'Historic' FAA bill provides funding stability for agency

摘要

President Trump last month signed the sweeping five-year FAA reauthorization legislation, putting in place long-term funding for the agency and closing the door, at least for the time being, on efforts to fundamentally restructure the nation's air traffic control (ATC) organization. Passage of the Aviation, Transportation Safety, and Disaster Recovery Reforms and Reauthorization (H.R.302) culminated a four-plus-year process that involved six short-term extensions, several versions of the bill, hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill, dozens of hearings, and one of the most contentious debates surrounding the future of the ATC organization. Ultimately that process led to the announcement in the early hours of September 22 that the House and Senate had reached agreement on bipartisan legislation. And that legislation subsequently passed the House in late September by a 398-23 vote and the Senate in early October by 93-6, further drawing broad support from most corners of the industry.