The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted 410 to 19 to further extend the deadline for passing a comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill to May 10. Expected to pass the Senate as well, the stopgap measure would mark the third such short-term extension of the FAA’s authorization since September as lawmakers work on a long-term bill.
Under the second extension approved in December, lawmakers faced a March 8 deadline to complete work on the FAA bill. The House passed its version of the long-term reauthorization bill in July, but the Senate’s version had stalled over issues such as the age-65 mandatory retirement age and the 1,500-hour requirement for Part 121 pilots.
The Senate Commerce Committee last month was able to approve the long-term bill out of committee. But rather than bring that bill to the floor first, the House and Senate have begun informally hashing out differences between their respective bills. A compromise agreement could go to the Senate floor instead, as well as return to the House for approval.
“Though I am pleased that we are moving closer to passing a longer-term bill, we will not be done before the current authorization expires on March 8,” said Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, offering support for the extension. “We need more time for negotiations...to reconcile the two bills and produce a final, comprehensive bill.”