Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted for the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Senate Amendment to H.R. 3935, to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years and to improve several aviation safety and infrastructure programs that Congresswoman Fletcher specifically advocated for.
“It is critical that Congress support aviation in the United States and, as new technologies emerge at record speeds, that we prepare our country for the next generation of air service technologies,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “I was glad to vote for the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to ensure airports and aviation workers—including those at the Sugar Land Regional Airport in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District—have the resources, facilities, and equipment they need to increase efficiency and capacity. This legislation will help improve passenger experience across the United States and maintain our country’s gold standard in safety.”
Earlier this year, Congresswoman Fletcher submitted written testimony urging the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to include several provisions in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The bill includes the following priorities that Congresswoman Fletcher advocated for in her testimony:
Permits a multi-year expenditure authority for the FAA Contract Tower Program to allow airports around the country, such as the Sugar Land Regional Airport, to provide commercial and emergency service;
Increases the funding level for the Aviation Workforce Development Grant Program to prepare the next generation of pilots and aviation maintenance technicians;
Expands Aviation Workforce Development Grant Program eligibility requirements to include rotary-wing aircraft industry, which plays an important role in supporting offshore energy production; and
Authorizes a clear pathway at the FAA for civilian pilots to obtain a powered lift certificate, including through issuing an FAA Special Federal Aviation Regulation.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 also:
Makes airport runways safer by expanding ground surveillance and detection equipment at large and medium hub airports;
Updates emergency medical kits on passenger air carriers to make sure flight crews can respond to a myriad of different medical emergencies on board, including allergic reactions and cardiac arrests;
Increases safety for airport workers by implementing new protocols to minimize or eliminate ingestion zone and jet blast zone accidents;
Promotes innovation and safety for new flight technologies, like unmanned aircraft systems and advanced air mobility aircraft;
Strengthens the talent pipeline of pilots, aviation maintenance technical workers, and aviation manufacturing works with outreach and educational opportunities in the aviation workforce for low-income communities;
Addresses the national air traffic controller shortage by increasing the maximum hiring amount and identifying the most appropriate staffing model for future air traffic controller workforce needs;
Expands consumer protections by requiring airlines to refund passengers with nonrefundable flights when their flight is cancelled, significantly delayed, or changed;
Improves training standards, transparency, and protocols to assist passengers with disabilities using wheelchairs and mobility aids; and
Mitigates the noise and environmental impacts of aviation on local communities, including a new funding source for airport noise and environmental programs, the replacement of PFAS foam and equipment, the transition to more sustainable fuels, and a new path for communities to express their priorities on federal noise policy changes.
