Kansas Lawmaker Prevails on Fellow Congressman to Lay Off His Bizav Blitz

By all accounts, some persuasive discussion from Kansas congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Kans.) convinced his colleague Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to remove anti-bizav language written by Frank from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). As originally devised, the legislation governing the fiscal bailout would have forbidden companies from owning or leasing business aircraft-across the board. The purpose of H.R. 384, the TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009, is to safeguard taxpayer funds from abuse by the companies seeking a bailout. But Tiahrt successfully argued that business aviation is not the bogeyman, and the measure, as written, would have had a devastating effect on the entire industry-much of which is based in his home state.