{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://harris.house.gov/press-release/congressman-harris-joins-md-delegation-urging-secretary-lahood-give-university-system", "Congressman Harris Joins MD Delegation Urging Secretary LaHood to Give University System of Maryland\u2019s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site Proposal Strong Consideration", "2013-05-14", "2013", "2013-05", "Republican", "House", "MD", "Andy Harris", "H001052", "harris.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) and Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), together with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and the bipartisan Maryland House Delegation, sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today urging him to give the University System of Maryland\u2019s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) test site proposal his strongest consideration. The entire Maryland delegation strongly supports the University System of Maryland\u2019s bid to be selected as one of six UAS test sites chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration.\nThe letter was signed by Congressman Hoyer, Senators Mikulski and Cardin, and U.S. Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, Chris Van Hollen, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Donna F. Edwards, John Delaney, and Andy Harris.\n\u201cThe University System of Maryland\u2019s proposal uses the collaborative strengths of higher education, industry, and state government to develop deployable solutions to increase the safety, efficiency, reliability, and security of our national airspace transportation networks,\u201d the Maryland Delegation wrote. \u201cThe Maryland proposal will also give the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the best opportunity to gain a better understanding of training requirements, operational specifications, and technology considerations.\u00a0 In addition, this proposal will enable researchers to develop and promote operational strategies to mitigate the increasing congestion and safety concerns of our nation\u2019s airspace.\u201d\u00a0\n\u00a0\nThe full text of the letter to Secretary LaHood follows: \nMay 14, 2013\nThe Honorable Raymond H. LaHood\nSecretary\nU.S. Department of Transportation\n1200 New Jersey Avenue SE\nWashington, DC 20950\n\u00a0\nDear Secretary LaHood:\nWe urge you to give the University System of Maryland\u2019s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) test site proposal your strongest consideration.\u00a0 The University has brought together leaders in the private sector and public agencies to accelerate the future integration of UAS into the national airspace.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nThe University System of Maryland\u2019s proposal uses the collaborative strengths of higher education, industry, and state government to develop deployable solutions to increase the safety, efficiency, reliability, and security of our national airspace transportation networks.\u00a0 The Maryland proposal will also give the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the best opportunity to gain a better understanding of training requirements, operational specifications, and technology considerations.\u00a0 In addition, this proposal will enable researchers to develop and promote operational strategies to mitigate the increasing congestion and safety concerns of our nation\u2019s airspace.\u00a0\nThe Maryland proposal also has the potential to resolve the possibility of UAS in the maritime environment based on the proposed test site locations which include private airports on the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland, as well as federal facilities including NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility, NASA Langley Research Center, and the Naval Air Systems Command facility at Webster Field.\u00a0 The proposed UAS test site program will help the FAA gain a better understanding of operational issues, such as training requirements, operational specifications, and technology considerations, which are primary areas of concern to ensuring the safety and efficiency of the entire aviation system.\u00a0 The proposal will also bring together researchers across the diverse institutions of the University System of Maryland who concentrate on critical technologies, public policy and legal issues.\nThank you for your strong consideration of our request.\u00a0 There is no better proposal to achieve the FAA\u2019s goals to integrate UAS into the national airspace and solve the problems facing our nation\u2019s transportation systems.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://harris.house.gov/press-release/congressman-harris-joins-md-delegation-urging-secretary-lahood-give-university-system"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9507730137556791, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}