Senate Begins Considering FAA Reauthorization Bill after Seven Month Delay

By Aaron Poehler

Published on April 28, 2008

The bill would pave the way for an overhaul of the much-criticized FAA as well as modernization of the nation’s air-traffic control network to incorporate newer satellite-based technologies. Although the House of Representatives’ version of the bill passed over seven months ago, movement on the Senate bill has been stalled due to disagreements over how to fund the air-traffic control system upgrades.

Friday’s agreement reached between Senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate aviation subcommittee, calls for general aviation turbine aircraft fuel taxes to increase from the current 21.8 cents per gallon rate to 36 cents per gallon.

The May 2007 version of the bill approved by the Senate Commerce Committee had included a $25 per flight surcharge. The Bush administration had threatened to veto the House version of the bill due to its lack of a per-flight user fee surcharge, a provision also supported by the airline industry. However, user fee surcharges have been removed from all versions of the FAA Reauthorization Bill currently being considered.

It is expected that the bill's passage by the full Senate could come as early as later this week.