House Clears Extension of FAA Programs and Excise Taxes Through March 8, 2024

December 11, 2023

The House on December 11, easily passed H.R. 6503, a bill to extend aviation programs and excise taxes through March 8, 2024. The Senate is expected to follow suit later this week while lawmakers in that chamber continue to wrestle with the 1,500-hour training rule for commercial airline pilots and other contentious issues.

Unable to pass a multi-year reauthorization bill before the initial September 30 deadline, Congress late that month passed a short-term extension that expires on December 31. With the end of the year quickly approaching and lawmakers about to leave town for the holidays, Congress needs to clear another short-term extension.
 
Coupled with the first short-term extension, H.R. 6503 would provide the FAA with slightly more than five months of authorized funding. That translates into a total of approximately $1.5 billion for AIP and another $244 million for supplemental discretionary grants.
 
Like the first stop-gap measure, the latest bill also extends the so-called 'high-three' provision that will allow airports to receive favorable AIP entitlements in FY24. Specifically, the language will allow AIP entitlements to be based on enplanements in calendar year 2018, 2019, or 2022 - whichever is higher.
 
The House-passed version of the comprehensive, five-year FAA reauthorization bill includes a similar AAAE and ACI-NA backed proposal that would keep the high-three provision in place in FY24 and FY25. That language could be particularly helpful to airports that have lost commercial air service since the start of the pandemic.
 
The latest stop gap measure moving through Congress this week will give lawmakers more time to figure out a path forward in the Senate and hopefully complete action on comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill early next year.