Chairmen Sam Graves and Garret Graves Statements from House Floor Debate on Bipartisan FAA Bill

"H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, is a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Nation's aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years. I want to thank Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen, Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Garret Graves, and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen for working with me to develop and introduce this legislation.

For over a century, the United States has led the world in aviation safety and innovation. Unfortunately, our "Gold Standard" status is being threatened by increasing global competition, rapid developments in technology, a shortage of aviation professionals, and inefficiencies and a lack of leadership at the FAA.

H.R. 3935 is critical to keeping America the global leader in aviation. It's vital to our economy, to millions of American jobs, and to the 850 million passengers that depend on our National Airspace System every year. If Congress fails to act on a new long-term aviation measure by September 30th, when the current FAA law expires, key aviation programs will cease to function.

H.R. 3935 provides the necessary long-term certainty that is demanded by both the civil aviation system and the aviation community to guarantee its safety and prosperity for decades to come. This bill not only improves the FAA's efficiency through reasonable organizational reforms but makes the agency more agile while simultaneously prioritizing safety each step of the way. The FAA is simply too slow in everything it does -- from rulemakings to aircraft registrations, and from certifications to just simple paperwork.

This bill ensures robust investment in infrastructure for airports of all sizes, including the thousands of smaller and General Aviation (GA) airports that make up the bulk of our aviation system. And I'm proud to say, our bill includes the first-ever General Aviation title in a FAA reauthorization bill.

GA is foundational to our civil aviation system. It's where many of our pilots, mechanics, and other aviation professionals begin their careers, gaining valuable experience along their journey in the aviation industry. This bill recognizes the importance of GA and protects the freedom to fly for every American.

As previously mentioned, growing shortages across the aerospace workforce are a true threat to the future of American aviation. H.R. 3935 addresses workforce challenges head on by removing barriers to entry for individuals and veterans interested in pursuing careers in aviation, such as through the CAREER program.

Bottom line, our bill encourages growth in the aviation workforce through the most meaningful reforms in decades.

What's more, H.R. 3935 maintains American leadership when it comes to the development and integration of new and emerging technologies into the airspace, such as drones and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Specifically, this bill requires the FAA to stop endless testing and pilot programs that go nowhere and to integrate innovations such as drones and AAM into the National Airspace System.

As air travel recovers from the COVID pandemic, renewed growth in air travel has come with some difficulties for the traveling public. Our bipartisan bill includes an entire title dedicated to improving the flying experience for the traveling public -- an issue that each of our offices hears about from constituents almost daily.

Finally, and most importantly, this bill recognizes that while our aviation system is safe, we must continue raising the bar for safety. As such, this bill includes a number of safety-focused provisions to ensure that America continues to be the world's Gold Standard in aviation safety.

One of the most important safety features of this bill is the title for a five-year reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) -- the independent Federal agency that investigates all civil aviation and other transportation accidents.

I believe the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation this body will consider in the 118th Congress. This bill is vital to America's airport infrastructure, to our economy, and to the future of American leadership in aviation.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time."

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