Congress Broadens Airport Grant Eligibility for Gulf States
In a move to get more aid to hurricane-battered Gulf Coast states, Congress has approved a bill that would make repairs to airport terminals eligible for Federal Aviation Administration grants. The bill, which the House passed Oct. 6 on a 420-0 vote, would allow airfields in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas to use FAA Airport Improvement Program grants to fix terminals, hangars and other buildings as well as for emergency operating expenses. The bill originated in the Senate, which approved it on Sept. 28.
AIP funds generally cannot be used to pay for work on airport buildings. Instead, their prime use is for runway and taxiway projects. House aviation subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) says that the new legislation "would temporarily broaden the eligible uses of existing...AIP funds, so that the full spectrum of hurricane repair costs can be met." He also says that the bill waives the usual 10% non-federal matching requirement for the Gulf airports. It only extends through fiscal 2006.