NATCA Bookshelf

controllers; the first BQ had not been validated. However, NATCA's primary concern continues to be ensuring a steady stream of eligible, qualified candidates who will pass through the FAA Academy and be successful once assigned to air traffic facilities, rather than on adding more bureaucratic red tape to the FAA's hiring process. Continuing Resolution (CR) When Congress and the President fail to agree on and pass one or more of the regular appropriations bills, a continuing resolution can be passed instead. A continuing resolution continues the pre-existing appropriations at the same levels (or with minor modifications) as the previous fiscal years for a set amount of time. The CR's funding extends until a specific date or regular appropriations bills are passed, whichever comes first. FAA Reauthorization Every several years (when the previous reauthorization expires), Congress is required to enact legislation to authorize funding and set policy priorities for the FAA. The FAA is currently operating under an extension to its authorization through July 15, 2016. This is the second extension that the FAA has faced since September 30, 2015, which is when the most recent long-term reauthorization, H.R. 658, the FAA Modernization Act of 2012, expired. Federal Contract Tower Program Privately-operated, for-profit air traffic control towers under contract with the FAA. These towers often provide service in rural America. NATCA represents 76 of the 252 federal contract towers in the U.S. Fix-on-Fail Maintenance Maintenance performed only after equipment has failed or when breakdown is imminent. The FAA adopted this philosophy, instead of preventative maintenance, in response to sequestration. National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility & Reform (also known as the Simpson-Bowles Commission) In late 2010, President Obama created this bipartisan commission to address our nation's fiscal challenges. It identified policies that would reduce government spending in the long term. It laid out many anti-federal employee provisions that the Commission never adopted, but have gained attention and support in the years since. NATCA's National Legislative Committee (NLC) NATCA's National Legislative Committee is responsible for organizing and implementing the Union's grassroots legislative efforts. The NLC works with NATCA's legislative team to develop training sessions, recruit volunteers, and disseminate information about legislative activities. NextGen An over-arching modernization project that will shift the FAA from its current ground-based RADAR system to more sophisticated, satellite-based and digital technologies, along with new procedures that will combine to make air travel more efficient, predictable, and environmentally friendly. In short, NextGen will make the necessary upgrades to modernize the NAS. Not-for-Profit Reform Model A type of reform model that would remove air traffic control services from the FAA and prioritize safety and efficiency of the NAS without regard to generating a profit. This is the type of reform model that has been proposed in the House T&I Committee's AIRR Act. NATCA opposes any model that would derive profit from operating the air traffic control system. Omnibus A term that is used to refer to a spending package that combines several or sometimes all appropriations spending bills into one larger bill that could be passed with only one vote in each chamber of Congress. There are 12 different regular appropriations bills that need to be passed each year to fund the federal government and avoid a partial or complete government shutdown. Unlike a continuing resolution, which is merely an extension of previous funding levels, an omnibus is a collection of current appropriation bills. GLOSSARY D I D Y O U K N O W ? If a bill is vetoed (refused) by the President, it goes back to Congress, who can override the veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses. via government-and-constitution.org 61

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