House Transportation Committee Will Likely Hold The Bill Until August

The leadership of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee cancelled its planned release of a draft of the FAA reauthorization bill on July 1. It appears that the bill now won't be shown to the public until sometime in August.

The bill was said to have contained language leading to the privatization of the nation's Air Traffic Control System, and user fees to support the new scheme. HAI reported on Rotor.com that the bill was getting a lukewarm reception from the industry and on Capitol Hill, and it appeared unlikely that enough support for the plan could be mustered before the September 30 deadline.

A news conference introducing the bill planned for Wednesday was first delayed, and then cancelled by the committee leadership.

The bill had been scheduled for markup hearings on July 8 and 9, but those hearings have now been cancelled, according to committee staff.

The current authorization expires at the end of the fiscal year September 30. The last time the Congress tried to craft an FAA reauthorization bill, the process dragged on for years, and the agency was kept running by a series of continuing resolutions.

FMI: http://transportation.house.gov