The Senate on Thursday passed a bill to extend the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration for another 14 months, just two days before the FAA’s current authorization expires.
The bill, which passed the House 89-4 on Monday, will now head to President Obama’s desk for his signature into law.
The legislation is yet another short-term extension of the FAA, and is the result of failed negotiations to reach a multi-year authorization.
It makes no major changes and does not include a provision authored by House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., that would privatize the nation’s air traffic control system. The bill keeps FAA funding at the current level until September 2017.
The House and Senate had hoped to pass a multi-year bill this year, but the two chambers failed to find a compromise, in part because Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chairman John Thune, R-S.D. does not support privatization of the air traffic control system.
The legislation includes some new consumer protections, including a requirement that airlines return fees when baggage is lost, and new safety enhancements including extra background vetting for airport employees and more airport security personnel.
“This puts us on a path to more safer travel opportunities in this country,” Thune said Wednesday.
