FAA Reauthorization 2023 Update
FAA Bill Passes the House
July 20, 2023 - The FAA bill (HR 3935) passed the House earlier today with a 351 - 69 vote for the bill. This is critical for our jobs. If the FAA is not funded, we don’t have the proper staffing and infrastructure to keep aviation moving. We see it today with operational meltdowns and reduced schedules - but safety is also a major issue when the national air system is stretched thin. That’s why it’s critical that Congress get an FAA bill done well before the September 30 funding deadline, without any threats of shutdown or extensions. We need stable longterm funding and planning for aviation to work across the industry.
We were successful in getting these Flight Attendant issues into the House bill: improving cabin air quality, establishing Aircraft cabin Temperature Standards, Pumping Guidance, support for Flight Attendants to attend Crew Member Self Defense Training, updating aircraft emergency evacuation standards, reducing exposure to air turbulence, studying and reducing the risks of radiation exposure, deterring crew member interference by disruptive passengers, and review of Medical Equipment on Board.
At the CWA convention last week, the first resolution adopted by a unanimous vote was in support of an FAA bill with our safety issues included. Resolution >
We commend Transportation and Infrastructure leadership, Chair Sam Graves and Ranking member Rick Larsen, for ushering this bill through the House.
Keeping Poison Pills Out
We were able to defeat controversial amendments which could have delayed the passage of an FAA Bill: changes to the slot/perimeter rule at DCA (the FAA is clear the airport is already at capacity), and proposals to lower the 1500 pilot training hours requirement.
However, Speaker Kevin McCarthy used the Rules committee to deny a vote on an amendment to strip the increase to pilot retirement age from the bill. If there had been a vote allowed in the House, the bipartisan votes were lined up to extract it by a large margin. But McCarthy didn’t allow the vote. So now it’s up to the Senate to keep this ill-conceived, costly, ineffective last minute proposal from getting into the final bill. We look forward to working with the Senate to fix this issue and get an FAA bill completed before the current authorization expires September 30, 2023.
Action in the Senate
The Senate Commerce Committee has yet to mark up its bill. Call your Senators (202) 224-3121 to urge them to get back to work to fund the FAA before it expires on September 30, 2023.
Increasing Pilot Retirement Age Must Come Out of the Bill
We will do everything in our power to strip the age 67 pilot retirement amendment. It’s not a serious proposal to meet travel demand and will not accomplish what’s intended. Furthermore, it will be costly to implement, wastes time, and is a gross violation of worker rights and collective bargaining. Bottom line is: it is not good policy and threatens the overall passage of the final bill.
We are continuing to work to keep other harmful provision from getting into the bill and strengthening other priorities on safety and security for our jobs while the Senate acts, and the bill heads to conference between the two chambers of Congress.
Remain Ready to Act
Stay tuned. We need to stay ready to act to ensure this bill gets done to strengthen our national air system and without any harmful measures that undercut safety.
