Common Sense Prevails
SB 390 delivers a tangible solution

I thought the phrase “common sense isn’t so common” may be a bit tired.  So, I did some online research about who first uttered these pearls.  Apparently, Voltaire is credited with having said this in the 1700s which, in my mind makes it go from being tired to time-tested.  Anyway, in politics especially, common sense can be a rare commodity indeed.

With that being said, a common sense solution to a specific problem did emerge from the State Legislature recently.

As I have written on extensively, Wisconsin’s transportation fund is woefully short of meeting needs of Wisconsin’s transportation system, including our state and local roads.  For many towns and counties this is exacerbated by heavy agriculture equipment traversing these roads which the towns and counties are unable to maintain for even basic vehicular travel – like my Ford Escape.  The result is some pretty bad town and county roads.  And in some cases roads are being weight restricted – forcing farmers to travel greater distances to get on roads that are not weight restricted at a greater cost.  All of this, of course, eats into the bottom line. read more

Major airlines have generally been supportive of the privatization plan. However organizations that represent the interests of general aviation have expressed concern over the amount of control these airlines would have over the nation’s air traffic control system, new user fees and the potential draw down of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund which supports the Airport Improvement Program (AIP).  

The privatization proposal was included in a six-year House reauthorization proposal which also includes expansion of the State Block Grant Program, annual increases in the total AIP finding levels, the streamlining of the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), continued funding for Essential Air Service (EAS) and protections for the Contract Tower Program.

The Senate recently introduced a two-year bill that doesn’t include the controversial proposal to privatize the air traffic control system.  The bill does include an expansion of the State Block Grant Program, federal contract tower protections, an increase in AIP funding levels from $3.35 to $3.75 billion for FY2017 and sustained funding for EAS.

With the current bill set to expire on March 31st, the House passed a bill to extend authorization of FAA programs through July 15th and the ability to collect aviation taxes through March 31, 2017.  The Senate is expected to pass the extension before heading out for Easter break later this week.