The NTSB was established in 1967 as part of the newly formed Department of Transportation (DOT). In 1974, Congress passed the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974 (in P.L. 93-633 ), making the NTSB completely separate from the DOT. Doing so gave NTSB complete independence from DOT. As a fully independent agency, the NTSB can carry out unbiased investigations and make recommendations regarding safety regulations and oversight practices of DOT without the public perception of conflicting interests associated with being a component of a regulatory department whose policies and regulatory oversight might be brought into question during the course of an investigation. Over the course of its 39-year history, the NTSB has established a worldwide reputation as a model agency for investigating accidents and identifying needed transportation safety improvements. Through the issuance of safety recommendations and advocacy for transportation safety needs, the NTSB has earned considerable respect from Congress and the traveling public for its efforts in identifying needed transportation safety improvements and maintaining public confidence in transportation safety. The NTSB consists of a five-member board and a staff of approximately 400, about half of whom are located at its Washington, DC, headquarters, with the rest distributed among several regional offices throughout the United States. In the current reauthorization cycle, the NTSB is seeking to increase its staff size to an authorized level of 475 full-time equivalent employees beginning in FY2008. The NTSB has indicated that this staffing increase is needed to fully carry out the NTSB's mission, which includes conducting investigations and safety studies and preparing safety recommendations and safety advocacy materials for all modes of transportation. While the initial House proposal included authorization for staffing increases that match the NTSB's request for an increase to 475 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in FY2008 (See H.Rept. 109-512 ), the initial Senate-passed bill would have maintained a staffing level of 399 FTEs in FY2008, which is consistent with the FY2007 budget request. While the final enacted version of the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2006 ( P.L. 109-443 ) did not establish an authorized FTE level, it did authorize a funding increase of roughly 13.5% in FY2008 compared to FY2007 authorized levels. Absent specific report language directing how this additional funding authority is to be used, it is uncertain if this would be used in whole or in part to fund additional positions. If the increased funding authority were devoted exclusively for personnel compensation and benefits, the number of authorized FTEs could be increased to about 450. The five Safety Board members, presidentially appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, serve five-year terms and may continue to serve beyond their term until a replacement board member is appointed. Not more than three Safety Board members may be appointed from the same political party, and at least three members must be appointed on the basis of technical qualifications, professional standing, and knowledge of transportation safety issues. One recent point of contention among board members is the appointment process for board members' personal staff. Under prior law, the NTSB chairman was the final authority with regard to staffing, including the staffing of member offices. The National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2006 ( P.L. 109-443 ), however, gives individual board members full authority to appoint individuals for personal staff positions, with the restriction that staff allocations be limited to a full time equivalent level of one senior professional staff position and one administrative staff position. The NTSB core mission consists of investigating transportation accidents and, based on investigative findings and focused studies of transportation safety concerns, issuing safety recommendations and advocating for improvements in transportation safety. Additionally the NTSB provides assistance to victims' families in airline disasters and serves as a board of appeals for certain transportation regulatory actions. The NTSB investigates the following transportation-related accidents and safety issues: All accidents involving civil aircraft and public aircraft, other than military or intelligence agency aircraft, within the United States and its territories; Selected highway and railroad grade crossing accidents; Railroad accidents involving passenger trains, loss of life, or significant property damage; Pipeline accidents involving significant property or environmental damage, or loss of life; In coordination with the Coast Guard, major marine casualties occurring on the navigable waters or territorial sea of the United States, or involving U.S. flag vessels, except those involving only public vessels; and Other selected catastrophic accidents or recurring problems involving transportation safety. In accordance with international treaties, the NTSB also participates in investigations of foreign aviation accidents involving any U.S. manufactured or registered aircraft. On occasion, the NTSB may also lend its expertise in foreign investigations at the request of another country, even though the United States may have no vested interest nor any specific right under international agreement to participate in the accident investigation process. In these instances, where NTSB is asked to consult or actively participate in an overseas investigation, the NTSB is sometimes