A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/961329
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE The House and Senate are in recess for the first week of April. Both chambers are scheduled to return for the week of Monday, April 9. GOVT . S HUTDOWN AVERTED & FAA EXTENDED Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, a $1.3 trillion fiscal 2018 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 1625). The legislation averted a government shutdown at the end of March and put an end to stop - and - go funding for this fiscal year. The dea dline for the funding bill was March 23, when Congress was scheduled to leave Washington for recess. Likewise, the deadline for the FAA authorization was just a week later, on March 31. Because of the tight timeline, the funding bill included an extension for the FAA until Sept . 30, 2018. See below for additional information on FAA reauthorization and appropriations levels. FAA REAUTHORIZATION FAA reauthorization is now set to expire on Sept . 30. Chairman Shuster has conceded that his FAA reauthorization bill, H.R. 2997, the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, was unable to reach the necessary level of support for the bill to come to the House floor for a vote. As such, the House and Senate are starting work on a new FAA reauthoriz ation proposal to provide long - term authorization for the FAA by the end of September. NATCA Provisions : The funding bill that the FAA extension was attached to included two NATCA - supported provisions: first, a fix to current TRACON hiring rules that wou ld allow for local preference for new hires in specific areas; and second, a reinstatement of the Retired Military Controllers program. NATCA will continue to work with the committees of jurisdiction on a long - term FAA reauthorization bill. NATCA Impact : NATCA will continue to engage members of Congress as Congress works to produce a long - term FAA reauthorization bill. NATCA has highlighted the need for a stable, predictable funding stream that adequately supports the following: air traffic control servic es, staffing, hiring and training, long - term modernization projects, preventative maintenance, ongoing modernization to the physical infrastructure, and the timely implementation of NextGen modernization projects. FAA FUNDING See the chart below for curr ent funding levels for FAA programs. Now that a spending bill has been finalized for the rest of this fiscal year, appropriators will begin work on Fiscal Year 2019 spending legislation. FAA BUDGET LINE FY 2018 Enacted Operations $10.2 billion Facilities & Equipment $3.25 billion Research, Engineering & Development $188.9 billion