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:

President Biden signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 into law, establishing policy direction for the FAA until September 2028, with aviation stakeholders broadly commending the bipartisan effort.
The act includes significant provisions for general aviation, such as expanding BasicMed, requiring a final rule on the MOSAIC aircraft certification proposal, and creating an airman's medical bill of rights.
It boosts FAA airport funding, with an increased share for GA airports and infrastructure, and prohibits restrictions on 100LL fuel until January 1, 2031.
Additional measures remove expiration dates from flight instructor certificates, prohibit the FAA's use of ADS-B data for enforcement, and enhance privacy for non-commercial flight registration information.

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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.