The House and Senate
this week voted once again to extend current funding for the Federal Aviation
Administration, this time until Sept. 30, as Congress continues to work on a
longer-term bill.
The U.S. Senate in March unanimously
voted in favor of long-term FAA reauthorization and sent its version of the
bill to be reconciled with the House's passed version, where progress has
stalled. The last long-term reauthorization bill expired in 2007, forcing FAA
to operate under more than a dozen extensions in the interim.
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), chairman of the Senate's Subcommittee on Aviation
Operations, Safety, and Security, said the Senate's vote on Friday to extend
authorization should be signed by the president "shortly," though
"There remains much more we still need to do in a comprehensive,
longer-term FAA reauthorization bill."