ACC Legislative News
House Approves Stimulus Bill; Senate Proposal Under
Consideration
An e-mail supplement to AirportConsulting,
ACC's quarterly magazine
Prepared by T.J. Schulz, ACC Vice President
House Approves Stimulus Bill; Senate Proposal Under
Consideration
The House approved its $819 billion economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1)
last week by a 244-188 vote, shifting the focus to the Senate chamber.
The Senate measure includes $1.3 billion in aviation funding, well below
the $3 billion provided under the House bill. The Senate bill also
includes $1.2 billion for the procurement and installation of checked
baggage and checkpoint explosion detection equipment.
The Senate is now considering its economic stimulus bill on the
Senate floor, and numerous amendments are pending. House and Senate
leadership have a goal of passing a final stimulus measure by February
13, 2009.
Below is a quick breakdown of the key components of the Senate and
House measures. Keep in mind that the Senate bill is subject to change
as it is considered on the Senate floor, and that the bill will not be
final until the House/Senate conference is complete.
Airport Funding:
Senate Bill: $1.1 billion
House Bill: $3.0 billion
Time Frame for Spending:
Senate Bill: The USDOT Secretary is to give priority to projects that
can be completed within two years of enactment of the stimulus bill.
House Bill: An amendment was approved on the House floor that
shortens the 120 day deadline in the original draft House bill to 90
days. However, there is much confusion regarding the time frames set in
the House bill. One interpretation is that within 90 days of the bill's
passage, FAA will have to award 100 percent of the stimulus funding in
grants to airports. Then airports would have 90 days to enter into
contracts to make use of over 50 percent of the grants. The timing issue
will have to be decided during the House/Senate conference, but in the
meantime you may want to advise your airports to position themselves to
be able to award contracts in as timely a manner as possible.
FAA Facilities and Equipment
Senate Bill: Proposes $200 million for power systems, air route
traffic control centers, air traffic control towers, terminal radar
approach control facilities, and navigation and landing equipment.
House Bill: No funding.
Local Match
Senate Bill: Provides 100 percent federal share.
House Bill: Requires local AIP matching funds.
AMT Repeal
Senate Bill: Provides a two-year repeal of the Alternative Minimum
Tax (AMT) on interest on private activity bonds, but only for new
financial transactions.
House Bill: Same.
TSA Funding
Senate Bill: Provides $1.2 billion to remain available until Sept.
30, 2010 for procurement and installation of checked baggage explosive
detection systems and checkpoint explosive detection equipment.
House Bill: Includes $500 million for the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) for the purchase and installation of explosive
detection systems and emerging checkpoint technologies.
A copy of the Senate bill's spending proposal can be found here
The Senate committee "report" on the bill which explains the
provisions in narrative form, which can be found here:
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