This week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved by a vote of 32-25, H.R. 2997, the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act, a six-year authorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The bill would increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program, which provides capital development grants to airports, without increasing federal cap on the airport user fee, the passenger facility charge.
The bill also continues the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which has provided subsidized air service to many rural communities, and the Small Community Service Development Program, which has helped maintain limited air service to small and rural communities. The bill also includes a new pilot program, the regional air transportation pilot program, which would allow states and local governments to apply for grants to help subsidize air service to small and rural communities. The bill also proposes to create a not-for-profit corporation to operate the nation’s air traffic control system, making it independent from the federal government. Dozens of amendments were added to the bill, including one which provided further increases in funding to the Airport Improvement Program and one that would allow the same airport to apply for a Small Community Air Service Development Program for the same project once within ten years, as currently they can only apply for the same project once. The legislation now moves to the full House of Representatives.
Also this week, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved by voice vote, S. 1405, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017, a five-year authorization bill for FAA. The bill provides increases to the Airport Improvement Program, though not as high as the House bill, reauthorizes the EAS program and the small community air service development program, protects and maintains the contract tower program, and develops a framework for regulating drones.The bill did not include a proposal to move air traffic control out of the FAA. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.