A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/799968
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CON GRESSIONAL SCHEDULE Congress is in session during the week of March 13 and will remain in session until a two - week break in mid - April. As a reminder, Congress has a jam - packed schedule this year and it will be full of legislative activity. OFFICIAL TIME BILLS PASS OVERSIGHT & GOVERNMENT REFORM (OGR) COMMITTEE The House Oversight & Government Reform Committee (OGR) has approved two bills focusing on official time. The first bill, H.R. 1293, was introduced by Dennis Ross (R - FL) and would amend title 5 of Un ited States Code to require that the Office of Personnel Management submit an annual report to Congress relating to the use of official time by Federal employees — basically, an increase in reporting on time/activities on official time. The second bill, H. R. 1364, The Official Time Reform Act of 2017, was introduced by Rep. Jody Hice (R - GA) and would amend the Title 5 official time statute to prohibit federal employees from lobbying while on official time . Additionally, the bill will prohibit some federal employees from counting time spent on official time as creditable service under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement Systems (FERS). OGR is traditionally a very partisan committee and, as expected, H.R. 1293 passed b y voice vote within the committee, and H.R. 1364 passed by a recorded vote, with all Democrats voting against the bill and Republicans all voting in favor within the committee. Floor Action: GA staff is already working on outreach to Democrats and a targ eted list of Republicans to encourage opposition to this bill. The NLC is also preparing to engage the field on this once we have confirmed when this legislation is expected to come to the House floor for a vote. These bills could come to the House floor f or a vote within the next couple of weeks. In the event that this legislation proceeds to the House floor, GA staff has already begun to fully engage with all Republicans who have voted with us on official time issues in the past. Stay tuned for updates. NATCA Impact : NATCA GA staff spent the week lobbying against H.R. 1364, which would effectively eliminate the use of official time when used more than 80 percent of the work day by prohibiting employees to gain retirement credits during those days. While it was an uphill battle in defeating this bill within the OGR Committee, because the committee is very partisan, GA staff has successfully raised the volume on this legislation and its harmful impacts on the NATCA membership. FAA REAUTHORIZATION The curr ent FAA Reauthorization is set to expire at on September 30, coinciding with the end of this fiscal year. The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee has already begun to hold a series of hearings leading up to reauthorization of the FAA, titled "B uilding a 21st Century Infrastructure for America," with hearings focused on aviation manufacturing, the state of America's airports, and air transportation in the U.S. More hearings will be announced in the upcoming weeks, and GA staff will keep you updat ed. SECRETARY CHAO MAY VISIT NAV CANADA : U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao may take a trip to Canada to learn more about Nav Canada, the non - profit corporati on that manage s Canada's air traffic control system. Both Chao and President