Pressure Mounts for House Action on FAA Bill

U.S. lawmakers and aviation groups are stepping up pressure for the House of Representatives to act on a comprehensive aviation bill before the FAA’s operating authority expires on July 15. The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee passed its version of comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation in February, but that bill has stalled over controversy surrounding a measure in it to create an independent ATC organization.

The architect of the ATC measure, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), maintains that he continues to build support in the House to move his bill. Shuster recently told Politico that “we are working on a strategy” to move the bill forward, but that the House would not take up the Senate-passed bill because it does not include “real reform.” Shuster also ruled out another stopgap extension of the FAA's authorization.

Lawmakers who spoke June 9 during the National Air Transportation Association’s 2016 Aviation Business Conference, however, said they had seen little movement on additional support for the Shuster bill and believe that the stalemate over the House bill could spur another extension.

House General Aviation Caucus co-chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) spoke of important provisions in the House bill, such as the Pilots Bill of Rights 2, and agreed that Shuster is trying to push the bill through. But he thought an extension is more likely.

House opposition remained clear with T&I ranking Democrat Pete DeFazio (Ore.) reiterated his concerns to the NATA conference attendees, questioning whether the proposed ATC reform would be constitutional and how that would affect airport funding.

Senate Commerce Committee member and General Aviation Caucus co-chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) noted the Senate passed its version of comprehensive reauthorization legislation with a rare almost unanimous 95-3 vote and said he believes the two chambers could work out the differences on the majority of the bills. The House has to pass a bill, he said.

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), ranking Democrat on the House aviation subcommittee, and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) echoed similar sentiments during the NATA conference. Separately, the lawmakers also urged House action in a joint opinion piece published in The Hill.  “If Congress wants to prove it can pass large reform legislation during a presidential election year, this is the ultimate opportunity,” the lawmakers said. “We cannot let [air traffic control] reform stand in the way of passing other meaningful reforms that are sorely needed in order to ensure America remains the global leader in aviation.”

Meanwhile, more than a dozen aviation organizations made a similar appeal to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a June 8 letter.

“Republican and Democratic leaders from both sides of the Capitol have long acknowledged that operating the FAA under a series of extensions hinders the smooth operation of the agency and creates considerable uncertainty for the nation’s aviation stakeholders,” the groups told the House leaders. “Our organizations represent millions of hardworking taxpayers that want Congress to get things done and not let this important bill be stalled because of a provision that divides our community and many within Congress.”

House aviation subcommittee chairman Frank Lobiondo (R-N.J.), who also spoke during the NATA conference and who has worked closely with Shuster on the T&I bill, noted that Ryan is aware that time is drawing short.

Signing the June 8 letter from the aviation associations were the Aerospace Industries Association, Aircraft Electronics Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Commemorative Air Force, Experimental Aircraft Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Helicopter Association International, International Council of Air Shows, National Agricultural Aviation Association, National Air Transportation Association, National Association of State Aviation Officials, National Business Aviation Association, Recreational Aviation Foundation and Small UAV Coalition.