Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Bill

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Tue June 13, 2023

Washington lawmakers introduced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act today, which includes funding for FAA reforms, workforce development, airport infrastructure, and aviation safety.

HR 3935, also known as the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, is bipartisan legislation that serves to reauthorize the FAA for the next five years.

The House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will begin considering the nearly 800-page legislation tomorrow.

“The bill provides funding for the latest safety technology on runways, and to hire more air traffic controllers, pilots, and mechanics,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and one of the lawmakers who sponsored the legislation in the senate. “The bill also sets the first-ever clear ticket refund standards for delayed flights and will penalize airlines that sell tickets on flights that they don’t have the staff or technology to operate.”
 
If approved, the bill will provide more than $107 billion in appropriations for the FAA for fiscal years 2024 through 2028. Items covered by the funding would include:

• $67.5 billion for FAA operations to fund key safety programs, from aircraft certification reform to air carrier oversight, while enabling the hiring, training and retention of safety critical staff, from air traffic controllers to technical engineers.
• $18.2 billion for FAA facilities and equipment to fund the modernizing of key technologies, systems and equipment to ensure the resilience and development of the world’s most complex airspace system.
• $20 billion for FAA airport improvement grants to support more than 3,300 airports nationwide and promote a sustainable and resilient infrastructure to meet increasing demand and integration of emerging technologies. 
• $1.8 billion for FAA research, engineering and development, which will help America keep competitive in the global race for innovative and sustainable aerospace technology.
  
  

“The FAA Reauthorization Act is a win for aviation safety advocates and the flying public,” said Aviation Subcommittee Chair Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). “This bill includes… a modified version of the EVAC Act—to make flying safer and more accessible for all Americans. I’m grateful to my colleagues for working together to produce a strong, bipartisan bill that helps modernize the FAA, boosts the aviation workforce, increases consumer protections and makes sure people with a disability are seen and heard.”

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