With the July 15 deadline for the passing of an FAA reauthorization bill swiftly approaching, a handful of prominent aviation groups have banded together, drafting a letter urging Congress to put aside its differences for the good of the aviation community.
A controversial provision in a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would privatize air traffic control is causing the stalemate. In April, the Senate passed a similar reauthorization bill that didn’t include ATC privatization, but the House has been hesitant to follow suit.
AOPA and 13 other groups, including the Experimental Aircraft Association and National Business Aviation Association, signed a letter stressing the importance of passing the reauthorization bill before July 15, when Congress would be forced to pass another short-term extension to fund the FAA. The letter, which was sent to the House on June 8, states that “operating the FAA under a series of extensions hinders the smooth operation of the agency and creates considerable uncertainty for the nation’s aviation stakeholders.”
“We need to get this done so the FAA can get on with important modernization and reform efforts,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “We know from painful experience that moving from extension to extension is inefficient, creates uncertainty, and slows progress — and that’s something the aviation community just can’t afford at a time when there’s so much work to do.”
