Bicameral comprehensive agreement to reauthorize the federal aviation administration, our nations aviation safety and infrastructure programs through fiscal year 2028. I want to thank Transportation Infrastructure CommitteeRanking Member rick larson, Senate Committee science and transportation chair maria cantwell, and Ranking Member ted cruz for their partnership in crafting a strong final agreement. I would also like to thank the house aviation subCommittee Chairman garrett graves, Ranking Member steve cohen, Senate Aviation subcommittee chair duckworth and Ranking Member moran for their supporting in getting this across the finish line. For over a century, the United States has led the world in aviation safety and administration. Unfortunately, our Gold Standard status is being threatened by competition, changes in technology, and influences at the f. A. A. Due to process failures and inadequate practices. H. R. 3935 is critical to ensuring america remaining the Global Leader in aviation, and it is vital to our economiering and to millions of american job, and to the millions of passengers that depend on our National Aviation system, air space system, every single day. H. R. 3935 also provides the longterm certainty necessary to ensure the safety and prosperity of american Aviation Industry for decades to come. This bill makes reasonable organizational reforms at the agency, it provides muchneeded agility while simultaneously providing safety each step of the way. The f. A. A. Is too slow in everything it does, from rule making to aircraft registrations and from certification, simple paperwork. This bill ensures robust investments in infrastructure for airports of all sizes, especially with special emphasis place odd then thousands of smaller and general aviation airports that make up the bulk of our nations airport system. Further its a personal point of pride with me that this bill includes the very first ever general aviation title in the f. A. A. Reauthorization bill. Ive been saying this for year. G. A. A. Is the foundation of our aviation, our Civil Aviation system and its where many of our pilots, our mechanic, and other hardworking aviation professionals began their careers. Its also responsible for helping meet the Critical Community needs and thousands of cities and towns all across america. This bill recognizes the importance of g. A. A. And protects the freedom to fly for every american. As previously mentioned, the shortages across the Aerospace Work force are a growing risk to the future of american aviation. H. R. 3935 addresses work force challenges head on by removing barriers for individuals and veterans interested in pursuing careers in aviation such as through improving aviation Work Force Development programs. Bottom line, our bill encourages the growth of our aviation work force through targeted and meaningful reforms. Whats, many h. R. 3935 maintains American Leadership when it comes to development and integration of new and emerging technologies in the air space, such as drones and advanced air mobility, or a. A. M. Specifically this bill requires the f. A. A. To move beyond endless testling of pilot programs that go nowhere and move toward integrating innovations such as drones and a. A. M. Into the National Air Space system. As air travel recovers from the covid pandemic, renewed growth in air travel has come with some difficulties for the traveling public. Our bipartisan bill includes an entire title dedicated to improving issues each of our offices hear about from constituents almost daily. The flying experience for the traveling pick including individuals with disabilities, and finally and most importantly, this bill recognizes while our Aviation System is safe, we have to continue raising the bar for safety. The bill is centered around a strong aviation safety title and makes many important reforms that address the close calls and near misses that have unnerved many of us over the past several years. I have every confidence that the provisions we enact here today will make aviation safer, thus ensuring that america continues to be that worlds Gold Standard in aviation safety. One of the most important safety features of this bill is the title for a fiveyear reauthorization of the National Transportation safety board, ntsb. Independent federal agency that investigates all Civil Aviation and other transportation accidents. I believe f. A. A. Reauthorization act of 2024 is one though farthest reach, most consequential pieces of legislation the house will consider in the 118th congress. I want to take a moment to point out, the first will help protect general aviation airports from closure. Airports are a valuable Community Resource and our vast National Aviation airports are part of what has brought about American Leadership in aviation. Many of these airports are also grant obligated. Meaning that they made assurances to the federal government that they will operate and develop the airport to its fullest potential. Too many places, local neglect or hostility threaten the viability of many of these small airports and the communitys commitment to these obligations, this is vital to our National Interests and our bill includes that will prohibit them from waiving grant obligations if they find it would result in its closure. This bill contains a legislative waiver of grant obligations for banning airports in california, this should not be viewed as a unique as anything other than a unique exception to the hard and fast rule that congress is enforcing in this bill. Moving forward, it will take legislative action to pursue closing an airport and getting a waiver on those grant assurancees one other provision i want to point out. Airline refunds. I am concerned that the new department of transportation rule is going to have unintended including increased prices when all the passenger wants is to be rebooked on the next flight home. Now that the senate has amended the refund provision to align with the d. O. T. Rule it adhere to its sixmonth implementation rule. It should not short circuit the implementation period which is necessary to adopt news systems to adopt regulatory compliance. I look forward to work with them in implementing the important sections in this bill. So to finish, this bill has the support of more than a thousand aviation organizations and companies addressing thousands of members and stakeholder issues and requests that rewe receive. This bill is vital to americas Airport Infrastructure and economy to the future of American Leadership and honor to stand here and urge all of the members in the house to support this transformational bill. With that, i would reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from missouri reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Larsen i rise in support of Senate Amendment to h. R. 3935. A bipartisan bicameral effort done in good faith to create a safer, greener, more innovative and more accessible Aviation System. After reviewing member priorities holding Six Committee hearings and engaging in months of negotiation with the senate, we have reached a pivotal milestone the final passage of the f. A. A. Reauthorization act of 2024. I am proud to support this to ensure that american aviation continues to be a powerful economic innovation and supports local communities across the country. Before i get into the details i provide the, 4 billion, that is how much we boost the annual airport improvement program. And at least 150 million for Airport Noise and environmentally sustainable projects. 