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 58 58 58 58 REFERENCES Key Legislative Votes Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was enacted into law on November 15, 2021. The IIJA provided FAA with $5 billion over five years for various Facilities & Equipment upgrades. NATCA supported IIJA and urged members of Congress to vote in favor. n The bill passed the House 221-201 and the Senate by 69-30. Perry Amendment to H.R. 140 (Official Time) This amendment was proposed by Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. The Perry Amendment singled out official time as a time when federal employees could not engage in a specific activity that would be a new prohibition under the Hatch Act. The duty time restriction already covers official time, so there is no reason to include official time specifically. n Although the Perry amendment did not attempt to eliminate official time, the vote essentially was a proxy for those who supported or opposed official time. n NATCA opposed the Perry amendment, and it was defeated on the House floor in March 2023. n The House tally was 207-223-10. n A similar vote did not occur in the Senate. Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 3935) The bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through FY2028 and directs the FAA to implement five years of maximum hiring of new air traffic controllers and require FAA to revise and update the Controller Workforce Plan based on staffing targets developed by the Collaborative Resource Workgroup until the National Academies of Science issues its recommendations. The law also requires the FAA to install flight training simulators at facilities throughout the country. The bill was signed into law by President Biden on May 5, 2024. n The bill passed the House 387-26 and the Senate by 88-24. Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) Introduced by Rep. Garret Graves in the House, and Senator Sherrod Brown in the Senate, the Act repealed the government pension offset (GPO) and the windfall elimination provision (WEP) for benefits payable after December 2023 that reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who receive government pensions including those covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and. Passage of this bill had been one of our legislative goals since 1994, it stands to benefit certain NATCA retirees. The bill was signed into law by President Biden on Jan. 5, 2025. n The bill passed in the House 327-75 and in the Senate 76-20. Reps. Yakym-Titus Letter (ATC Max Hiring) This bipartisan letter, sent in December of 2023, called on the leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee to include provisions to bolster controller staffing in the 2024 FAA reauthorization law. The provisions were ultimately included in the final bill and now law. n This includes requirements for the FAA to utilize the CRWG staffing targets and conduct maximum controller hiring for the next five fiscal years. n The letter was signed by 138 Members of the House from both parties.

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