Senate Voting on Bill Tonight

FAA VOTE - Flying high or wings clipped? The Senate will vote on the conferenced Federal Aviation Administration bill today. The Senate measure needs to clear 60 votes, which shouldn't be a problem as it's widely expected to pass. Commerce Chair Jay Rockefeller indicated a high level of confidence last week, though other sources are cautiously optimistic, noting there's a slight chance that union backlash against the compromised National Mediation Board language could erode some Democratic support. In sum, everyone is still holding their breath. For C-SPAN-ers, the vote should be around 5:30 p.m.

HOUSE PARTY: The FAA bill passed the House 248-169 on Friday, drawing the support of 24 Democrats, a significant accomplishment during an era of partisan, divided government. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair John Mica was excited as Congress closed in on a painful chapter of history that included 23 stopgap extensions and a partial FAA shutdown last summer. "Everybody said we couldn't do it and we did it," a visibly pleased Mica told MT. The Dems that joined in voting for the legislation included Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), both prominent architects of the conference report. The new bill lasts four years - five months less than those 23 stopgaps leading up to now.

The bill includes the following:

• No Passenger Facility Charge (PFC ) increase

• No New Taxes/No Increased Taxes

• Stable, Long-term Funding

• Increased NextGen Focus/Funding

• Creates Chief NextGen Officer to coordinate programs

• Accelerates implementation of key technologies

• Focuses on reducing flight delays in congested areas

• Nearly $300 billion benefit to U.S. economy

• Additional Passenger Protections

• Establishes passenger complaint hotline

• Requires coordinated airport/airline response to tarmac delays

• Requires government study on adequacy of lost/delayed baggage compensation

• Requires additional reporting of flight delays/cancellations

IMPORTANT: SENATE VOTES TONIGHT. Please take a few seconds and send a note to your Senator encouraging his/her support for the FAA bill – sample letter included on site below.

http://capwiz.com/nbta/issues/alert/?alertid=60961561

FAA Deal Reached

National Journal
Breaking News

FAA Deal on Capitol Hill: Labor Language Dropped

House and Senate leaders have reached agreement on a long-awaited bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, with Republicans backing down on a controversial labor provision that had drawn a veto threat from the White House. The deal paves the way for finalization of an FAA bill that has been years in the making. Lawmakers were facing a Jan. 31 deadline when the current extension would expire.

Republican leaders agreed to remove the offending language in the FAA bill that would have rescinded an Obama administration rule by the National Mediation Board that makes it easier for rail and aviation workers to unionize. The remaining disputes between Republicans and Democrats on the measure have been worked out in a gentleman's agreement among the congressional transportation gurus.

In exchange, Democrats have agreed to include a provision that would raise the threshold for rail and aviation workers expressing interest in forming a union from 35 percent to 50 percent.

Lawmakers still must draft a bill that both chambers can vote on, but that task is easily manageable over the next week and a half, congressional aides said.

Lawmakers also have agreed to public hearings for some NMB actions.

No one wanted to pass another short-term extension of the FAA. It would have been Number 23. But it wasn't clear until the Republican retreat in Baltimore this weekend that the House GOP was willing to drop the labor provision. They consider the Obama administration rule, which says nonvoting workers cannot count as "no" votes in elections to form unions, to be an overreach of power to its union constituency. Supporters of the rule say it simply puts rail and aviation union elections in line with all other elections, including unionization votes governed by the National Labor Relations Board and elections for members of Congress.

2012 update for FAA Reauthorization

GBTA Continues to Push for FAA Re authorization and NextGen – Good Hill Meeting Today: Mike McCormick met with key staff for the Senate Commerce Committee urging strong funding for the FAA and NextGen. With the current FAA Reauthorization expiring on January 31, he urged passage of a long-term reauthorization to allow FAA funding of key projects to modernize the air traffic control system – meaning fewer flight delays, fewer ground delays and shorter flights for busy business travelers. He also spoke about the value of business travel to the U.S. economy and the recent GBTA BTQ. Valuable insight gained. Meetings with key staff for House of Representatives committees to follow.