House Committee Bill Would Hike Airport Grants, Passenger Fees
Legislation is moving in the House to extend Federal Aviation Administration programs, including a hike in airport grants and a boost for passenger fees that fund infrastructure projects. But the four-year bill, which the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved on June 28, also added an amendment to reopen the labor contract for federal air traffic controllers. That provision has sparked a veto threat from the Bush administration, complicating lawmakers' quest to get an aviation bill enacted by Sept. 30, when FAA programs are due to expire.
For the construction industry, the main focus is the House committee bill's airport infrastructure funding. The measure authorizes $15.8 billion over four years for FAA's Airport Improvement Program, which provides grants to help build runways, taxiways and other infrastructure. The bill's AIP allocations would begin at $3.8 billion in fiscal 2008, then rise by $100 million a year, reaching $4.1 billion in 2011. Funds would be subject to annual appropriations. AIP's appropriation for 2007 is $3.5 billion. The House bill's AIP figures are likely to be the ones in the final bill, whenever one emerges, because they're the same as those contained in the aviation bill that the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee cleared on May 16. Brian Deery, senior director of the Associated General Contractors' highway and transportation division, says, "It's not a major boost, but it is a steady increase in the program over the next four years."