A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/832092
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE Congress is in recess for the week of Memorial Day. The Senate will return on June 5 and th e House on June 6. NATCA IN WASHINGTON NATCAvists came to Washington, D.C. for this year's annual lobby week on May 22. During the conference, activists traveled to Capitol Hill to request members of Congress to sign onto letters to the chairmen and ranki ng members of the appropriations committees requesting full funding for the FAA in FY 2018. We expect FY 2018 to be a very tough budget year, so the timing of the lobby week was impeccable, as full funding for the FAA is a priority. The letters are being l ed by Reps. Knight (R - CA) and Sean Patrick Maloney (D - NY) on the House side, and Sens. Inhofe (R - OK) and Warner (D - VA) on the Senate side. FAA REAUTHORIZATION : The current FAA Reauthorization is set to expire on Sept . 30, coinciding with the end of this fiscal year. The committees of jurisdiction in both the House and Senate have been holding hearings on the subject in advance of the deadline. Earlier in May, NATCA President Paul Rinaldi testified before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee . To view a copy of his testimony, please click here . We expect an addition al hearing in the House in early June, and potentially an additional hearing in the Senate. So far, neither the House nor the Senate has released a bill to reauthorize the FAA, but each chamber is planning to introduce its own version of FAA Reauthorizatio n legislation before the August recess. Timing : Considering that the House and Senate are in recess for the entire month of August, and the House is hoping to move a 12 - bill omnibus (see more information below), timing is extremely limited leading up to t he Sept . 30 deadline. That means an extension is more and more likely for FAA Reauthorization. NATCA Impact : NATCA has played a critical role with Congress in the FAA Reauthorization process. During the 114th Congress, NATCA supported Chairman Shuster's p roposal (H.R. 4441; the AIRR Act) to reform air traffic control and provide a stable, predictable funding stream. NATCA also worked with Ranking Member Peter DeFazio on his proposal, but he ultimately decided not to introduce it. NATCA continues to work wi th Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio's respective staff, as well as with the Senate staff and executive branch, to ensure that our priorities are addressed in any FAA Reauthorization legislation. NATCA will closely scrutinize any proposal to ensu re it meets the priorities of our members. APPROPRIATIONS The federal government is currently operating under an omnibus spending bill for the next five months through the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 (until September 30). Before then, Congress wil l need to reconsider all appropriations bills for FY 2018. House appropriators are considering an ambitious plan to pass a 12 - bill appropriations package before August. Since lawmakers are already behind on these efforts, they would have to move very quick ly to meet this goal before July 31, when the summer recess is scheduled to begin. An omnibus of this nature would likely face complications in the Senate, where Democrats will be needed to pass any spending bills for fiscal 2018. As a reminder, this year' s "NATCA in Washington" lobby sent our activists to Capitol Hill to request full funding in FY 2018, which will be a priority for us as Congress looks ahead to the next fiscal year. Below is an update on the current FAA funding levels.