NATA News

The United States Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) prior to adjourning for the year to avoid a government shutdown and to keep federal agencies and programs operating into next year. The reason for the CR is due to the Committee on Appropriations not completing all 12 appropriations bills necessary to fund the programs and agencies of the federal government. The CR includes funding at fiscal year 2010 (FY 2010) enacted levels for programs through March 4, 2011. In addition, the CR includes some provisions to extend authorizations or allow for continuous normal operations through March 4, 2011, for certain programs that would otherwise be disrupted. The Republican majority had requested that spending be reduced to FY 2008 levels to save nearly $100 billion compared to the President’s FY 2011 request. The Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate disagreed. 

The following is a summary of the additional provisions included in the CR:

• Includes a $5.7 billion bailout for the Pell Grant program, which is facing a shortfall for the 2010-2011 academic year;
• Implements a pay freeze for federal civilian employees for two calendar years starting in 2011;
• Extends National Defense Authorization Act authorities for Department of Defense (DOD) programs, including counterdrug and counterterrorism activities, military personnel special pay, civilian special pay, intelligence commercial activities, and certain overseas contingency operations;
• Provides (for DOD) an extension of eligibility to continue Federal Employee Health Benefits for former employees enrolled in Temporary Continuation of Coverage;
• Provides funding for critical audits and investigations of the Troubled Asset Relief Program;
• Prevents the elimination of funding for reduced fee loans for small businesses that would otherwise expire;
• Allows the Securities and Exchange Commission to make the usual annual fee adjustments under a 2002 statute
• Provides transfer authority for the Transportation Security Administration to allow for efforts against terrorist attacks, such as the attack on Northwest Flight 253 last December and the recent attempts against all-cargo aircraft;
• Adjusts the current rate of operations for the Veterans Benefits Administration to $2.1 billion, an increase of $460 million over the FY 2010 appropriation, to prevent layoffs of claims processors and to support efforts in reducing the processing times of disability claims; and
• Extends authority for current surface transportation programs to ensure that state governments and local transit agencies will be able to continue their ongoing infrastructure projects.

Congress reconvenes on January 5, 2011, and will have until March 4, 2011, either to pass all 12 appropriations bills or another CR.

The continuing resolution passed by Congress that has kept the government funded has also extended federal excise taxes (FET) on aviation.

FET for noncommercial aviation (i.e. fuel taxes) and commercial aviation, including segment fees, 7.5% passenger tax, 6.25% cargo tax and international facilities fees, all remain in effect.

The IRS may announce new rates for segment fees and the international facility fee, as those are inflation-indexed items. Should the IRS increase the rates, NATA will alert the membership.

The extension keeps the current excise tax system in place through March 31, 2011.

Last week, NATA launched a second Facebook page titled “NATA Government Affairs” to keep you up-to-date on current and ongoing issues the association is working on with Capitol Hill and the federal and state agencies. In addition, the page will highlight Members of Congress who actively support the industry and the association’s involvement with and events of the General Aviation Caucus. Follow NATA Government Affairs today!

If you’re not already following the association’s main Facebook page, please click here. 

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue (D-NC) announced a state proclamation declaring December 3-10, 2010, as "Aviation Appreciation Week." The proclamation recognizes all aviation, including the use of general aviation aircraft.

The 2010 Aviation Appreciation Week in the state took place just one week prior to the anniversary of the Wright Brother's first flight at Kitty Hawk on the state's Outer Banks. In the 107 years since that historic flight, aviation in North Carolina has grown to contribute significantly to annual economic output and employment in the state.

"Aviation plays a vital role in the lives of our citizens, businesses and rural counties," the governor's proclamation states. "Given the vastness of North Carolina, from our western mountains to our coastal beaches, to all points in between, our communities depend upon aviation for access to medical treatment civil defense, mobility, economic prosperity and natural disaster relief."

The governor's proclamation makes North Carolina the 19th state to go on record this year as appreciating the value of aviation. States previously recognizing the role business aviation plays in their states include Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

"The 2011 FBO Leadership Conference offers preeminent opportunities for leaders to tap into the enormous wealth of industry knowledge. We are pleased to present political and industry forecasts from top leaders, a security update direct from the TSA, expert industry panels to discuss the latest developments in general aviation issues and NATA’s leading programs, various opportunities to network and much more." – James K. Coyne, NATA President

Hear more about this event directly from Coyne by viewing the event highlight video at www.nata.aero/fbolc.

