NATCA Bookshelf

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE The House and Senate are in session for the week of June 11. EXECUTIVE ORDER AFFECTING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES As you know, the President issued three Executive Orders (EOs) at the end of May that affect federal employees and their unions. The orders reduce the use of union official time government-wide, reduce the time it takes to negotiate collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and to reduce the costs contained within them, and expedite the process for removing employees from federal service in performance based adverse actions. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has advised that it will publish guidance advising agency heads how to implement these orders in the near future. NATCA already is reviewing and analyzing these EOs to see how they affect NATCA, our members, and our CBAs. We also are working closely with other federal employee unions in order to coordinate our efforts. Additionally, NATCA Government Affairs staff is working with members of Congress and their staff to gather any additional information about the timeline and substance of the OPM guidance. NATCA will spare no expense in fighting all attempts to undermine our CBAs, our members' rights, and our right to exist as a union. FAA REAUTHORIZATION AWAITING SENATE ACTION The House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, in April by a vote of 393-13. The five-year, bipartisan bill authorizes $71 billion for the operations, F&E and RED accounts at the FAA from Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 through FY 2023. On the Senate side, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell officially "started the clock" on H.R. 4, meaning that the bill can come to the Senate floor for consideration at any time. Chairman Thune on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hopes to get a long-term FAA reauthorization bill passed in the Senate before the July 4th recess, but the timeline remains uncertain. When H.R. 4 does come to the Senate floor for consideration, the chamber will "strike" the House language from H.R. 4 and replace it with their version. During this year's NATCA in Washington, participants urged their Senators to urge Senate leadership to complete action on a long-term FAA reauthorization bill. Senate Outlook The Senate Commerce Committee marked up its FAA bill last June (S. 1405), but it has not come to the Senate floor for consideration yet. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) could potentially hold up the bill because it is the only legislation moving forward with a tax title and he and other lawmakers may seek to add non-FAA- related tax measures to the bill. As a reminder, the House and Senate recess for the entire month of August, and current FAA reauthorization expires Sept. 30. If a long-term bill is not signed into law before then, another short-term extension will be necessary in order to avoid a partial FAA shutdown. NATCA Impact

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