Members of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which is chaired by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), along with those on the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on April 29 said they reached a final agreement on the bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The 1,000-pages-plus FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, S. 1939, would reauthorize the FAA through fiscal year 2028, including activities and programs related to airport planning and development, facilities and equipment, and operations. The National Transportation Safety Board would also be reauthorized through FY 2028, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Graves and several other lawmakers.
If enacted, the bipartisan S. 1939 also would address a wide range of other issues, such as proposing not to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age, proposing staffing standards for air traffic control, and mandates for fee-free family seating on commercial flights, among many others.
In a joint statement, Rep. Graves joined Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who sponsored S. 1939 in June 2023, and other committee colleagues from both chambers in commending their agreement on the legislation.
“Now more than ever, the FAA needs strong and decisive direction from Congress to ensure America’s aviation system maintains its gold standard, and we have reached a bipartisan, bicameral, comprehensive agreement to do just that,” they said. “The American people deserve nothing less than the safest and most efficient aerospace system in the world.”
Toward that goal, Rep. Graves and his colleagues said that S. 1939 provides critical safety enhancements, 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 ensures a healthy general aviation sector for years to come, according to their joint statement.
“The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 is the culmination of months of work between House and Senate committee leaders, and we look forward to moving this agreement through both chambers as expeditiously as possible,” they said.
The measure, which is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), includes language from 26 related bills, and it now heads to the full Senate for action.