NATCA Bookshelf

NIW Today | 59 House THUD Vote (H.R. 267) On Jan. 10, 2019, during the 35-day government shutdown, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a stand-alone FY 2019 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill (H.R. 267) that, if enacted, would have reopened the FAA. This was part of a strategy by the House Majority (Democrats) to bring individual appropriations bills to the House floor for consideration to open shuttered portions of the government in a piecemeal fashion. NATCA strongly supported this legislation and advocated for it on Capitol Hill in the days leading up to the vote. Ultimately, 12 Republicans joined all Democrats in voting yes on the legislation, which passed by a vote of 244-180. However, Senate Leadership did not bring any of the House- passed stand-alone bills to the floor for consideration, so H.R. 267 ultimately stalled in the legislative process. Therefore, you will not find this vote listed for your senators. FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4 and H.R. 302) The FAA Reauthorization bill is the authorizing measure that establishes, continues, and/or modifies FAA programs and activities. On April 27, 2018, the House started the process by passing the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4) by a vote of 393-13. However, the Senate's path forward was not clear at that point. On Sept. 26, 2018, the House considered the legislation again as part of a larger bill (H.R. 302) that included hurricane relief funding. The House passed the bill by a vote of 398-23. The Senate followed suit and overwhelmingly passed the legislation by a vote of 93-6, and President Trump signed the package into law. This bipartisan legislation authorizes the FAA for five years, through FY 2023. To see how your representative voted on the original House bill, reference the "H.R. 4" vote. To see how your senator voted, reference the "H.R. 302" vote. H.R. 5292 Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016 This legislation was introduced by Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) on May 19, 2016, to streamline the hiring process for controllers and ensure a path for graduates of the Collegiate Training Initiative and military veterans. This bill was introduced in the 114th Congress, so members of Congress newly elected in the 115th and 116th Congresses were not in office for the duration of this bill. The bipartisan bill garnered 260 cosponsors (141 Democrats and 119 Republicans) following the 2016 NiW, in which NATCAvists urged members of the House to sign on as cosponsors to the legislation. On July 15, 2016, former President Obama signed an FAA extension into law (P.L. 114-190) that included the language from H.R. 5292. A companion bill was not introduced in the Senate, so you will not find cosponsors listed for your senators. Gingrey Amendment During the 114th Congress, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) offered an anti-official time amendment to the FY 2015 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill (H.R. 4745). On June 10, 2014, NATCA led the fight to successfully defeat this amendment, which failed by a vote of 167-254 with 60 Republicans joining all Democrats to vote with NATCA against the amendment. A corresponding amendment was not considered in the Senate, so you will not find this vote listed for your senators. Hice Amendment Just like the Gingrey Amendment that would have eliminated official time at the FAA, Rep. Jody Hice (R- GA) introduced an anti-official time amendment to the FY 2016 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill (H.R. 2029) during the 114th Congress. This amendment would have eliminated official time for federal employee union representatives in the Department of Veterans Affairs. On April 30, 2015, with NATCA's help, this amendment was defeated by a vote of 190-232, with 49 Republicans joining all Democrats to vote against the amendment. If the Hice amendment was enacted for the Department of Veterans Affairs, it could eventually lead to the end of official time at other departments and agencies, such as the FAA. A corresponding amendment was not considered in the Senate, so you will not find this vote listed for your senators.

• Cover