The House last week included an important amendment to its 2006 transportation bill that would protect general-aviation flight service from privatized consolidation and preserve local expertise, maintaining safety in this area of flying. The bill, supported by Maine Reps. Mike Michaud and Tom Allen, still needs approval in the Senate to prevent the current system from being dismantled by next spring.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, received bipartisan support, with 48 Republicans joining 189 Democrats despite opposition from the White House. The amendment would prohibit the use of funds for the Federal Aviation Administration to promote competitive sourcing, which would put the privatizing on hold for at least a year.

Flight service specialists help general aviation pilots with flight plans, provide weather and emergency information, advise on flight restrictions and help out in search-and-rescue missions, among other duties. Approximately 27 people work at the station in Bangor. Nationwide, about 1,300 jobs eventually would be eliminated through the privatization unless Rep. Sanders’ bill is adopted. More than the jobs, however, is the question of safety.

The administration was fairly specific about what qualified for privatization when it began the process of looking for government savings by shedding duties. It said work that could be put out to bid if it were “primarily ministerial and internal in nature (such as building security, mail operations, operation of cafeterias, housekeeping, facilities operations and maintenance, warehouse operations, motor vehicle fleet management operations, or other routine electrical or mechanical services work).”

Jobs that would not be privatized, according to the Office of Manage-ment and Budget, would be considered “inherently governmental” if they “significantly affect the life, liberty,

or property of private persons.” A flight- service specialist who helps guide general-aviation pilots could reasonably qualify under such a standard. Nonetheless, the administration awarded a $1.9 billion contract to Lockheed Martin, which plans to close most of the stations and operate the service out of a few centers and some remaining stations around the country.

At the very least, the Senate should clarify what the administration means by a service being inherently governmental and to prevent the contract from going into effect until it resolves the discrepancy between the OMB language and the decision to privatize

the flight service.