Fri, Jul 02, 2010
Amended Bill Could Stave Off Confiscatory Fees For Private
Flight Instructors, Small Flight Schools
The aviation community in
California is being urged to contact members of the State
Legislature on Friday before they adjourn for the July 4th recess.
Aviation interests in that state are being asked to urge
legislators to vote "yes" on AB 1140(amended), which has completely
erased its original wording and now includes a single purpose:
"This bill would prohibit the bureau, for the period July 1,
2010, to December 31, 2011, inclusive, from enforcing the act
against institutions that offer flight instruction or institutions
that offer Federal Aviation Administration certified educational
programs in aircraft maintenance.
The bill would also require the Legislature to hold public
informational hearings for the purpose of reviewing the
appropriateness of regulating educational programs in flight
instruction and aircraft maintenance under the act."
California AB 48 levied large state fees, increasing costs to
flight schools and flight instructors and goes into effect in
August 2010. This will raise the cost for pilots to get flight
instruction, and effectively put many instructors and flight
schools out of business. In early June, ANN's good friend, Max
Trescott, and other California flight educators emailed
flyers asking them to contact legislators and/or attend a
public hearing in Sacramento on June 7. AOPA and dozens of flight
schools and flight instructors showed up and testified. However the
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) said that they
would still be implementing the regulations. Since new bills cannot
be introduced until January 2011, efforts by AOPA, NATA and flight
schools turned to finding an existing bill that could be amended
with provisions delaying the new fees for a year, pending further
legislative hearings.
AB 1889 was amended to include language similar to the wording in
AB 1140 and it passed the CA Assembly on June 28th. However, some
people feel that the Governor might not sign AB 1189, since it
includes language that contains a requirement for the state to
provide an additional $580,000 to fund the creation of BPPE staff.
The Governor has stated he will veto any bill that increases the
budget, which this bill does.
AB 1140 is a second, parallel effort. It was originally a health
care bill that was "gutted and replaced" so that now it only
contains the language above regarding aviation education
providers.
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