A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/645606
pass" piece of legislation, which means there will be attempts to attach a number of other issues to the legislation, including items not germane to aviation. If no bill or extension is passed, then the FAA will face a partial shutdown as it d id in 2011. Background : NATCA supports T&I Committee Chairman Bill Shuster's (R - PA - 9) long - term FAA reauthorization legislation, which includes his air traffic reform proposal. NATCA was also considering an expected proposal by T&I Ranking Member Peter DeFazio ( D - OR - 4) that would have provided an alternate model ensuring a stable, predictable funding stream for the FAA, while at the same time protecting employees and ensuring the safety of the NAS. Unfortunately, Rep. DeFazio did not introduce his proposal at the time. Click here to view NATCA's press release and here to view the message sent to NATCA membership from the National Executive Board. NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and EVP Trish Gilbert, along with NATCA Government Affairs (GA) staff, continue to work closely with House and Senate members of Congress and staff to ensure NATCA's priori ties are addressed i n the FAA reauthorization bill. The T&I Committee held a hearing and then a markup of the legislation, in which the full committee approved the bill. Click to read Paul's testimony before the committee, which was received with tremendous respect on Capitol Hill. While members of Congress may disagree on some of the polic y considerations in the proposal, we have received positive feedback from numerous members of Congress and Congressional staff expressing that Paul effectively articulated NATCA's concerns with the status quo: how the stop - and - go funding stream has had a n egative effect on the system, and how workforce protections are maintained in the proposed legislation. We believe that an important highlight of the hearing was when Ranking Member DeFazio pointed out that, in all his years in Congress, he had never seen a piece of legislation that was so comprehensive in terms of worker protections. SPEAKER RYAN LAYS OUT BUDGET OPTIONS : The House Budget Committee has postponed consideration of a Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 blueprint until March , as the panel ' s chairman and lea dership try to craft a resolution that passes the muster of conservative Republicans. In recent weeks, House Speaker Paul Ryan laid out three budget options that would adhere to the funding levels approved in last year's budget deal (P.L. 114 - 74). The firs t option is to pass an FY17 budget at sequestration levels; the second option is to keep the increased level of defense funding but return to sequestration levels for non - defense, discretionary spending. According to Ryan, both of those options would guara ntee that the Senate would block appropriations bills from moving forward and that Congress would have to pass a continuing resolution (CR) or omnibus to fund the government. The third option is to adhere by the budget agreement and write the 10 - year budge t blueprint to the higher FY17 numbers, which Ryan believes would lead to the best chance to pass appropriations bills through regular order. He stopped short of promising that all 12 appropriations bills could be signed into law. Another possible option w ould be for the House to not pass a budget or appropriations bills, which could eventually lead to a government shutdown. NATCA GA staff will be closely monitoring the budget pro cess and will keep you updated. APPROPRIATIONS : This appropriations season wi ll be especially challenging given the current budget environment and recent discussions centering on FAA reform. Republican leadership in the House and Senate still hope to return to regular order and pass all twelve appropriations bill for the first time since 1994. However, both chambers remain divided on how much to spend, and this continues to generate tension among the several factions of the party. Additionally, the Senate is now facing a partisan showdown over the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justi ce Scalia. NATCA GA staff will