The U.S. Senate on Oct. 3 agreed, 93-6, to approve a U.S. House amendment to sweeping Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reform that includes numerous provisions championed by U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Now headed to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature, the legislation will support modernizing airport infrastructure, improving customer service, enhancing transportation safety and security, and boosting aviation industry innovation.
Specifically, the Senate approved the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, H.R. 302, a five-year authorization of the federal aviation programs and a three-year reauthorization of the Transportation Security Administration.
“I appreciate the strong, bipartisan support for getting a long-term FAA reauthorization to the president’s desk and look forward to seeing it signed into law,” said Sen. Blunt, chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security.
Sen. Blunt noted that H.R. 302 is focused on issues passengers care about most, such as increasing safety and streamlining the screening process. “Convenient, reliable air travel supports good-paying jobs and economic growth across the country,” said Blunt.
Additionally, the measure also “prioritizes programs that will help Missouri’s airports keep up with increasing travel demand, from small and regional airports to international hubs,” the lawmaker said earlier this week.
Sens. Burr and Tillis of North Carolina praised the passage of H.R. 302 for its inclusion of $1.68 billion in disaster relief funding for North Carolina and South Carolina following the recent devastation wreaked by Hurricane Florence.
“This funding is an important step on the long road to recovery for the thousands of North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Florence,” Sen. Burr said. “With $1.14 billion allocated for North Carolina, and another $540 million for South Carolina, our constituents can start to rebuild their homes, businesses and livelihoods.”
Sen. Burr plans to work alongside North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and state and local officials to ensure federal funds are swiftly dispersed to hasten recovery efforts.
H.R. 302 also includes language from Sen. Burr’s S. 2738, which he introduced on April 24 to require the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish a standard-of-service animal behavior training that an individual with a disability shall adhere to in seeking accommodation involving a service animal from any air carrier providing air transportation, according to the congressional record summary.
“I look forward to working with the Transportation Department in order to successfully implement these needed reforms,” Burr said.
Sen. Tillis called the post-Florence disaster relief funding included in H.R. 302 “an important down payment to begin recovering from the devastation” caused by the hurricane.
“Federal assistance will be the key to North Carolina’s recovery over the coming months and years, and I will continue to work with the entire North Carolina congressional delegation to ensure families have the resources needed to rebuild their homes and businesses and our great state can rebuild our infrastructure,” said Sen. Tillis.
“We must ensure North Carolinians receive assistance as soon as possible, and this legislation is a positive first step in a long road ahead,” the lawmaker added.
Sen. Tillis also praised the inclusion in H.R. 302 of reforms to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs that will help communities better prepare for and respond to myriad disasters.
“I am also glad this legislation includes reforms to FEMA programs to expedite assistance for recipients of FEMA aid and simplify federal requirements for individuals and state, local and Indian tribal governments,” Sen. Tillis said.
In Colorado, where wildfires have caused considerable damage this year, Sen. Gardner also commended Senate passage of H.R. 302 this week.
“As wildfires hit Colorado this year, I heard directly from the men and women fighting fires and was pleased to work to include a provision to deter the idiotic behavior of unauthorized drone use over wildfires,” Sen. Gardner said.
H.R. 302 also includes a provision from legislation sponsored by Sen. Gardner in the bicameral, bipartisan Securing Airspace for Emergency Responders (SAFER) Act of 2018, S. 3132/H.R. 6235, which would make it a felony to fly unauthorized drones over wildfires. Sen. Gardner introduced the Senate version on June 26, the same day H.R. 6235 was introduced in the House by his home-state colleague U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO).
“Going forward, I will continue my efforts to support Colorado’s airports and protect our airspace,” said Gardner.
Overall, Sen. Gardner noted that the Senate-approved FAA reform bill “is good for Colorado’s airports and the thousands of people who fly in our state each day.”