NATCA Bookshelf

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE: Lawmakers are in recess for their seven-week summer break. Both chambers will return after Labor Day for the month of September and then recess again for election season. NEXT STEPS FOR FAA EXTENSION: As a reminder, President Obama signed the third FAA extension into law on Friday, July 15. This extension (H. Res. 818, the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016) will continue funding for the FAA through Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, providing the stable and predictable funding stream that the NAS requires in the meantime. To read NATCA's press release on the FAA extension, please click here. Addressing Controller Staffing: As you know, the FAA extension addresses the controller staffing crisis. It includes language that will streamline the hiring process and ensure a path for Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) students and military Veterans. The language is nearly identical to H.R. 5292, the Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act, which NATCA has been urging support for since NATCA in Washington (NiW) this past May. With this legislation signed into law, the responsibility falls on the FAA to implement the language that would improve the hiring process for controllers. NATCA will closely follow the implementation. Looking Ahead: Chairman Shuster of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee continues to advocate for a long-term, comprehensive FAA bill while the 14-month extension is in place. NATCA will continue to work with the relevant committees in the House and Senate to address our priorities for a comprehensive FAA bill. Because a new Congress will adjourn in January, any legislation that was introduced during the 114th Congress will be considered "dead" until re-introduced. As a reminder, the House and Senate each passed their own versions of long-term FAA reauthorization legislation (H.R. 636 in the Senate; H.R. 4441 in the House, which NATCA supports). WILL A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BE AVERTED IN SEPTEMBER?: So far, lawmakers have managed to sign zero appropriations bills into law this year, and a stopgap spending measure will likely be needed in September to avoid a government shutdown when fiscal 2016 spending expires on Sept. 30. With members of Congress in town for only a few weeks before the deadline, there is growing concern about whether or not a government shutdown will be averted. While it is unlikely that Congress would entertain a government shutdown during an election year, there are no guarantees. Potential Paths Forward: Congress will likely delay the completion of FY 17 spending bills until next year, leaving government agencies in financial limbo for a good part of the year. This is often the case during election years and the lame-duck sessions following those elections. One option would be to delay fiscal 2017 spending consideration until the new Congress and administration. This would mean a short-term continuing resolution (CR). Another option would be to pass an even shorter CR that would expire before the end of the calendar year. GA will keep you updated on the path forward. THUD Funding: The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have each passed their respective versions of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bills. 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 the 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.

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