NBAA and NATA Welcome Passage of House FAA Reauthorization Bill

The following is a statement by National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President Martin H. Hiller following the passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 4 – The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. The legislation will reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through Fiscal Year 2023 and provide long-term funding and stability for the agency:

“The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) welcomes passage of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the FAA and provide the agency with long-term funding and stability to continue modernizing our nation’s air traffic control system. We applaud House Transportation Committee Chairmen Bill Shuster and Frank LoBiondo and Ranking Members Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen for leading this bill to passage in the House.”

“The legislation contains many NATA-supported provisions that will improve safety and address the needs of aviation businesses across the country, including efforts to streamline certification and flight standards processes — as well as improve the consistency of FAA regulatory interpretations. We are also pleased by the inclusion of studies to assess the current state of, barriers of entry into, and options to increase the future supply of individuals in the aviation workforce. Additionally, we welcome the inclusion of a provision to alleviate delays in compliance with existing federal regulations to vet prospective pilots through access to the National Driver Register.”

“We appreciate the addition of these pro-aviation provisions and NATA recommendations in the bill and look forward to working with both chambers of Congress to help enact into law a long-term FAA reauthorization bill that provides the FAA with the resources needed to maintain the world’s safest air traffic control system. This bill reflects the engagement and dedication of NATA and its members to help shape the policy that preserves safety for the aviation industry and ensures the continued development and implementation of NextGen and FAA reform,” Hiller concluded.

The Senate will soon vote on S. 1405, The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2017, and a conference committee will convene to resolve differences between the House and Senate-passed measures. A comprehensive bill must be signed into law by September 30^th, when current authority for the FAA expires.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) welcomes the introduction of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4), House legislation authorizing funding and programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through 2023.

“We welcome this bipartisan legislation,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “The fact that it’s a bipartisan bill increases its changes for passage, and the fact that it’s a long-term bill should give us an opportunity to focus all our efforts on maintaining, and even accelerating, our continuing work to make the Next Generation aviation system a reality.”

Significantly, the legislation does not call for spinning off the air traffic control (ATC) system from the FAA – a concept long opposed by NBAA and a broad coalition of consumer groups, think tanks on the political left and right, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, mayors from across the country, business leaders and others.

The new FAA bill is sponsored by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-9-PA), the chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, along with the panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-4-OR) and the leaders of all six of the Transportation Committee’s subcommittees.

“NBAA looks forward to working with House and Senate transportation leaders on both sides of Capitol Hill to help pass a bipartisan, long-term FAA reauthorization package that modernizes and improves the ATC system,” Bolen said.