Long-Term Authorization Expires In September 2015

Some in the aviation industry are expressing concerns that delays in passing a transportation bill in Congress could be troublesome for the FAA.

Politico reports that the transportation bill could be pushed to the end of the year in a lame-duck session of Congress, and that could delay progress on updating the FAA's ability to collect and spend ticket taxes that are used to fund the AIP program and other investments.

The most recent FAA reauthorization bill passed in 2012, after 22 short-term continuing resolutions. The fight lasted over four years. Now, even 18 months out, industry insiders say that a protracted debate over the Highway Trust Fund and other issues may push the FAA bill to the back burner.

There are also discussion inside the industry about the basic structure of the FAA, and whether the United States needs to privatize some Air Traffic Control functions such as has been done in Canada, the report said.

The good news is that congressional staff and industry lobbyists agree that the relevant committees in both the U.S. House and Senate are making progress on drafting the bill.

FMI: http://transportation.house.gov, www.commerce.senate.gov