Legislative Issues on ALPA's Pilot-Partisan Agenda
By ALPA Government Affairs Department Staff
The following are among the hot-button issues on ALPA’s legislative agenda that the Association’s elected leaders, members, and staff are working to address in 2024 with the 119th Congress and the White House.
ALPA Priorities in the Federal Appropriations Process
Transportation Appropriations
The U.S. House and Senate are required to pass funding bills to keep governmental agencies operational every year. The FY25 process is under way. As has been the case in recent years, the process is slow and controversial. However, on July 10, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations measure, which included several ALPA priorities. Notably, the committee included report language (instructions to the agency that aren’t legally binding but generally followed) reiterating the intent of Congress for the FAA to maintain requirements for having two pilots on the flight deck. The committee report states: “Crew complements.—The presence of a minimum of two well-trained, qualified pilots in commercial aircraft is another example of safety through redundancy. Funding made available in this act shall not support reductions in flight deck crew in commercial operations as provided under 14 CFR Part 121. This direction isn’t intended to limit the FAA’s research and development activities related to unmanned aerial vehicles.”
At ALPA’s urging, the committee report also includes a note about the Department of Transportation’s Statement of International Air Transportation Policy, which hasn’t been updated since 1995. The policy should be revised to reflect appropriate consideration of the important role of the U.S. workforce.
The House committee measure also retains important language recognizing the effectiveness of the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) program and recommends that the FAA prioritize and fund HIMS.
The THUD report also supports the FAA’s Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee and the provisions related to pilot mental health in the 2024 FAA reauthorization legislation.
The bill must go to the full House and the Senate before the end of the fiscal year on October 1. The House committee report language will accompany the bill.
Federal Flight Deck Officer Program
On June 12, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY25 Homeland Security funding bill, and on June 28, the same bill was approved by the full House. The bill funds critical security agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which supports federal air marshals and the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program.
In line with ALPA’s urging, last year’s Homeland Security appropriations bill increased funding for the FFDO program for the first time in many years, and this year’s bill provides $26,860,000, which is an increase of $179,000 over FY24. While this funding level doesn’t provide the necessary resources to establish a West Coast recurrent training facility, it does provide the resources to transition the recurrent training facility in Atlanta, Ga., full-time.
The report language in FY24’s Homeland Security appropriations bill directed the FFDO program to provide Congress with an estimate for establishing a West Coast recurrent training facility. Due to the late passage of all the FY24 appropriations bills, this estimate wasn’t available to the Appropriations Committee in a timely manner to be included in this year’s bill. The focus will now be on getting Atlanta’s training facility open full time and then concentrating on the West Coast facility in FY26. The Senate still must pass its version of the Homeland Security appropriations legislation before the end of the fiscal year or pass an extension or continuing resolution. ALPA will also continue to work with the TSA and Administrator David Pekoske to ensure FFDO training facilities are fully functional to support FFDOs and make training more convenient for pilots deputized as FFDOs.
Sustainable Aviation Fuels
ALPA has been advocating for advances in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for more than a decade. Along with coalition partners, the Association has made steady progress over the years, including in the U.S. Congress and internationally. Recently, the coalition, which is composed of airlines, sustainable aviation fuel producers, airports, manufacturers, and others, took an important step to formalize its efforts by establishing the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition. ALPA is proud to be the only union representative on the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition Executive Board.
Aviation stakeholders recognize the most efficient way for the airline industry to reduce emissions and avoid penalties and fines under International Civil Aviation Organization’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation is to work toward the commercialization of sustainable aviation fuels. The coalition has been successful in incrementally advancing its collective goal of scaling up the viability and availability of SAF, thereby decreasing the cost to airlines. The coalition’s work has led to the creation of the bipartisan Sustainable Aviation Caucus in Congress and SAF provisions in the farm bill, FAA reauthorization legislation, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
