Story ID: 
FAA Bill Overwhelmingly Passes Senate
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Senate voted 88 to 4 in favor of reauthorizing the FAA
Word Count: 346
The comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill, H.R.3935, took a major step forward yesterday when the Senate approved the bill by an 88-4 vote.
However, the Senate also agreed to a short-term extension of the FAA’s authorization, until May 17, to give the House time to pass the comprehensive bill. The FAA had been operating under an extension that had been set to expire today but the Senate action came too late for the House to act before it took a brief recess.
House consideration of the five-year, comprehensive FAA bill will come as early as Tuesday. The lower chamber on Wednesday had already passed the short-term extension.
Senate action had temporarily stalled as lawmakers looked at H.R.3935 as a possible venue for myriad other measures that otherwise may not get considered. However, those measures were not germane to the FAA bill and some threatened to sink it in the House. Ultimately, the Senate invoked cloture yesterday, cutting off debate and preventing those non-germane measures from being offered to the bill.
Senators on both sides of the aisle praised the House-Senate agreement. “Our bipartisan legislation sets clear priorities to strengthen aviation safety standards, implement new safety technology, hire more air traffic controllers and safety inspectors, give passengers a guaranteed right to a refund, advance innovation, and modernize our air travel infrastructure nationwide,” said Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell (D-Washington). “With tonight’s overwhelming vote, we are one step closer to getting this bill onto the president’s desk.”
The measure has broad industry support as well. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said the legislation will “enable general aviation to thrive, drive economic prosperity, and meet the evolving needs of businesses across the nation to ensure America remains the global leader in aviation.”
National Air Transportation Association president and CEO Curt Castagna said the Senate and House leaders have pursued "bipartisan, common-sense policies throughout the FAA reauthorization process to ensure the continued safety, security, and success of the National Airspace System.”