[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 44 (Monday, March 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1485-H1487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AIRPORT AND AIRWAY EXTENSION ACT OF 2016
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in
the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 4721) to amend title 49, United
States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement
program, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the
funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund,
and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:
Senate amendment:
[[Page H1486]]
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Airport
and Airway Extension Act of 2016''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I--AIRPORT AND AIRWAY PROGRAMS
Sec. 101. Extension of airport improvement program.
Sec. 102. Extension of expiring authorities.
Sec. 103. Federal Aviation Administration operations.
Sec. 104. Air navigation facilities and equipment.
Sec. 105. Research, engineering, and development.
Sec. 106. Compliance with aviation funding requirement.
Sec. 107. Essential air service.
TITLE II--REVENUE PROVISIONS
Sec. 201. Expenditure authority from Airport and Airway Trust Fund.
Sec. 202. Extension of taxes funding Airport and Airway Trust Fund.
TITLE I--AIRPORT AND AIRWAY PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. EXTENSION OF AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--Section 48103(a) of title 49, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``$1,675,000,000 for the
period beginning on October 1, 2015, and ending on March 31,
2016'' and inserting ``$2,652,083,333 for the period
beginning on October 1, 2015, and ending on July 15, 2016.''.
(2) Obligation of amounts.--Subject to limitations
specified in advance in appropriation Acts, sums made
available pursuant to the amendment made by paragraph (1) may
be obligated at any time through September 30, 2016, and
shall remain available until expended.
(3) Program implementation.--For purposes of calculating
funding apportionments and meeting other requirements under
sections 47114, 47115, 47116, and 47117 of title 49, United
States Code, for the period beginning on October 1, 2015, and
ending on July 15, 2016, the Administrator of the Federal
Aviation Administration shall--
(A) first calculate such funding apportionments on an
annualized basis as if the total amount available under
section 48103 of such title for fiscal year 2016 were
$3,350,000,000; and
(B) then reduce by 20.83 percent--
(i) all funding apportionments calculated under
subparagraph (A); and
(ii) amounts available pursuant to sections 47117(b) and
47117(f)(2) of such title.
(b) Project Grant Authority.--Section 47104(c) of title 49,
United States Code, is amended, in the matter preceding
paragraph (1), by striking ``March 31, 2016,'' and inserting
``July 15, 2016,''.
SEC. 102. EXTENSION OF EXPIRING AUTHORITIES.
(a) Section 47107(r)(3) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``April 1, 2016'' and inserting ``July
16, 2016''.
(b) Section 47115(j) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``March 31, 2016'' and inserting ``July
15, 2016''.
(c) Section 47124(b)(3)(E) of title 49, United States Code,
is amended by striking ``$5,175,000 for the period beginning
on October 1, 2015, and ending on March 31, 2016,'' and
inserting ``$8,193,750 for the period beginning on October 1,
2015, and ending on July 15, 2016,''.
(d) Section 47141(f) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``March 31, 2016'' and inserting ``July
15, 2016''.
(e) Section 186(d) of the Vision 100--Century of Aviation
Reauthorization Act (117 Stat. 2518) is amended by striking
``March 31, 2016'' and inserting ``July 15, 2016''.
(f) Section 409(d) of the Vision 100--Century of Aviation
Reauthorization Act (49 U.S.C. 41731 note) is amended by
striking ``March 31, 2016'' and inserting ``July 15, 2016''.
(g) Section 411(h) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act
of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 42301 prec. note) is amended by striking
``March 31, 2016'' and inserting ``July 15, 2016''.
(h) Section 822(k) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act
of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 47141 note) is amended by striking ``March
31, 2016'' and inserting ``July 15, 2016''.
SEC. 103. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION OPERATIONS.
Section 106(k) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by amending subparagraph (E) to read
as follows:
``(E) $7,711,387,500 for the period beginning on October 1,
2015, and ending on July 15, 2016.''; and
(2) in paragraph (3) by striking ``March 31, 2016'' and
inserting ``July 15, 2016''.