NATA and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will once again coordinate the NATA FBO Leadership Conference with NBAA's Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, also being held in Savannah, Georgia, on February 9-11, 2011. Visit www.nata.aero/fbolc to register for NATA’s event and www.nbaa.org to register for NBAA’s conference.

The application and list of qualified training/technicians may be submitted via fax to (703) 845-8176 or completed and submitted online by sending the application to dvandelaar@nata.aero. If you have questions about the program, please submit them to the same e-mail address.

For a detailed program description, go to www.nata.aero/amtaward.

‘Tis the season for ringing in a new year, and for reflecting on the year gone by – so I have provided a recap of the 2010 Inside Washington View blog posts from last week’s entry to the very first from the start of the year. I hope that you look forward to reading them each week and if you have something you would like discussed in a future post, please send a note to Eric Byer at ebyer@nata.aero. Best wishes for 2011. – ERB

December
Happy Holidays
Mica, Rogers Selected As Chairmen of Two Important Aviation Committees in House
Congress Highlights NATA’s 70 Years

November
The 112th Congress Will Be Missing A Pillar On Transportation Policy
Big Changes In Congressional Aviation Leadership

October
America’s Fish Wrap Strikes Again; This Time on Flight and Rest Rules
It’s Time To Educate Your Local Airport Board
Time Won’t Heal FAA Reauthorization Wounds

September
Obama’s Proposal For a “National Infrastructure Bank” Anything but New

August
Kings Get Less Than Royal Treatment
Seriously, Can Washington Please Do Something!
Suing Palm Beach Airport: This Just Trumps It All

July
FAA’s Re-Registration Rule – What’s The Big Deal?
NIMBYism Is Alive, But Not Well, at Venice Municipal Airport

June
The Importance of Rulemaking And Why Some Are Skirting the Process
It’s Time For California To Recognize The Importance Of Aviation Businesses, Not Cripple Them
It’s Time For Congress To Pass Long-Term FAA Reauthorization Legislation
Re-Opening DCA To General Aviation Traffic: Slowly But Surely

May
Have A Tight Travel Budget? Take Advantage of NATA’s New E-Learn Series This Summer
Reserve Your Seat At The Air Charter Industry’s Most Important Event!
How Do Last Tuesday’s Primary Election Results Affect General Aviation?
DOT’s Future of Aviation Advisory Committee Demonstrates Politics at Its Finest
NATA Safety 1st PLST Online Offers More Than You Might Expect
Calling All Part 135 Operators

April
Capitol Hill Is Really Starting To “Get” GA
Charter Safety Is Improving; Naysayers Beware
Make April 21st A Day To Remember!

March
The Social Media Revolution
So What Will The New Health Care Reform Bill Mean To America’s Small Aviation Businesses?
So What Happens Next Should the U.S. Senate Approve Its Version
Let Your Voice Be Heard On April 21st

February
Austin, TX Crash: How Some Will Do Anything To Make the Extreme Look Like the Norm
Rushing To Judgment: What We Can Learn from the Austin, TX Accident
When Crises Occur, GA Is There To Serve
The Air Charter Safety Foundation and Part 135 Safety: Perfect Together!!!
Members of Congress Need To Learn More About GA

January
User Fees: To Be Or Not To Be?
And Another One Bites The Dust At TSA…
Join The Fight Against Health Care Reform Provisions Negatively Impacting Small Businesses
Making a Difference
Take Advantage Of Two Great Industry Events In One Trip Later This Month in San Antonio, TX!
2010: A Continuation of 2009 or not?

Being an NATA member provides a wealth of benefits. One of the most under-utilized benefits is often our Web site! Everyone knows that www.nata.aero is a great place for getting the latest information for government actions affecting your business, but what most people aren’t familiar with is our issues page. The issues page, accessed by clicking on the “issues” link on the left side of the home page, provides access to the topics NATA has addressed over the last several years.

Once you access the issues page, you will find a list of topic arranged alphabetically from ADS-B to Washington state aircraft taxes. Clicking on a topic will take you to a page with all the information that NATA has produced on that topic, including white papers, action calls, advocacy letters and much more.

If you don’t have a user name and password but your company is an NATA member, just click on the "Sign Up as a New Contact" link on the login page and you will be guided through the process of creating your own log-in to the Web site.

We invite you to spend a little time browsing the issues page and the rest of the NATA Web site!
Click here to visit the NATA Issues Page.

With just a few days until the beginning of the new year, many business owners are considering what 2011 may have in store for our industry. What are you thinking?

Participate in survey.