Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Approves User Fee Legislation

I wonder if Senate bill S.1300 includes language to remove
Congressional FAA budget oversight, and provide a "blank check" as
Robert Poole (and airliner manufacturers) desi


WILL THE USER FEE RIDE SMOOTH OUT?

As any general-aviation-industry alphabet-soup group will tell
you, last week's narrow approval by the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science and Transportation of legislation (S. 1300) to,
in part, create a system of user fees to fund the FAA

(http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news..._195215-1.html)
wasn't the final word on the subject. Numerous associations,
including NBAA, AOPA, EAA and HAI, to abbreviate a few, have spent
the intervening days licking their wounds and planning for the
next go-around, which could come as early as this week. That would
be when the House of Representatives gets into the act: The House
Subcommittee on Aviation has indicated it will develop a draft
bill before the Memorial Day recess, which begins with the close
of business this week. So far, however, few if any observers know
what that bill will contain, although early opposition to the
user-fee concept among members of that panel was widespread and
deep. The danger is that some form of a user fee -- such as the
$25-per-turbine-aircraft-flight fee dropped into the Senate bill
-- would be the starting point for negotiations between the two
houses when, inevitably, differing versions are passed. At the
same time, even if the Senate keeps its head in the sand and its
hands out to the airline industry, the $25-per-flight fee could be
dropped by a successful amendment when the full Senate considers
the bill. In a letter sent Monday, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen
thanked all NBAA members for their help in the fight to strike the
per-flight user fee from S. 1300. "The committee's vote was just
the beginning of what will be a long battle, as a number of
congressional committees weigh in on FAA funding issues," Bolen's
letter states. "Even though we didn't quite land a knockout blow
to user fees with last week's vote, many other opportunities to do
so will arise as the FAA reauthorization moves through Congress."
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#195247