FAA’s Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2007
Congressional action on FAA’s programs for Fiscal Year 2007, including the federal airport improvement program which provides most of TxDOT Aviation’s grant funds, is moving forward. A House committee has approved full funding for the grant program at $3.7B. However, the comparable committee in the Senate has set the program at $3.52B, a slight reduction as compared to FY 2006. The next step is for reconciliation of differences between committees followed by a full vote of the House and the Senate. It is highly unlikely that the FAA funding bill will come up for a vote prior to the fall elections.
Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization
The other important federal issue on the radar screen is reauthorization of FMs programs. On September 30, 2007, current legislation for FAA programs will expire. The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO). of which TxDOT is a member, supports a five-year reauthorization to include a grant program of $3.8B for Fiscal Year 2008, increasing by $100M each year through 20 l 2. NASAO also supports continuation of state apportionment under the existing formula, which is based on population and state size, highly favorable to Texas. NASAO further supports continuation of the non-primary entitlement grant program which has been put to good use at many Texas airports. The final issue to be debated is whether to retain the existing aviation tax structure, a ticket tax and a tax on general aviation fuel or change to a user-based fee system. The general aviation community is fairly well united in opposition to the change to o user-based system of taxes as it is felt it would have a detrimental impact on general aviation growth and safety.
TxDOT Aviation’s New Flight Services Director
TxDOT Aviation Division’s Flight Services, which provides air transportation for state officials and maintenance for state operated aircraft, has a new Director, J.F. (Jay) Joseph. Prior to joining the Aviation Division, Joy retired from the United States Marine Corps as a Colonel after 29 years of service, including a tour with the Navy Blue Angels. Concurrently, Joy completed over 20 years of service as a pilot for US Airways. During his 39-year career in aviation, Jay has accumulated over 25,000 flight hours in military, air-carrier, and general aviation aircraft. He also has over 22 years’ experience as on aviation safety consultant and accident investigator.
Welcome Jay to TxDOT Aviation.
