The House version of comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation, H.R.3935, took a step forward today with the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee passing it with a vote of 63-0. The bill, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, received unanimous approval by voting members after the committee spent a day and a half wading through the nearly 170 amendments filed on it.
The Republican and Democratic leadership on both the full T&I committee and aviation subcommittee stood in lockstep on the bill to ensure it remained a bipartisan effort. This included voting against some provisions that they would have otherwise supported. T&I Ranking Member Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Washington), for example, voted against a measure to lift the cap on passenger facilities charges, citing a desire to preserve the compromise reached on the bill.
After passage, Larsen praised the committee’s approach, saying, “Every good bill is a product of good faith bipartisan compromise, and this bill is an example of that. There are things we would have liked more of and less of, but that's compromise. And I think it's a good product overall.”
House T&I Chairman Sam Graves called the vote “step four of a 10-step process” and said there is still a long way to go. The bill must still marry with tax provisions—and one such provision under consideration would make flight and maintenance training eligible for 529 programs—and receive a full House vote.
The Senate Commerce Committee, meanwhile, is set to consider its version of the bill tomorrow. Once Senate and House actions are complete, the two bodies will hash out their respective differences. Congress faces a deadline of September 30, when the FAA’s current authorization is set to expire.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen is “enthusiastic” about FAA reauthorization legislation even though the Senate and House bills are different, he noted this morning at the association’s regional forum at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York. “They are not identical bills, but they’re both strong,” he said. “Most importantly, they’re bipartisan and include provisions for workforce. We’re excited about what we see going on here.”
This support was largely echoed throughout the industry. However, the Air Line Pilots Association, which endorsed numerous provisions in the bill, sent a letter to lawmakers this morning saying the association could not support the legislation with a provision to raise the retirement age for airline pilots to 67.