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.

FMI: www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp