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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. With Congress scheduled to be in recess for the month of August, both the House and Senate are hoping to mark up legislation to reauthorize the FAA before the recess. Stay tuned for updates. Timeline: The FAA Reauthorization process has gained speed in recent weeks with Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introducing his own proposal on behalf of the minority committee members recently (more on that below). Chairman Shuster's bill, on behalf of the majority, was unveiled on June 21. The Senate was expected to introduce their version of the bill right after the House (more on that in next week's update). The next step would be committee mark-ups of the legislation sometime during the week of June 26. The Senate version is not expected to address the ATC reform issue. More details to follow. Ranking Member DeFazio Proposal: House Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.-4) introduced H.R. 2800, the Aviation Funding Stability Act. The legislation, if enacted, would provide a stable, predictable funding stream for the NAS by taking the Airport and Airway Trust Fund "off budget." Specifically, the bill would exempt the Trust Fund's uncommitted cash balance from the Congressional budget process, sequestration, and directives issued by the Office of Management and Budget. The bill also would authorize the uncommitted Trust Fund balance to be used for rebuilding and modernizing air traffic control facilities. NATCA supports the provisions in this bill. Click here to view a message from NATCA President Rinaldi and EVP Gilbert to the membership. NATCA Impact: NATCA has played a critical role with Congress in the FAA Reauthorization process. During the 114th Congress, NATCA supported Chairman Shuster's proposal (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 during that session of Congress. NATCA has continued to work with 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 ensure 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 will need to reconsider all appropriations bills for FY 2018. House Republicans 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 quickly 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

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