Trade groups say the legislation doesn’t go far enough; Teamsters say it goes too far.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration by a vote of 393-13.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4), which now will move to the Senate for debate, funds the administration at an annual level of between $10.23 billion and $11.33 billion, including $3.35 billion per year for airport planning and development, through 2023.
According to a statement from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, H.R. 4 will “provide much-needed long-term stability for the nation’s aviation community, authorize robust investment in U.S. airports, improve America’s competitiveness in the global aviation sector, strengthen passenger protections and ensure the safety of the system for the traveling public.”
Trade groups representing the nation’s airports applauded the passage of a long-term funding bill for the FAA, but said the bill does not go far enough in terms of providing funding for critical airport renovation and expansion projects.
“With airports having nearly $100 billion in infrastructure needs through 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4), passed by the House today, misses a significant opportunity to provide airports with the resources they require to repair aging infrastructure, make needed investments in their facilities to accommodate rising passenger and cargo volume, and enhance air service competition for the benefit of passengers,” Kevin M. Burke, president and CEO of Airports Council International-North America, and Todd Hauptli, president and CEO of the American Association of Airport Executives, said in a joint statement.
“H.R. 4 falls short in addressing the long-term infrastructure needs of our aviation system by failing to adjust the outdated federal cap on the locally set passenger facility charge (PFC) user fee and by holding guaranteed federal support for the Airport Improvement Program flat for the duration of the bill, even though the annual AIP funding shortfall exceeds $3 billion according to the FAA,” they said. “While the administration and Congress continue to talk about infrastructure investment, much more needs to be done to address the systemic funding problems that put airports of all sizes at a significant disadvantage for modernizing their facilities to meet the needs of air passengers and local communities.
“Unfortunately, this bill is not the impactful infrastructure plan the aviation industry desperately needs at this critical juncture.”
The bill also includes the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, which passed the House in December but has not yet been taken up by the Senate, and seeks to reform Federal Emergency Management Agency programs to “provide greater focus on pre-disaster mitigation in order to lessen the impacts of future disasters, saving lines and saving taxpayer dollars,” the House T&I Committee said.
Not included in the reauthorization, however, was a controversial proposal to privatize the nation’s air traffic control operations.
Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House T&I Committee, and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., both sponsors of the current version of the legislation, have long argued in favor of separating air traffic control functions from the FAA as a means of accelerating the modernization of the system.
Opponents of the provision argued that ceding control of the nation’s air traffic to a private entity represents too great a risk to those same modernization efforts.
“Today, the House overwhelmingly approved the first long-term FAA reauthorization bill since 2012,” said Shuster. “While I would have liked this bill to have included the significant reforms to the management of the nation’s air traffic control system I proposed in earlier legislation, H.R. 4 does include many other important reforms that will help job creators lead in a competitive global marketplace for aviation, improve our airport infrastructure in large, small and rural communities, and improve air travel for millions of Americans.”
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., on the other hand, said he was “pleased” that the proposal to privatize the country’s air traffic control system was not included in the final text of the House bill.
“A privatized ATC would be unfair and would endanger the transparency and standards of the aviation industry,” he said. “Privatization would also pose harm to the federal workforce, especially to facilities like the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma, which employs 6,200 federal workers.
“Congress has always provided key oversight of the FAA and ATC to keep our skies safe and efficient,” said Cole. “Because of its balanced approach to regulation and operational standards, the FAA has made our skies the safest and most reliable airspace in the world.”
Shuster also noted that the FAA reauthorization “goes further than focusing only on aviation. The bipartisan DRRA provisions included as part of H.R. 4 will ensure our communities are better prepared for the next hurricane, flood or wildfire. By focusing on pre-disaster mitigation, DRRA shifts our disaster program mind-set from reactive to proactive, which will save lives, save property and save taxpayer dollars.
“The Disaster Recovery Reform Act will do just that and save the federal government $4 to $8 on the back end for every $1 spent on the front end,” he said. “By passing this legislation for the second time, the House has made it clear that helping communities across the nation build better and build smarter by incentivizing pre-disaster mitigation is a top priority. I hope the Senate will agree and move quickly on this bill.”
Also included in H.R. 4 was a slightly less-publicized amendment introduced by Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., that would effectively stop the ability of states and localities from setting any workplace rules for truck drivers in their jurisdictions.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters spoke out last week against the inclusion of such a provision, warning that it would inhibit state and local governments from passing or enforcing regulations not covered by current federal hours of service rules.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said the union would continue to fight the so-called “Denham amendment” despite its overwhelming support in the House.
“The Teamsters are disappointed in the House’s passage of this amendment, which would halt the ability of states and localities to set any workplace rules for truck drivers in their jurisdictions,” he said. “By prohibiting the enactment or enforcement of any law or regulation that imposes on interstate motor carriers any obligation beyond that covered in the so-called ‘hours of service’ regulations under federal law, they are hindering the rights of lawmakers at the state and local level to self-govern.”
According to Hoffa, the amendment “strips truckers of minimum wage protections … [and] overrules decades of court precedents confirming that truck drivers are entitled to basic workplace protections, paid sick days and to be properly classified as employees.”
“The fight on behalf of workers is not over,” he said. “This union pledges to stand up for truckers and demand that they continue to have the ability to earn a fair wage with the rest break protections they deserve.”