The U.S. House of Representatives earlier today passed three pieces of legislation that are important to NATCA members and the United States aviation system.
First, the U.S House of Representatives passed H.R. 302, which is a bipartisan five-year Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. The passage of this bill takes us another step closer to securing longer-term stability for the FAA. The FAA bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration, where the timing is unclear due to the Senate's packed legislative calendar this week. If the Senate is unable to pass the FAA reauthorization bill by midnight on Sunday, Sept. 30, another extension will be necessary to avoid an Agency shutdown.
That is why the House also passed a short-term FAA authorization extension through Oct. 7, which the Senate is expected to approve later this evening or tomorrow. This extension will provide the
Senate more time, if needed, to pass the five-year reauthorization bill and allow the Agency to continue to operate if H.R. 302 is not enacted into law before the deadline.
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n addition to acting on FAA Reauthorization legislation today, the House also voted to prevent a partial government shutdown due to a lapse in appropriations beginning on Oct. 1. The House passed an appropriations bill that would fund the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for a full year, combined with a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the rest of the government - including the FAA - running through Dec. 7. The Senate already has acted on this legislation, so it will now be sent to the President, who already has signaled his support, for signature. The CR will prevent a partial shutdown of the government, including the FAA and other agencies that have not received full-year funding.
NATCA applauds Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash. for advancing the FAA reauthorization bill in the House. Enactment of this legislation and the CR are crucially important, and NATCA is advocating for the passage of both. We will continue to keep you updated as we approach these Sept. 30 deadlines for FAA authorization and government-wide funding.
In Solidarity,
