Today, House Republicans will vote on H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation (SGRLAA) Act. The SGRLAA Act will improve operations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), grow the aviation workforce, invest in infrastructure, uphold America’s gold standard in safety, encourage innovation, enhance passenger experience and deliver on two key pillars of House Republicans’ Commitment to America – an economy that’s strong and a nation that’s safe.
HOW THE SGRLAA ACT WILL ENSURE THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES ITS GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IN AVIATION (Courtesy of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Provides long-term stability across the Nation’s aviation system.
- Restructures the FAA to improve efficiency.
- Strengthens America’s general aviation (GA) community.
- Encourages growth in the aviation workforce.
- Makes smart and targeted investments in airport infrastructure across the country.
- Ensures that America continues to be the world’s gold standard in aviation safety.
- Fosters the development and safe, efficient integration of aviation innovations into the airspace.
- Improves the aviation experience for the traveling public, including by prohibiting the FAA to impose vaccine and mask mandates.
Improves FAA Efficiency and Operations
- Clarifying the roles of offices within the agency that often slow down processes, such as the Chief Counsel’s office, or prioritize the Biden Administration’s woke policies;
- Creating an advocate for pilots, small businesses and other people and entities with applications before the agency;
- Standing up an innovation office with a specific function to tackle cross-office policy issues; and
- Streamlining the FAA’s rulemaking processes and closing rulemaking projects that are no longer relevant.
Strengthens America’s General Aviation Sector
- Expanding pilot privileges and rights through an expansion of BasicMed, the protection of aircraft owner and operator data, and the timely resolution of investigations;
- Prohibiting the FAA from weaponizing the use of mandated safety-enhancing technologies against pilots; and
- Ensuring the FAA provides better services to the pilot community by applying its regulations consistently, providing greater certainty to operators.
Grows the Aviation Workforce
- Reestablishing the Aviation Workforce Development (AWD) grant program to attract pilots and mechanics and extending it to manufacturers as well. The program is funded at $45 million per year for two years;
- Establishing the National Center for the Advancement of Aerospace (NCAA), a non-profit entity, that will be responsible for administering the new CAREER grant program (the successor program to the AWD grant program). The CAREER grant program will be funded at $50 million and will ensure funded projects align with the needs of the aerospace workforce; and
- Instructing the FAA to support the development of external aviation workforces and encouraging the private sector to invest in their own workforce.
Invests in United States Airport Infrastructure
- Authorizes $4 billion in funding per year for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), split between primary and non-primary airports;
- Adds flexibility to the use of AIP funds by cutting environmental red tape;
- Includes the largest airport environmental streamlining expansion in two decades, which covers more projects and will provide greater certainty around environmental process timelines; and
- Adds a dollar-based categorical exclusion for airport projects with limited Federal assistance.
Upholds America’s Gold Standard in Safety
- Addressing the recent uptick in runway incursions by focusing on leveraging new technologies and addressing underlying surface safety risks;
- Addressing operational and certification risks while ensuring the FAA appropriately regulates industry stakeholders based on their size and complexity;
- Requiring the FAA to better utilize safety data to predict and mitigate risks; and
- Addressing cybersecurity risks of the FAA and industry.
Encourages Aviation Innovation
- Providing avenues for the safe expansion of drone operations;
- Forcing the FAA to produce rules for beyond visual line of sight operations;
- Protecting recreational drone and model aircraft users;
- Emphasizing that the FAA should support all users and prospective users of the airspace and ensure there are operations rules for entry-into-service, including for AAM systems regardless of fuel type; and
- Continuing to support commercial space.
Enhances the Passenger Experience
- Evaluating air carrier obligations and addressing the needs of passengers with disabilities;
- Making improvements to the air traffic control system and infrastructure;
- Addressing increased costs of Essential Air Service (EAS) and making reforms to small community air service programs; and
- Ensuring the Department of Transportation (DOT) recognizes that air carriers are not the only impediment to on-time customer travel.
Authorizes the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Requires NTSB to address gaps in their workforce and technical capabilities;
- Establishes necessary oversight of NTSB; and
- Improves delivery of family assistance.