SEC. 104. AIR NAVIGATION FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT.
Section 48101(a)(5) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended to read as follows:
``(5) $2,058,333,333 for the period beginning on October 1,
2015, and ending on July 15, 2016.''.
SEC. 105. RESEARCH, ENGINEERING, AND DEVELOPMENT.
Section 48102(a)(9) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended to read as follows:
``(9) $124,093,750 for the period beginning on October 1,
2015, and ending on July 15, 2016.''.
SEC. 106. COMPLIANCE WITH AVIATION FUNDING REQUIREMENT.
The budget authority authorized in this Act, including the
amendments made by this Act, shall be deemed to satisfy the
requirements of subsections (a)(1)(B) and (a)(2) of section
48114 of title 49, United States Code, for the period
beginning on October 1, 2015, and ending on July 15, 2016.
SEC. 107. ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE.
Section 41742(a)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``$77,500,000 for the period beginning on
October 1, 2015, and ending on March 31, 2016,'' and
inserting ``$122,708,333 for the period beginning on October
1, 2015, and ending on July 15, 2016,''.
TITLE II--REVENUE PROVISIONS
SEC. 201. EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY FROM AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST
FUND.
(a) In General.--Section 9502(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
``April 1, 2016'' and inserting ``July 16, 2016''; and
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking the semicolon at the
end and inserting ``or the Airport and Airway Extension Act
of 2016;''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 9502(e)(2) of such Code
is amended by striking ``April 1, 2016'' and inserting ``July
16, 2016''.
SEC. 202. EXTENSION OF TAXES FUNDING AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST
FUND.
(a) Fuel Taxes.--Section 4081(d)(2)(B) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ``March 31,
2016'' and inserting ``July 15, 2016''.
(b) Ticket Taxes.--
(1) Persons.--Section 4261(k)(1)(A)(ii) of such Code is
amended by striking ``March 31, 2016'' and inserting ``July
15, 2016''.
(2) Property.--Section 4271(d)(1)(A)(ii) of such Code is
amended by striking ``March 31, 2016'' and inserting ``July
15, 2016''.
(c) Fractional Ownership Programs.--
(1) Treatment as non-commercial aviation.--Section 4083(b)
of such Code is amended by striking ``April 1, 2016'' and
inserting ``July 16, 2016''.
(2) Exemption from ticket taxes.--Section 4261(j) of such
Code is amended by striking ``March 31, 2016'' and inserting
``July 15, 2016''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on H.R. 4721.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This bill, as amended by the Senate, extends the authorization of the
Federal Aviation Administration programs and the revenue collection
authorities for the Airport and Airway Trust Fund through July 15,
2016.
The current FAA reauthorization expires at the end of this month.
Without this bill, the authority to collect aviation taxes will lapse,
depriving the trust fund of more than $40 million per day. That is
funding for air traffic control, airport development, and other
aviation programs that can never be recovered.
Additionally, the airports will be unable to receive grant money that
has already been awarded to them, putting dozens of construction
projects at risk.
H.R. 4721 will avoid these unnecessary consequences while Congress
works to finish a long-term aviation bill. I urge all my colleagues to
support H.R. 4721.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, here we are a week later, and now we are doing another
extension, which of course I support. This one will go to July 15,
which is truly a drop-dead date. Congress will be out for the longest
summer break since probably the 1950s, starting just after July 15, so
we must get the long-term bill done by then.
There is substantial agreement between the bill that came out of
committee in the House and the Senate bill, with the exception of the
tombstone rule on lithium batteries, a difference on flight attendants'
rest hours, and, of course, the issue of privatization of the air
traffic organization.
I would hope that we can move ahead and preconference the many other
titles and begin working on those, the differences on the flight
attendants' rest time, and I will continue to push on lithium
batteries. I would hope that this is the last extension.
[[Page H1487]]
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, again, I urge all my colleagues to join me
in supporting this piece of legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) that the House suspend the
rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 4721.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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