ACC Legislative News

An e-mail supplement to AirportConsulting, ACC's quarterly magazine
Prepared by T.J. Schulz, ACC Vice President

Congress Clears FY 2010 DOT/FAA Spending Bill - $3.5 for AIP

1.  House Introduces Second Stimulus/Jobs Bill with $500 Million in AIP Funding
2.  Congress Approves Three-Month Authorization Extension for FAA through March 31
3.  Congress Clears FY 2010 DOT/FAA Spending Bill; $3.5 Billion for AIP

1)  House Unveils Second Stimulus/Job Creation Bill; ACC Urges Airport Funding

The House of Representatives yesterday unveiled a job creation bill that contains $48 billion in infrastructure spending, including $500 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding. The bill sets similar conditions for the obligation of the funding as provided in the first stimulus package. It directs the U.S. Department of Transportation obligate the funding within 120 days and that preference is given to projects that can be completed within two years.

Prospects for a jobs bill in the Senate are unclear since it is currently debating health care legislation. It seems apparent that consideration of the jobs legislation will be pushed into early next year due to the busy Senate calendar.

On Dec. 11, ACC sent a letter to Democratic leaders urging Congress to include airport funding in the next jobs bill. Noting FAA's successful track record in obligating the airport funding under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the letter states, "The funding should be set at a level determined by FAA that can be obligated within the timeframes established by Congress. This investment will not only create and maintain jobs, but will also serve to improve the safety and performance of our nation's airport facilities."

2)  Congress Approves Three-Month Authorization Extension for FAA

Last week Congress cleared a bill (H.R. 4217) that extends FAA's authorization through March 31, 2010. The bill authorizes $2 billion in AIP funding from Oct. 1, 2009 - March 31, 2010. This is the eighth extension passed by Congress since FAA's authorization expired on Sept. 30, 2007.

The Senate originally wanted an extension through the end of the fiscal year but eventually relented to the House's desire to have a shorter term bill. The overall plan is to have the Senate consider and pass its reauthorization proposal early next year so the House and Senate can go to conference and develop a final bill by the time the extension expires. However, the Senate calendar will likely be full with high-profile legislation next year including climate change, a stimulus package and the possible carryover of the health care debate.

3)  Congress Clears FY 2010 DOT/FAA Appropriations Bill; $3.5 Billion for AIP

The House and Senate cleared the final FY 2010 Department of Transportation/FAA appropriations bill (H.R. 3288), which has been sent to the president for his signature. The bill keeps AIP funding at $3.515 billion for the fifth year in a row.

While FAA has appropriations available for the remainder of FY 2010, keep in mind that it will only have the authority to obligate $2 billion in grants AIP until March 31, 2010 under the three-month authorization extension mentioned above.

The measure includes over 90 earmarks for FAA, including 75 AIP projects worth $64.5 million and 12 Facilities and Equipment (F&E) projects worth $11.65 million. The list of projects is included on pages 469-475 of the .pdf (not the page number) of the bill report.

Here is a summary of the final spending levels included in H.R. 4217.

Federal Aviation Administration FY 2010 Funding Summary: (in billions)

*Does not reflect $1.1 billion in AIP and $200 million in F&E provided in the economic stimulus bill

Questions?

If you have questions, feel free to contact ACC Vice President T.J. Schulz at TJS@ACConline.org.