But The Measure Has Several Hurdles To Clear Before Funding Is Assured

House and Senate leaders said late last week that they have reached a compromise that will lead to a long-term funding bill for the FAA, but one more Continuing Resolution to get the job done.

According to The Hill, the two sides finally reached a compromise on the labor issue which has been the primary roadblock to passing the legislation for the past year. In the compromise, Republicans have dropped their objections to having the number of votes cast be the basis for determining whether a union would form, rather than the pool of eligible voters. The National Mediation Board had put that rule in place last year, and House versions of the measure consistently tried to roll it back.

Democrats in the senate agreed that at least 50 percent of a company's workers should be in favor of a vote to unionize before such a vote is scheduled, rather than the current 35 percent. The National Mediation Board would also be required to hold public hearings before making rules changes in the future, rather than the judicial review now required.

The Associated Press reports that another change which made the bill more palatable to Republicans is for the establishment of a run-off between the top-two voter getters in an election in which there are multiple unions from which to choose, even if one of those two choices is "no union." The AP indicates that the compromise bill was largely negotiated between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH).

(L-R) Senator Reid, Speaker Boehner

Reid called the compromise "a good example of the common-sense results that Democrats and Republicans can produce when they work together, and put the interests of the American people ahead of scoring political points."

A spokesman for House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL) said the compromise removed the final major hurdle to passing the bill. "We can now move ahead on this critical infrastructure measure that will help create jobs, modernize our nation’s air traffic control system, and reduce the size of government,” he told The Hill. A Democratic source agreed.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi praised the announcement, saying it has been a long time coming. “At a time when cooperation and bipartisanship are considered near-blasphemy in our nation’s capital, the men and women of NATCA are pleased to see lawmakers in Washington reach a long overdue compromise on a multi-year FAA Reauthorization," Rinaldi said. "In the United States, the aviation industry sustains over 11 million jobs and contributes $1.2 trillion in economic activity each year. This bill will help protect the rights of over 30,000 hard-working aviation safety professionals at the FAA, while ensuring the livelihood of millions of working Americans that depend on a vibrant aviation sector.

“This compromise will put us on a path towards modernization and ensure that the U.S. will continue to lead with the safest and most efficient air traffic control system in the world.”

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen also expressed optimism at the announcement. "We are encouraged by recent reports that House and Senate leaders have reached agreement on a long-sought, multi-year reauthorization bill for the FAA. Although the details of the legislation have yet to be fully understood, we know that having such a measure signed into law is the best way to ensure that the agency has the guidance needed for pursuing long-term initiatives, including implementation of a Next Generation Air Traffic System and other priorities, so that our aviation system can meet the needs of the future. We thank House and Senate leaders for their tireless work to get agreement on this legislation."

Lawmakers are expected to pass a (hopefully final) continuing resolution this week to allow lawmakers time to work out the final details of the measure. The short-term funding bill passed before the holidays expires January 31st. Both sides said there were still areas of disagreement on the bill, but none had been as intractable as the labor provisions.

FMI: www.house.gov, www.senate.gov