New FAA Reauthorization Bill Clears All The Hurdles

After missing its own deadline by eight months, Congress got its act together long enough to finally agree on an FAA funding bill. It actually has a few goodies inside.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Monday, June 24, 2024 at 08:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 was signed into law, providing a multi-year roadmap for the agency and receiving widespread praise from aviation stakeholders for its comprehensive benefits to general aviation.
Key provisions for general aviation pilots include expanding BasicMed, requiring the FAA to finalize its MOSAIC aircraft certification proposal, establishing an airman's medical bill of rights, and prohibiting the FAA's use of ADS-B data for enforcement.
The act also significantly boosts airport funding, particularly for GA airports, ensures 100LL fuel availability until at least 2031, and mandates the removal of expiration dates from flight instructor certificates.

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On May 16, 2004, President Biden signed into law the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the latest policy direction from Congress on how to run this magazine’s Favorite Aviation Agency. The 1083-page measure is designed to meet the FAA’s and the industry’s needs for the next few years, until it expires on September 30, 2028. Despite the time it took to develop and pass, the wait appears to have been worth it.

Among the many items of possible interest among general aviation pilots in the bill are an expansion of BasicMed and a requirement that the FAA issue a final rule on its MOSAIC aircraft certification proposal. The bill also creates an airman’s medical bill of rights, prohibits FAA’s use of ADS-B data to initiate an enforcement investigation and requires a study on the Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules Area and Flight Restricted Zone to assess reducing operational impacts and improving GA access to local airports.