A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/835143
House & Senate Budgets : The House and Senate have still not released their own budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year. NATCA Impact : As a reminder, while both chambers of Congress and the President have t he ability to offer budget proposals, Congress still needs to enact any budget proposal into law. The unpopularity of the President's budget will likely make it even harder to reach spending and budget deals during FY 2018. While budget proposals do not ha ve the force of law, they serve as a blueprint for the 12 appropriations bills. NATCA will analyze any budget proposal closely to determine any potential impact on our member pay and benefits. GA continues to work with members of Congress and their staff o n this issue, with a specific focus on appropriations for the FAA. PREPARIN G FOR ANTI - OFFICIAL TIME BILLS Legislation that attacks the use of official time could come to the House floor at any time. One specific bill NATCA has been following is H.R. 1364 , the Official Time Reform Act of 2017, which was introduced by Rep. Jody Hice (R - GA). This legislation would prohibit some federal employees from counting time spent on official time as creditable service under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) a nd Federal Employees Retirement Systems (FERS). This legislation has already passed the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, meaning it could come to the House floor at any time for a vote. In order for this legislation to become law, it would ne ed to pass the House, Senate, and be signed by President Trump. NATCA GA staff has been actively lobbying against this legislation and continues to closely monitoring its movement. LEGISLATIVE WATCHLIST In addition to executive actions from President Tru mp, Congress is already working to advance anti - federal employee bills. With Republicans officially in control of the House, Senate, and White House, the number of proposals that would negatively impact federal employees will rise. GA staff has been and wi ll continue preparing to fight these proposals.