A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/629688
budget for the ne xt fiscal year (FY 2017) on Feb. 9. Each year, Congress makes major changes to the president ' s request as it crafts spending bills to fund federal agencies. The FY 2017 budget blueprint will b e the last of Barack Obama ' s presidency, and will shape many of this year's major policy battles on Capitol Hill. It is expected to adhere to the broad discretionary spending limits for defense and domestic programs established in a two - year bipartisan bud get deal (PL 114 - 74) last fall. RESTORING ORDER TO THE BUDGET PROCESS : Lawmakers have high hopes of restoring order to the budget process in 2016. Members of Congress are already outlining their goal of funding the government on time this year, a task tha t hasn't been accomplished on time in two decades. In order to do so, Congress would need to pass all twelve annual appropriations bills by Oct. 1, which is the start of the new fiscal year. Republican leaders have vowed to make this a priority this year, and Speaker Paul Ryan has said he wants to begin consideration of spending bills on the House floor by mid - March, whi ch is much earlier than normal. In recent years, Congress has received a bad reputation for its inability to pass spending bills on time, f orcing the government to operate on continuing resolutions (CRs) year after year. The task could be easier this year because of the two - year bipartisan budget agreement passed in October that already established spending levels for FY 2017. OFFICIAL TIME BILL INTRODUCED : Reps. Dennis Ross (R - FL) and Jody Hice (R - GA) have introduced legislation (H.R. 4392) to require that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) submit an annual report to Congress relating to the use of official time by federal employees. A s you know, official time is a cost - saving, efficient way to resolve smaller issues between the FAA and its employees' representatives. Historically, both Democrats and Republicans have recognized the benefits of official time. NATCA GA staff will closely monitor this bill. COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: THE NEW NATCA.ORG WEBSITE Q : " Where can I find the new NATCA website?" A : natca.org. You can a lso use natca.net or natca.com. Q : " How do I get to the members only section?" A : Go t o natca.org and click the "MEMBER LOGIN" menu tab on the top right side of the home page (or top left menu section if you're on a mobile device) . Here's the direct URL for that page you can bookmark in your browsers: http://natca.com/index.php/member - login Q : " I've reached the member login page. What do I enter?" A : Use your NATCA Portal username and password. Do not use the username and password you used to access the old members website. That no longer works. Once you log in to the new members section using your NATCA Portal credentials, you can choose "Remember me" and your browser will save it for ensuing visits. Q : "I've not yet been to the NATCA Portal. How do I get there to obtain my websit e login credentials?"