Bill Cleared The House Transportation Committee Thursday

While AOPA expressed disappointment in the passage of the AIRR act by the House Transportation Committee Thursday, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) welcomed what it said were important safety measures included in the bill.

In a statement, AOPA President Mark Baker said he is "profoundly disappointed that user fees are still part of this legislation. AOPA simply won’t accept user fees in any form on any segment of general aviation. And while there are some very positive provisions for GA in this proposal, user fees are a non-starter for us.”

Following an amendment, H.R. 4441, also known as the AIRR Act, would exempt Part 135 charter operations in Alaska and Hawaii from user fees, but operators in other states will still be subject to the charges—a situation unacceptable to AOPA.

“User fees are an all or nothing proposition as far as we’re concerned,” Baker said. “This isn’t over. We’re going to keep fighting to protect every segment of general aviation in every state from user fees when this legislation goes to the full House.”

Baker said AOPA will continue to work with general aviation advocates to defeat user fees as the bill continues to progress through the legislative process.

On the  other hand, ALPA had praise for amendments added to the bill that it said would enhance safety, but thinks the committee did not go far enough in that regard.

“We are pleased the Committee passed an amendment offered by Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) that would require installation of secondary cockpit barriers on all new commercial passenger aircraft. ALPA has long been a strong advocate for this reasonable security protocol, which is an effective, inexpensive way to protect passengers, crew and aircraft during flight when the cockpit door must be opened," the union said in a statement.
 
“We are disappointed, however, that the DeFazio amendment to allow the Department of Transportation to fully regulate lithium batteries as Dangerous Goods when shipped as cargo was not adopted. Lithium batteries shipped as cargo present a known, well-documented risk. We continue to believe that Congress has a responsibility to ensure air travel is as safe as possible.
 
“ALPA reiterates our longstanding commitment to working with industry stakeholders and Members of Congress to ensure that the United States continues to be a leader in aviation safety and in moving an FAA reauthorization bill that improves safety and provides long-term, reliable funding.”

The final vote in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee was 32 to 26 vote following a marathon markup Thursday.

(Source: AOPA and ALPA news releases)

FMI: www.aopa.org, www.alpa.org