sometime in February or March. However, there are some underlying issues in the
Senate version of FAA Reauthorization that will need to be addressed before a Senate
vote.
Background: Prior to passage of the short-term extension, both the House and Senate
passed FAA reauthorization legislation through their respective committees of
jurisdiction (H.R. 2997 and S. 1405). However, neither bill has been brought to the floor
for consideration yet.
NATCA Impact: NATCA has continued to engage Congress throughout the FAA
Reauthorization process. NATCA has highlighted the need for a stable, predictable
funding stream that adequately supports the following: air traffic control services, staffing,
hiring and training, long-term modernization projects, preventative maintenance, ongoing
modernization to the physical infrastructure, and the timely implementation of NextGen
modernization projects.
LEGISLATIVE WATCHLIST
In addition to executive actions from President Trump, members of Congress have and
will continue to introduce anti-federal employee bills, including those that would attack
the use of official time and negatively impact federal employee pay and benefits. W ith
Republicans in control of the House, Senate, and White House, these types of proposals
are on the rise. GA staff will continue to fiercely fight such proposals.
FAIR Act: Rep. Connolly (D-VA-11) reintroduced a revised version of a bill that would
increase federal employee pay by three percent in January 2019. The bill would affect
NATCA members because Article 108 of the CBA provides that the annual pay increase
and band movement shall be equivalent to that provided to other federal employees in
the annual pay adjustment under the General Schedule. Last year, Rep. Connolly and
Senator Schatz (D-HI) introduced similar legislation for January 2018, but it did not move
forward. NATCA supports this bill.