reimbursed for associated costs. Historically, these reimbursements had been deposited to the Treasury General Fund. However, during this reauthorization cycle, the NTSB requested that this and other reimbursements to the NTSB be specifically designated as offsetting collections for use by the NTSB. The National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2006 ( P.L. 109-443 ) included a provision designating such receipts, whether in the form of fees or reimbursements, as offsetting collections available until expended. Prior to this legislative change, only reimbursements related to activities of the NTSB Academy, such as tuition payments or classroom rental fees, were specifically credited as offsetting collections. In addition to its core responsibility of investigating transportation mishaps, the NTSB renders assistance to the families of passengers involved in air carrier accidents, and handles appeals of certificate actions by the FAA or the Coast Guard and certain appeals involving civil penalties from FAA enforcement actions. The NTSB also maintains a database of civil aviation accidents and conducts special studies of selected transportation safety issues. While the NTSB has no authority to change transportation safety regulations and practices, its principal means for effecting change in transportation safety is through the issuance of safety recommendations to regulators, operators, and users of transportation systems. Since investigations of complex accidents may take several years, the NTSB routinely issues recommendations over the course of an investigation as needed safety improvements are identified. The NTSB highlights its key safety recommendations on a list of "Most Wanted" safety improvements that currently includes: Reducing the dangers of in-flight icing; Eliminating flammable vapors in airliner fuel tanks; Preventing collisions and near-misses on airport runways (runway incursions); Improving cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders and requiring cockpit video; Requiring crew resource management training for commuter and charter flight pilots; Implementing positive train control systems for railroads; Enhancing recreational boating safety; Improving the safety of motor carrier operations; Preventing medically unqualified drivers from operating commercial vehicles; Enhancing protection for school bus and motor coach occupants; Enhancing automobile seat-belt laws and enforcement; Eliminating risks posed by hard core drunk drivers; Improving school bus safety at railroad grade crossings; and Setting work hour limits and rest requirements that reflect current scientific understanding of human fatigue for safety-critical transportation workers in all transportation modes. These "Most Wanted" transportation safety improvements typically encompass multiple safety recommendations requesting action from the DOT and the states for statutory and regulatory change to address these safety concerns. While there is no statutory requirement to adopt NTSB-issued safety recommendations, the NTSB's ability to bring about transportation safety enhancements is rooted in its long-standing reputation for thorough investigation and assessment of needed safety improvements. However, there is not always universal agreement that NTSB recommendations are needed. For example, the FAA has opposed NTSB's urging to require child restraints on airliners for children under two, arguing that the increased cost of having to purchase tickets for these children could cause some families to drive instead, which is arguably more dangerous than flying. Also, pilot unions have strongly opposed NTSB recommendations for cockpit video recorders, arguing that video images would be of limited value and fearing that, despite statutory protections, these videos could be misused if publicly disclosed or used for other purposes. In other examples, some unfulfilled recommendations proposed by the NTSB were not technically feasible at the time they were issued, and several years of research and development have been devoted to addressing these recommendations, even though the recommendations have not yet been satisfactorily addressed. For example, following the crash of TWA flight 800 in 1996, the NTSB recommended procedures and technologies to reduce fuel tank flammability and explosive fuel/air mixtures in airline fuel tanks. While the NTSB has been disappointed that interim operational measures to reduce fuel tank fires and explosions have never been satisfactorily implemented by the airlines, the NTSB is encouraged that, through extensive research and development, viable technologies for reducing flammability and inerting fuel tanks now exist and will be required on certain airliners under proposed regulatory changes to reduce fuel tank flammability. However, despite the current progress toward addressing this longstanding safety need, the NTSB would like to see the requirements more broadly applied to all commercial airliners. In general, NTSB's safety recommendations and safety advocacy programs have influenced the regulatory agenda of transportation agencies regarding safety initiatives and have had a profound influence on Congressional decision-making and oversight of transportation safety issues. Since 1967, the NTSB has issued over 12,000 safety recommendations across all modes of transportation, of which about 83% led to the implementation of acceptable safety improvements. Despite the generally high level of acceptance of NTSB-issued safety recommendations, there is lingering concern over the amount of time it can take to implement recommended safety improvements.