A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/690675
come to the House floor for a vote. House Democrats are unified in their opposition against separating ATC from government , and the Republican caucus has yet to get in line behind the proposal with many members of Congress still opposed to the issue, most notably including members on the Appropriations and Ways & Means Committees, as well as members of the Freedom Caucus. A P PROPRIATIONS UPDATE : On May 26, House conservatives blocked passage of a relatively noncontroversial Energy and Water appropriations bill after Democrats attached an amendment that would bar federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bis exual , and transgender people. Despite the collapse of the Energy - Water bill on the floor, House leadership is now turning to the Legislative Branch appropriations bill. This time, lawmakers will consider the legislation under a "structured rule," meaning there will be fewer opportunities for contentious amendments that could stymie the process. THUD Funding : The full Senate passed its version of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill on May 19, and the House Appropria tions Committee approved its version of the legislation on May 24. The Senate THUD spending bill, if enacted, would provide $16.4 billion for the FAA, which is $131.6 million above the FY2016 enacted level. Specifically, the Senate version would provide th e FAA Operations account $9.9 billion ($54 million over the President's request), the F&E account $2.8 billion, and the Research, Engineering, and Development account $167.5 million. This is great news for NATCA, especially considering that other THUD prog rams received cuts. The House THUD spending bill would provide $16.3 billion for the FAA. Specifically, the bill would provide the marks NATCA advocated for --- $9.994 billion in the FAA Operations account, and $2.838 billion in the F&E account. Backgroun d : As a reminder, there are 12 spending bills for both chambers to get through in order to fund the government before Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) starts on October 1. If that doesn't happen, a continuing resolution (CR) will need to be enacted to keep the gove rnment open. NATCA GA staff monitors the THUD appropriations bill, which is the spending measure that provides funding to the FAA. NATCA GA staff has been continuously meeting with members of both the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as wel l as committee staff, to make sure they know the importance of sufficient funding for the FAA to NATCA members. Status of Appropriations Bills : So far, the House has passed the Mil - Con VA spending bill, and the Senate has passed THUD, Mil - Con VA, and the Energy - Water bill. Official Time Threats : Anti - official time amendments frequently come up on the House floor during consideration of appropriations bills. During consideration of last year's Mil - Con VA bill in the House, an amendment was offered by Rep. Jody Hice (R - GA) that would have eliminated official time for federal employees serving at the Department of Veterans Affairs. NATCA GA successfully defeated the amendment when it came up for a vote. GA staff remains prepared in case a similar amendment is offered to any appropriations bills during consideration on the House and Senate floor. COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT THE 2016 TENTATIVE CBA We have set up a page on the members side of the natca.org website where you can find all information related to the tentative CBA, including the full text of the 2016 tentative CBA, a rollover and change summary, and more. Please go to: 2016CBA.natca.net