Compromise Bill Passed By Conference Committee ... Next Stop The Full House And Senate

A conference committee made up of House and Senate leaders on Tuesday reached agreement on long-term FAA legislation to improve the nation’s aviation infrastructure, modernize our air traffic control system, and reform FAA programs.

“After a five-year delay and 23 temporary extensions, this measure is key to advancing the nearly eight percent of our nation’s economy impacted by the aviation industry,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL). “This bipartisan, bicameral agreement ensures long-term aviation safety and infrastructure funding for the next four years. I commend my colleagues in the House and Senate for working across party lines to come together on this long overdue measure to make needed reforms at FAA, fund programs for constructing major airport infrastructure improvements, and help create jobs for Americans.”
 
“This legislation will, at long last, provide stable funding and policy direction for the FAA’s safety programs, airport development grants, and operations for fiscal years 2012 through 2015,” said Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Tom Petri (R-WI). “I am particularly pleased that we are moving forward with the ‘NextGen’ modernization of our air traffic control system. Once in place, the new system will bring about a revolution in aviation providing greater safety, lower costs, fewer emissions and better on-time performance with shorter, more direct flights. I am very excited about it.”
 
House and Senate conferees convened this afternoon to discuss the compromise on the differing multi-year FAA reauthorization bills passed by each body last year. The measure, expected to be voted on by the full House and Senate before the current short-term funding extension expires on February 17th, includes the following highlights:

• Funds safety programs, NextGen air traffic control modernization, and FAA operations through FY 2015.
• Creates and supports jobs by providing stable funding for airport improvements under the Airport Improvement Program.
• Provides in total approximately $13.4 billion for the Airport Improvement Program, $38.3 billion for FAA Operations, $672 million for Research, Engineering & Development, and $10.9 billion for FAA’s Facilities & Equipment account.
• Stimulates private sector job creation in the unmanned aircraft systems industry by setting timelines for FAA action on the safe integration of UASs into the national airspace system.
• Accelerates deployment of NextGen technologies that will bring significant benefits to the overall U.S. economy – everybody, not just aviation users, benefits from NextGen.
• Strengthen accountability for the progress on the NextGen program.
• Streamlines environmental reviews for new, more efficient flight paths.
• Includes labor reforms of the National Mediation Board (NMB).
• Limits efforts to over-regulate the lithium battery industry.
• Eliminates some subsidies within the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.
• Sets a balanced inspection regime for airliners that are inspected overseas.
• Establishes the process for consolidation of outdated FAA air traffic control facilities.
• Enacts passenger protections to be sure airline passengers are treated fairly when travelling.

"This conference is the culmination of a lot of hard work by my House and Senate colleagues," said Senator John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. "We’re in the final stage of signing off on a conference report that I hope will go to the floor for House and Senate passage. This bill is years overdue. But getting it signed into law will make aviation safer, create jobs, and make sure that small communities have access to critical air service. It will make sure the FAA continues to set the gold standard for safety oversight and the U.S. aviation industry remains competitive and strong.”

Senators Rockefeller (L) and Hutchison (R)

“No one got everything they thought was important, but I do believe the way we came together preserved the major things we needed to do right," added the committee's ranking Republican, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX). "I am very pleased and I think the safety improvements and the improvements on the perimeter rule, which will be significant for the western Senators. I didn’t have a stake in that, but I really, really related to the people who were not able to have direct service from National and I think we came to a good conclusion there.
 
“Most certainly, I think, the NextGen can’t be done in six months or one-year extensions. That is a huge technological advance for our air-traffic control system to meet the standards for the rest of the world and we need a satellite based system and we would never be able to get a start on that without having this four years of stability and knowing it’s going to be an on-going process that is built in the proper way.
 
“I also believe the security improvements that we made are good. I think we will now have opportunities for the private-sector to be in airport security, but with the TSA having the final say, as they should, and I think we got a good compromise there."

No date has been set for floor votes on the bill. Some special interest groups, notably labor unions, still have strong objections to the measure, and there will likely be some resistance to the cuts made in the Essential Air Services programs. The current temporary funding measure expires February 17th.

FMI: www.house.gov, www.senate.gov