NATCA Bookshelf

N A T C A I N W A S H I N G T O N 2 0 2 5 N i W To d a y 56 56 56 56 REFERENCES holder functions properly and that any approvals or certificates issued meet FAA safety standards. Ranking Member They are the highest-ranking member of the minority party on a congressional committee. The ranking member, along with the committee Chair, often serve as members of each subcommittee because of their status on the full committee. Rescission In May 2018, the president sent a package of cuts, known as "rescissions," to Congress for consideration. This proposal would have cut $15.4 billion in spending across ten federal departments. In June 2018, the Congressional Budget Office released analysis saying that taking away the budget authority in these areas only would stop $1.1 billion from being spent over a decade because most of the programs in question already were expired, overfunded, or otherwise defunct. Although the rescissions bill passed in the House of Representatives, the package did not pass in the U.S. Senate. Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013 (H.R. 1765) This was legislation led by NATCA to end sequestration-related FAA furloughs in April 2013. Once signed into law, it authorized the FAA to shift funds from the Airport Improvement Program fund to its operations account to bring air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals back to work. (See also Airport Improvement Program.) Remote Towers System (RTS) Program These are air traffic control tower services performed remotely, that is, somewhere other than at the local control tower. The RTS program is an ongoing project for which NATCA continues its engagement with the FAA. NATCA believes technological advancements in remote tower system technology could have a place in the NAS to enhance certain air traffic levels of services, rather than viewing this new technology as a "replacement" for current air traffic control towers. A remote tower system was deployed and extensively tested at Leesburg Executive Airport (JYO) in Virginia. However, that system struggled to deliver certain critical capabilities. NATCA stands ready to continue our collaborative partnership with the FAA in researching and assessing how RTS can be safely and efficiently integrated into the NAS. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee This is the committee that has jurisdiction over FAA reauthorization, amongst many other things. The committee is chaired Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas and the ranking member is Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. The Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, which oversees the FAA, is chaired by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. and the ranking member is Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. Sequestration In 2011, Congress implemented sequestration as a tool to reduce federal expenditures via across- the-board spending cuts when it passed the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). Under the law, sequestration was intended to be in effect through FY 2021. In 2013, sequestration drastically cut the FAA's budget and as a result, forced the FAA to institute a hiring freeze and shutter the FAA Academy between March and December 2013. In recent years, Congress passed legislation that avoided sequestration, and the BCA expired at the end of FY 2021. Although no longer an imminent threat, sequestration was a major concern for NATCA for years and its effects are still being felt, especially in the areas of controller staffing challenges and delays to modernization programs. Shutdown Furlough (also called an Emergency Furlough) In the event that funds are not available due to a lapse in appropriations or an agency's authorization expires, a shutdown furlough may occur. A shutdown furlough will be triggered when a federal agency no longer has the necessary funds or authority to operate and must shut down those activities that are not excepted, pursuant to applicable laws and regulations. Even employees who perform excepted activities cannot be paid for their work during a shutdown furlough. Based on the nature of an emergency or lapse of appropriation/authorization furlough, the agency has very little advanced notice prior to implementation. THUD It is the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. The THUD Subcommittee writes the appropriations bill and Glossary

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