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Federal Employees: We expect the Republican-controlled Congress to push an anti- federal employee agenda. In the past, such actions could have been blocked by the Democratic White House, but that may no longer be the case. We can expect issues like official time and dues deduction to be among other subjects that the Republican Congress could threaten. As always and more than ever, NATCA GA staff, working with the NLC and our activists, is prepared to continue educating members of Congress and their staff about the important role that air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals play in keeping the flying public safe. The NATCA leadership, staff, legislative committee and NATCAvists have worked hard to maintain a "NATCA Majority" and it will be imperative to continue and grow our relationship with members on both sides of the aisle. Aviation: The current 14-month authorization for the FAA expires on Sept. 30, 2017. It is expected that Chairman Bill Shuster, who will remain the Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, will renew his efforts for air traffic control reform, although it remains unknown whether he can garner enough support considering his previous legislation was opposed by tax-writers, appropriators, the general aviation caucus, and democrats. NATCA's primary objective remains the same going into the new Congress: to achieve a stable, predictable funding stream for the National Airspace System. NATCA will review any new proposal and evaluate it based on whether it protects workforce rights and benefits, maintains safety and efficiency as the top priorities, creates funding certainty, and maintains service to all segments of the aviation community. COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT STAT OF THE WEEK 26,000,000 – the number of square miles of oceanic airspace in the National Airspace System. LINKS OF THE WEEK 2017 NATCA Academy schedule and registration. The 2017 NATCA Academy schedule is now available on our Academy page on the members side of the natca.org website. Please click here. How to register: Please click here to log in to the NATCA Portal and reach the "Events" page, which will then contain the steps needed to register for NATCA Academy classes. SPEAKING OF THE NATCA PORTAL In addition to registering for NATCA Academy classes, you can also use the NATCA Portal to make any updates to your contact information, including your mailing address, phone numbers, and email address. This way, it will then update our membership database and ensure you continue to receive news, information, and any mailings that go out in the future. Simply go to portal.natca.net and sign in. Retrieval of your membership number and/or password is available from the home page of the Portal. NATCA 30: A YEAR-LONG CELEBRATION AND HISTORY LESSON IN 2017 Next year, NATCA will celebrate 30 years of incredible accomplishments – meeting challenges with a collective spirit, energy, and passion, and building the unity, strength,

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