By Channon Hanna
Last week, the Senate adjourned for August recess after the Appropriations Committee approved 9 of the 12 fiscal year (FY) 2011 appropriations bills, including the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Department of Homeland Security bills. Only the Defense, Interior, and Legislative Branch appropriations bills have not been approved by the Senate Committee. Unfortunately, the full Senate has not acted on any of these bills.
The House Appropriations Committee has only approved 2 of the 12 appropriations bills, both of which have also been approved by the full House. The House has passed the FY 2011 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.
Key provisions of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill:
- The Federal Aviation Administration is funded at $16.5 billion, which represents a slight increase over the FY 2010 enacted level.
- The Airport Improvement Program was level funded at $3.5 billion, the same amount appropriated for FY 2010.
- $1.16 billion is specifically slated for NextGen.
- The Facilities and Equipment account receives $3 billion, which is $63 million higher than the FY 2010 enacted level.
- The bill continues to include language that would require airports, as a condition of AIP funding, to post air passenger rights signs in non-revenue generating area at the request of the Department of Transportation.
- The bill does not fund the Small Community Air Service Development Program.
It is becoming increasingly unlikely that Congress will be able to complete its work on all of the appropriations bills before the current fiscal year ends on September 30. There is a general consensus that in September, Congress will need to pass a continuing resolution to ensure funding for the federal government. This will leave the funding of the federal government up to the lame duck Congress, after the mid-term elections in November.