WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate and House are expected to not complete agreement on reauthorization of the FAA before the temporary extension expires April 30, so Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, introduced legislation Wednesday to again extend federal aviation operations and programs through July 3, 2010.
“We have had to extend this authorization several times, and let’s hope that this is the last,” Oberstar said. “We are making progress on a new authorization bill, but we are not there yet. This extension will give us time to complete the task.”
FAA authorization was originally set to expire Sept. 30, 2007, but has been kept in force through a series of extensions. The House and Senate have each passed new authorization bills, and are now working to craft a compromise.
This latest extension bill is expected to come before the full House either Wednesday or Thursday of this week, with Senate action to follow shortly after.