Story ID: 548
Congress Passes Comprehensive Five-year FAA Bill
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: The bill is the longest FAA reauthorization to pass since the 1980s, Sen. Thune noted.
Word Count: 695
Congress passed the sweeping five-year FAA reauthorization bill earlier this month, putting in place long-term funding for the agency  and closing the door, at least for the time being, on efforts to fundamentally restructure the nation’s air traffic control (ATC) organization.

Passage of the Aviation, Transportation Safety, and Disaster Recovery Reforms and Reauthorization (H.R.302) culminated a four-plus-year process that involved six short-term extensions, several versions of the bill, hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill, dozens of hearings, and one of the most contentious debates surrounding the future of the ATC organization.

Ultimately that process led to the announcement in the early hours of September 22 that the House and Senate had reached agreement on bipartisan legislation. That legislation subsequently passed the House in late September by a 398-23 vote and the Senate in early October by 93-6, further drawing broad support from most corners of the industry.

Senate Commerce Committee chairman John Thune (R-South Dakota) praised its passage, noting it is the longest FAA authorization to be adopted since the 1980s and adding it represents "our collective effort" and bipartisan negotiation.

“Not only does it provide FAA programs with stability and certainty for the next five years, its numerous reforms will allow America’s aviation industry to continue to safely innovate, thrive, and lead,” said House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania), who shepherded the bill through the House.

The bill provides for long-term funding for the FAA—up to $96.7 billion through 2023—and touches upon numerous issues of importance to the industry, from certification and regulation to the enabling of the future of supersonic travel and the facilitating of an emergence of a range of new electrical and autonomous systems.
Reform Package
Long-sought after reforms of the FAA’s certification and regulatory processes included a streamlining of the certification processes and the creation committee to collaborate with industry on the streamlining. Reforms further would improve training for FAA inspectors, increase the ability to use delegated certification authorizations, and address delays in foreign certifications.

On the supersonic front, the legislation calls on the FAA to work with industry to develop an “appropriate regulatory framework and timeline for permitting the safe and efficient operation of civil supersonic aircraft within U.S. airspace.”  

Other measures would seek to improve Part 135 safety data and establish an aviation rulemaking committee to strengthen Part 135 pilot and flight attendant rest and duty rules. A mandatory review of reports of illegal charter flights is also included in the bill.

As far as flight-sharing, the bill includes the compromise provision that directs the FAA to develop clear guidance on when flight and cost sharing would be appropriate and further would seek a study on federal policy. However, the bill stops short of changing definitions of a pilot or of commercial operations to accommodate such activity.

The aircraft registry would also be shielded from temporary federal funding lapses.

But perhaps most important is what is missing from the bill: the proposal to carve the ATC organization out of the U.S. FAA and into an independent, user-funded entity. It was Shuster’s willingness to drop his proposal for the independent ATC that opened the door for passage.

“This bill will provide a stable path forward for the FAA without controversial proposals to privatize our nation's ATC system,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, hailing its passage.

In a letter to members Bolen had added, “The entire general aviation community should be extremely proud of its efforts to oppose the so-called ATC privatization plan…Through tens of thousands of letters and phone calls to Congress, the voice of general aviation was heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill, leading to this victory.”

Unveiled jointly by House and Senate leaders in the early hours of September 22, H.R.302 encompasses far more than just FAA issues. It also includes reauthorizations for the National Transportation Safety Board and Transportation Security Administration and further addresses issues such as sports medicine licensing and disaster relief.
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