Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 3935, a bipartisan, bicameral effort, done in good faith, to create a safer, cleaner, greener, more innovative and accessible U.S. aviation system.
After reviewing more than a thousand stakeholder requests and Member priorities, holding six committee hearings, and engaging in months of negotiations with the Senate, we have finally reached a pivotal milestone for U.S. aviation, the final passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
I am proud to support this 5-year reauthorization to ensure that American aviation continues to be a powerful economic engine that creates good-paying jobs and supports local communities across the country.
Before I get into the details, I will provide the FAA bill by the numbers: $4 billion, that is how much we boost the annual Airport Improvement Program funding to, an increase of $650 million a year, with at least $150 million in AIP discretionary funds for airport noise and environmental sustainability projects; $60 million, the new robust annual funding for workforce development grants to grow the next generation of aviation manufacturing workers, aviation maintenance technicians, and pilots, including a $12 million set aside annually for the new Willa Brown Aviation Education Program to support outreach and educational opportunities to underrepresented communities; $0, that is how much it will cost families now to sit with their young children on commercial aircraft; $200 million for new annual grants to increase airport runway safety and resiliency; $350 million to establish a groundbreaking reimbursement program for airports to replace harmful PFAS firefighting foam and equipment with safer alternatives; and finally, $20 million per year to launch a new pilot program to fund capital projects that improve airport accessibility, among other key reforms.
The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, but it has been tested in recent years. To rise to that challenge, this bill helps runway incursions by expanding ground surveillance and detection technology at major airports to better alert air traffic controllers and the pilots of potential danger.
Similarly, to combat fatigue and stress on the air traffic controller workforce caused by understaffing, this bill requires the FAA to hire the maximum number of controllers and to adopt the most appropriate controller staffing model to meet the aviation system's evolving needs.
At a time of unprecedented aerospace innovation, this final bill provides a clear and predictable framework for new airspace entrants to scale safely in our skies.
The bill requires the FAA to issue rulemakings for beyond visual line of sight, or BVLOS, drone operations, and to finalize the certification standards and operating rules for powered-lift advanced air mobility, or AAM, aircraft. It will also help State, local, and Tribal governments to use drones for infrastructure inspection and repair so maintenance and construction crews can work safely.
The 2024 FAA reauthorization builds the foundation for a cleaner and greener future for our aviation ecosystem, as well. The bill allows U.S. airports to use AIP funds for alternative fuel infrastructure, including for hydrogen and unleaded fuels, and works to mitigate the impacts of aviation noise on local communities like those near Paine Field and Bellingham International Airport in my own district.
The reauthorization bill is also a jobs bill. It will help to build the economy and diversify our aviation workforce, recognizing how critical this effort is to U.S. leadership in the evolving global aviation sector.
In addition to the robust investment for workforce development grants, this bill directs the FAA and the Department of Defense to collaborate on improving the career transition between military and civil aviation and establishes a task force to oversee and advise on the FAA's efforts to support the mental health of the aviation workforce.
Furthermore, the bill fosters a safer workplace by establishing a Federal task force to help protect airline personnel from the troubling rise in assaults and initiating a ramp worker safety call to action to reduce the occurrence of tragic ingestion in blast zone accidents, among other key improvements.
Moreover, after many disruptive incidents for passengers in recent years, this reauthorization sets the passenger experience back on the right path, allowing for a safer, accessible, and more dignified travel experience.
This bill works to make passengers whole by codifying into U.S. law a requirement that airlines provide cash refunds to passengers and harmonizes with the recent DOT rule to allow for these refunds to be automatic. It also calls for airlines to create policies for reimbursing passengers for meals, lodging, and other costs if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed.
Furthermore, this reauthorization breaks down barriers for passengers with disabilities by improving training for airline personnel and contractors who assist these passengers with boarding or deplaning an aircraft and, importantly, for handling their mobility devices, and establishing a pilot program to allow passengers to seamlessly travel with approved service animals.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 cements a safer, cleaner, greener, more innovative, and accessible future for U.S. aviation.
I thank my colleagues, Chair Sam Graves, Subcommittee Chair Garret Graves, Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Cantwell, and Ranking Member Cruz for their collaboration.
I also thank the nearly 350 stakeholders representing unions, airlines, airports, manufacturers, disability rights organizations, healthcare groups, so many folks who have endorsed this legislation and have helped build support since we first passed this out of committee last July.
Madam Speaker, I stand here today to urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, bicameral legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Titus).
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Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Scholten).
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Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, we have no more speakers, and I am ready to close.
I close by saying that the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 would not have been possible without the staff here in the House of Representatives that have spent more than a year negotiating and drafting this legislation.
I thank some folks in closing, and I won't go through the titles-- they know who they are--but by name: Brian Bell, Adam Weiss, Alexandra Menardy, Elizabeth Forro, and Alex Schnelle, who are on the Aviation Subcommittee staff.
On the full committee: Kathy Dedrick, Helena Zyblikewycz, Stanton Johnson, Ryan Lehman, Peter True, Hale Diamond, Paul Samberg, Michael Hudspith, and Zane Tolchinsky.
I also recognize the Republican Aviation Subcommittee staff, without whom this obviously would not have been done. Both staffs took the direction from the chair and I that we were going to play Team House of Representatives when it came to negotiating the final bill and be bipartisan, as long as we could be bipartisan, through this entire process.
I recognize the Subcommittee on Aviation staff on the Republican side: Hunter Presti, Laney Copeland, Julie Devine, Andrew Giacini, Will Moore, Corey Sites, and Christopher Senn.
On the full committee: Jack Ruddy, Abby Camp Wenk, Meghan Holland, Corey Cooke, Leslie Parker, Justin Harclerode, and Kerry Goldberg.
From the Office of Legislative Counsel, who I never see these people, I never meet them, but they do a lot of work: Karen Anderson, Jordyn Coad, Robert Casturo, Emily Ordakowski, and Michelle Johnston.
I thank all those folks for their hard work to make this happen. Their efforts have allowed us to craft a bill that we can all be proud of.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 is a bipartisan, bicameral, good-faith effort that ensures leadership in U.S. aviation safety, sustainability, innovation, and job creation.
I strongly support the Senate amendment to H.R. 3935 and urge all of my colleagues to support it, as well. I yield back the balance of my time.
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