2024-04-30 01:14:14
Key members of Congress on Monday announced a deal on a $105 billion bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for five years ahead of a May 10 deadline.
The 1,000-page account will raise and codify into law air traffic control lease targets a rule the Biden administration put in place this month requires airlines to offer refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights, among other consumer-facing provisions.
The law would also add flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, despite opposition from U.S. senators from Virginia and Maryland who said in a letter Monday that the move would harm security efforts.
The compromise measure was negotiated by US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state, and Texas Republican Ted Cruz and US House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves,’ A Missouri Republican, and Democratic incumbent Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat.
The four legislators released a joint statement announced the agreement early Monday, praising their “bipartisan, bicameral, comprehensive agreement.”
“The American people deserve nothing less than the safest and most efficient aviation system in the world, and to that end, our bill provides critical safety improvements, grows America’s aviation workforce, invests in infrastructure at airports of all sizes, sets clear priorities for advancing innovative aviation solutions, improves the flying public’s travel experience, and ensure a healthy general aviation sector for years to come,” the lawmakers said.
The bill would authorize $66.7 billion to fund key safety programs such as aircraft safety certification and the hiring of air traffic controllers and technical engineers. It would also approve $19.35 billion for infrastructure improvements. It would more than double annual funding for the Essential Air Service program that subsidizes flights to small rural airports.
No votes are scheduled in either chamber on the measure, which President Joe Biden must sign by midnight on May 10 to avoid a lapse in FAA authority.
Washington National Airport
With endorsements from committee leaders on both sides of the aisle, the bill should have broad bipartisan appeal in both houses of Congress.
But senators from states bordering Washington, DC, said Monday they oppose the provision to close five inbound and five outbound flights at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, or DCA, located in Northern Virginia just across the Potomac River.
In a statement, Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia and Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland vow to “continue to fight this ridiculous and dangerous provision.”
Two planes cleared to take off from the busy airport came within 400 feet of the crash in an incident on April 18. The near miss should have highlighted the crowded conditions at DCA, which, as the closest airport to the Capitol, is a favorite of members of Congress, the senators wrote.
Committee members, none of whom are from the area, “decided to ignore the flashing red warning light of the recent near-collision of two planes at DCA and strand even more flights on the busiest runway in America,” the senators said. said. “It should go without saying that the safety of the traveling public should be a higher priority than the convenience of a few lawmakers who want direct flights home from their preferred airport.”
Because the federal government owns DCA and Dulles International Airport further up in the Northern Virginia suburbs, Congress has the power to make operational changes.
Consumer provision
The bill contains several provisions intended to protect consumers.
It would fix a rule the Biden administration proposed this month to require airlines to offer cash refunds for flight delays of more than three hours for domestic flights or six hours for international travel.
The Biden administration sought such a measure even as it pursued the rule.
It would also require airline credits to be effective for at least five years, bar airlines from asking families to sit together and require the Transportation Department to create a digital dashboard of minimum seat sizes for U.S. airlines. It does not require a national standard for seat size, but it directs the FAA to decide whether a rule on the issue is needed.
The legislation would create a Senate-confirmed position of deputy secretary for consumer protection, which would run a new office with a $14 million annual budget dedicated to consumer issues.
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