House Passed The Senate Bill On A Voice Vote Monday

The FAA will continue to be funded at its current levels through July after the U.S. House sent a Continuing Resolution (CR) extending the agency's funding through July 15. The measure also allows the agency to continue to collect aviation taxes and maintains the AIP program.

The Senate passed the measure late last week and sent it to the house before adjourning for its Easter recess. The House approved the Senate version of the CR and sent it on to the President for his approval, according to The Hill.

The CR will give lawmakers additional time to try to finalize a new long-term funding measure for the FAA. The two sides of Capitol Hill are divided over the issue of privatizing Air Traffic Control. Privatization continues to be favored by House Republicans, but House Democrats and most in the Senate seem to be opposed to the idea. The provision to privatize ATC that was in the House version of the long-term funding measure was absent from the Senate version passed by that body's Commerce Committee last week.

Another difference between the two bills is that the Senate version would fund the agency only until September, 2017, while the House bill is a five-year plan.

If the Congress does not resolve its differences by mid-July, it will likely languish until they return from their summer recess after Labor Day.

"This FAA extension was a necessary step, and we thank House and Senate leaders for ensuring that current FAA programs and funding continue as lawmakers in both chambers work on respective long-term FAA reauthorization measures," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

(Image from file)

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