms on the Authority, I was elected by my colleagues as vicechair and chair.

I have been an active member of Airports Council International North America 

(ACI, NA), the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC), and the Commissioners 

Committee. The Commissioners Committee is comprised of airport commissioners 

from throughout the United States and Canada, and I was honored to serve as its’

vice-chair.

Airport administration is a critical issue that needs to be examined by the Management Advisory Council. By 2010, we expect over one billion passengers to use 

American airports every year. There will also be a tremendous increase in freight 

over the next 10 years. By passing AIR-21, Congress has recognized the need for 

10

broader investment in aviation facilities, but we must look beyond capacity improvements. The MAC should also examine how better technology, more effective management, and improvements in air traffic control can help our airports deal with the 

demands of the 21st Century.

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I believe, if confirmed, that I can 

bring valuable experience to the Management Advisory Council. I applaud Congress 

for creating the MAC, and I look forward to serving my country with the other distinguished members, all of whom bring a wealth of knowledge and training to the 

council. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DAVID Z. PLAVIN, NOMINEE TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION

MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

Good morning Mr. Chairman, I am David Z. Plavin, President of Airports Council 

International-North America. (ACI-NA). It is a privilege to be here today as a nominee to the Federal Aviation Management Advisory Council. I have served as president of ACI-NA since January 1996. ACI-NA provides a wide range of member services and it represents 150 governing bodies that own and operate some 450 airports—from general aviation and small commercial service airports to the largest 

airports in the world—with a multitude of interests and priorities, throughout the 

United States, Canada, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ACI-NA also represents the interests of more than 375 corporate members who serve the airport community. ACINA is the largest of six regions of the Airports Council International based in Geneva, Switzerland.

From June 1989 to October 1995, I was the Director of Aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where I was responsible for the management 

and development of John F. Kennedy International, Newark International, 

LaGuardia, Teterboro Airport and two Manhattan heliports. Together, these facilities constitute the world’s leading aviation hub.

I also served as the Executive Director from 1981 through 1984 at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which was responsible for bridges, commuter trains, 

buses, and tunnels for the entire New York Metropolitan area.

A significant portion of my life has been dedicated to developing and improving 

the Nation’s air transportation system. Today, that system is the central element 

of our domestic and global competitiveness. Airports are ‘‘economic engines’’ that 

generate and support local economic development by providing complete transportation services, stimulating business activity and investment, attracting and facilitating travel and tourism and creating more jobs. And air transportation remains 

the quickest way of moving high-value goods through our transportation system, as 

well as moving millions of passengers across the country and the world.

While we have built a highly successful system of air transportation in this country, we can, and must, do more. As we look to the future, we face significant challenges in aviation. We expect one billion passengers to use our air transportation 

system annually by the end of the decade. Imagine the equivalent of the entire population of the United States added to an already, crowded, already congested, already delayed system. We need to look systemically at air transportation to determine how to accommodate this increased demand. We need more capacity, better 

technology and greater resources, while recognizing that safety must remain our top 

priority.

If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed for this position, it would be my honor 

to work with you Mr. Chairman, other Members of this Committee and other Council members to build an air transportation system that meets the challenges of the 

future and is second to none.

I would be happy to respond to any questions you or other Members of the Committee may have.

Thank you.

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