The legislation, which DOT dubs "Flight 100" to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight, was transmitted to Capitol Hill on March 25. It authorizes funds for the Airport Improvement Program construction grants and other Federal Aviation Administration programs for the 2004 through 2007 fiscal years.
The $3.4 billion the bill provides annually for AIP represents no increase over the level authorized for 2003 by the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, AIR-21's full name. But actual AIP appropriations for 2003 were about $20 million less than the $3.4-billion authorized amount, because Congress imposed a small cut on AIP and most other federal programs in the omnibus spending package it passed in February.