A Senate panel on Wednesday announced a bipartisan proposal to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. The proposal wouldn’t allow for the privatization of the nation’s air traffic control system, which could make it harder to pass in Congress this year.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unveiled a plan to reauthorize the FAA that would make reforms to drone regulations, including a safety test requirement. It would also add consumer protections for airline passengers, and speed up implementation of a satellite-based system to oversee air traffic.
“The U.S. Senate has an opportunity to make our skies safer, promote responsible drone usage, make economically significant aerospace manufacturing reforms, and adopt beneficial new protections for the flying public,” committee chair John Thune, R-S.D., said.
But the Senate proposal does not follow a House plan to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system, which currently operates under the authority of the FAA.
The House bill, released earlier this year, centered on a plan to shift oversight of the antiquated air traffic control system to an independent, non-profit corporation that would operate untethered from the federal government.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said privatization would help the ATC system run more efficiently and safely, and speed up implementation of the NextGen satellite system for controlling air traffic. The system isn’t scheduled to be fully in place until 2020 and is running behind schedule, Shuster said.
But some House Republicans balked at the privatization plan, in part because they feared it would lead to new airline fees, and Democrats staunchly opposed the idea. The bill, which cleared the Transportation committee, has stalled in the House.
The Senate is now offering its own plan, which reauthorizes FAA funding only through the end of fiscal 2017.
The legislation tackles the privacy and safety issues related to drone aircraft. It calls for all drone users to pass “an FAA-approved online aeronautical safety test” before they can fly their drone. The test would aim to ensure that users avoid flying drones near airplanes.
The drone language also delves into privacy issues by calling for “drone identification standards to create operator accountability,” and it authorizes money for FAA enforcement of drone laws.
Consumer protections outlined in the proposal include “Truth in weather delays,” which calls for a review of “how airlines provide information on decisions to delay flights” because of the weather.
The bill would create a standard method which airlines would have to follow in disclosing extra fees for baggage, seat selection and early boarding. It would also require airlines to return baggage and other fees when luggage is lost or the extra service is not provided.
The bill includes airline safety enhancements, including increased mental health screening requirements for pilots. It sets a deadline for the FAA to establish a pilot record database so airlines have access to a pilot’s training, testing and employment history.
The legislation doesn’t appropriate money, but it calls for funding the nation’s Airport Improvement Program at $3.75 billion, a $400 million increase over current levels. The program funds capital improvement projects and repairs at such as runway construction, airfield signage and weather observation stations.
