WASHINGTON --
Federal aviation and safety officials are warning Congress that new airline safety regulations will be harder to issue if a measure backed by the industry and supported by House Republicans becomes law.
Republican Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania is sponsoring an amendment to a bill the House passed in March. The amendment would require the FAA to analyze how the proposed rules could affect the economy, private markets, productivity, employment and competitiveness.
The FAA would also be required to write separate safety rules for passenger airlines, cargo carriers and charters, even though the agency's oft-stated goal is to have "one level of safety" across the aviation industry.
Critics say the amendment could make long-sought rules, such as those to prevent exhausted pilots from flying, harder to enact.
