Airport Alert: House Passes Defense Bill; Measure Includes PFAS and AIP Provisions

December 8, 2020

The House tonight passed a conference report for the defense authorization bill that includes a number of PFAS-related provisions and language that would prohibit airports from using AIP funds to purchase boarding bridges from foreign companies that violate intellectual property rights of the United States. The vote was 335 to 78 with one member voting present. 

The annual National Defense Authorization Act has strong bipartisan and bicameral support.  When they announced their agreement last week, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) pointed out that Congress has passed a defense authorization bill 'for 59 straight years.'

However, the President has threatened to veto the latest defense measure, in part, because it would not repeal Section 230 of Communications Decency Act, which provides liability protection to social media companies. The bill would also require the Department of Defense to remove Confederate names from military installations within three years.
 
See our previous Alert for more details on the PFAS- and AIP-related provisions in the bill.