By Aviation Week Staff
Congress is resuming its lame-duck session this week, with a month left to either pass another temporary extension of FAA reauthorization or push through a full long-term bill. Democrats have been calling for completion of a long-term bill, with retiring Senate aviation subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) saying, “We’ve done a short-term extension of the FAA reauthorization bill 16 separate times since 2007, and now is the time to get this bill done.” House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) calls aviation reauthorization one of the “biggest unfinished agendas” as he is set to leave Congress. But he has not given up hope. “It’s still possible to pass this bill,” he says, and adds, “I’m willing to take whatever the Senate sends.” However, many insiders believe passage of a long-term reauthorization bill is unlikely this month, and, while he has not ruled it out, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), the expected T&I chair, has begun to discuss changes that might be made to the bill next year.
Source: AVIATION WEEK
Date: 2010-12-07