H.R. Part IV

H.R. XXXX is expected to be considered on the House floor on Thursday, December 2, 2010, under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage.  This legislation was introduced by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) on December 1, 2010. 

The bill would extend for three months—through March 31, 2011— the authorities of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which are currently set to expire December 31, 2010.

The bill would extend the Airport and Airway Trust Fund through March 31, 2011, including taxes on aviation fuel, domestic and international ticket taxes, and taxes on cargo shipped by air.  Currently, these taxes are set to expire December 31.

The bill would authorize to be appropriated $1.850 billion for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for a 3-month period beginning on October 1, 2010.

The FAA is an agency within the Department of Transportation that oversees and regulates the nation’s aviation system.  The Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF), created by the Airport and Airway Revenue Act of 1970, provides funding for the nation’s aviation system through several aviation excise taxes.  Funding currently comes from collections related to passenger tickets, air cargo excise taxes, passenger flight segments, and aviation fuels, among other sources.

There is currently no CBO score for this bill.