CHC Chair Barragán, Rep. Norma Torres Celebrate FAA Reauthorization Act
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35), Chair of CHC’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Task Force and CHC Vice Chair of Communications, released the following statement on the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
“Last year, CHC sent a letter to committee leadership as they began work on the FAA reauthorization that outlined CHC priorities that we wanted to see included in the final bill,” said CHC Chair Barragán. “CHC Members were able to secure critical wins in the FAA reauthorization bill and unanimously supported the legislation’s passage in both the House and Senate to ensure President Biden signed it into law before a lapse in aviation funding.”
“The bill addresses aviation labor shortages by empowering the FAA to hire and train more air traffic controllers. It protects airline consumers by permanently shifting the cumbersome responsibility of initiating flight refunds onto the airlines and expands legal protections to airport ground-based employees, while also enhancing worker safety training for unruly passengers. I am proud of the CHC’s success in getting several of our priorities into the final bill that will help deliver for communities in our member districts,” continued CHC Chair Barragán.
“The bipartisan legislation will strengthen and diversify the U.S. Aviation workforce by increasing funding for aviation workforce development grants to $60 million. This will improve the talent pipeline for pilots, aviation maintenance, and manufacturing workers. As CHC FAA Reauthorization Chair, it's important to see we are investing in our communities and expanding job opportunities and retention. This bipartisan agreement ensures safety is at the forefront of our aviation industry and will tackle industry staffing challenges for pilots, flight attendants, maintenance and tarmac workers, and air traffic controllers. It will also focus on establishing crucial safeguards for workers and travelers alike. A safe, affordable, and reliable aviation industry is vital to the growth and economic development throughout our Latino communities, and I am proud to have secured several key provisions in this bill for our Caucus,” said Congresswoman Torres.
“I thank our partners in the Senate, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and CHC Member Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and chair of CPC’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Task Force, for their engagement and partnership in securing these provisions,” concluded CHC Chair Barragán.
The FAA bill passed the U.S. House on May 15, 2024, following its passage by the U.S. Senate on May 9, 2024.
The legislation was signed into law by President Biden on May 16, 2024.
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