60 million, the new robust annual funding for Work Force Development grants to grow the next generation of a aviation workers and pilots and 12 million setaside for the willow brown Education Program to support outreach and Educational Opportunities to underrepresented communities. Zero dollars and how much it will cost families to sit with Young Children on commercial aircraft. 200 million for new annual grants to increase runway safety and resiliency. 350 million to establish groundbreaking Reimbursement Programs to replace pfas foam with safer alternatives and 20 million to launch to fund Capital Projects that improve accessibility. The u. S. Aviation system is the safest in the world. This bill helps presentence runway are ex occurrings at major airports and alert pilots of danger and fatigue on the work force caused by understaffing, this bill requires the f. A. A. To hire controllers and adopt the staffing model to meet the systems evolving needs and at a time of unprecedented, this final bill provides a framework for new entrance to scale safely in our skies. It will issue rulemaking and joint operations and finalized the certification standards and operate rules for power lift advanced mobility. It will help state, local and tribal governments to use drones for Infrastructure Construction and repair so crews can work safely. The 2024 authorization bill has a greener bill. The bill allows u. S. Airports to use funds for alternative fuel infrastructure including for hydrogen and unleaded fuels and mitigates noise on communities like those near payne field in my own district. The reauthorization bill is a jobs bill that will build the economy and diversify our aviation work force to recognize how critical it is. And in addition for Work Force Development grants, this bill directs the f. A. A. And department of defense two collaborate the career transition and establishes a task tr force on the f. A. A. s efforts to support the Mental Health of the aviation work force of the the bill fosters air safer work force and protect they will from assaults and ramp worker call to action to reduce the congestion and blast zone. Moreover after many incidents for passengers in the recent years this sets the passengers back on the right path allowing for safer, accessible and more dig nye filed and makes passengers whole and requirement that they provide tax refunds to passengers and harmonize to the rule to allow the refunds to be automatic and reimburg them for males and hotels. Furthermore this reauthorization breaks down barriers by improving training for Airline Personnel and contractors who assist these passengers with boarding or deplaining an aircraft and handling their devices and allow passengers to travel with approved service animals. The f. A. A. Reauthorization act cements a greener more greener innovation. I thank my colleagues sterve cohen aer ell for their collaboration and the 350 stakeholders representing airlines, airports, disability rights organizations, Health Care Votes so many groups who endorsed and build support since we passed this out of Committee Last july. I stand here to urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bicameral legislation. And i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington reserves. The gentleman from missouri. Mr. Graves how much time . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has 11 1 2 minutes remaining. Mr. Graves i yield five minutes to the gentleman from louisiana, also chairman of the aviation subcommittee, mr. Graves. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized mr. Graves thank you, madam speaker. We passed the bill out of the house in july of last year in a strong bipartisan manner of 35169 despite the fact we have been in this challenging and polarizing congress and we came together because of the importance of this legislation of recognizing. Since 2018 the last time we have done an f. A. A. Bill, we have see profound changes. In 2018, there were 100,000 remote drones, remote pilot certificates and today, there are 400,000. In 2018, 38 commercial space launches that were licensed by the f. A. A. This year alone so far in the fishes four months there have been 47. In ground stops in the first time in 20 years, we had a National Ground stop and weeks ago, we had a fall silt incident where there were three of the nations largest airports that had a nation ground stop. So we have seen profound changes in the Aviation Industry over the last six years. This bill brings fundamental solutions into areas like aviation safety that is so critical, ensuring that we have an entire title on innovation looking at advanced mobility and general aviation is appropriate and ensuring we have the work force thats needed, not for yesterdays Aviation Industry but truly for tomorrow. This bill authorizes the f. A. A. That recognizes newer technologies and move faster and more seamlessly and ensure we learn from mistakes and failures and most importantly, mr. Speaker, this bill focuses on the Passenger Experience ensuring that curbtocurb experience is a good unand over the last six years, we have had one new commercial aircraft ser mr. Tiffany indicated by the f. A. A. It is becoming more come and this mr. Williams bring us out of the 20th century ander allow us to lead. The bill offers an opportunity to compete for the Investment Opportunities and new forms of aviation and advances the use of drones and new forms of aviation for activities such as infrastructure inspections. The bill takes each of the challenges facing aviation in the u. S. And provides forwardlooking paths to serve the public today. We take a deep dive into the authorities and processes of the f. A. A. To reorgan streamline them and breaking down the silos that prevent the f. A. A. From utilizing expertise. And First Standalone title and provide certain to the industry prodding the f. A. A. To allow drones to move beyond Research Projects in the scaledup programs. We build upon the nepa forms in the fiscal responsibility act and environmental streamlining reforms in delivering our promise as noted to improve upon the Passenger Experience. Nearly 28 of adults have never stopped foot on a plane. We have to make sure that experience is a positive experience and especially for those young families traveling with kids parking in the parking lots, security, checking and bags getting on planes, getting off planes and this bill focuses on that entire experience. I talked about how we have been dealing with this for nearly a year and the legwork took 18 months before that. There are a number of people who put countless hours into this legislation. I thank the people including hunter, lay man, julie, andrew, will, corey, chris and our own aviation staffer. And democrat staffer, adam, liz, alex and michael, staff directors jeff and kathy and also this couldnt have happened without steve and rick. And mr. Speaker, no one has more expertise in this congress than the aviation guru same graves. This bill is truly transformational. I yield back. Kohn kohn i yield my mr. Cohen i yield myself such time as i may consume. I rise in support of Senate Amendment to h. R. 3935, which reauthorizes the f. A. A. And its related authorities through fiscal year 2028. At long last, after the house passed our bill almost a year ago, the senate caught up with the house. And it passed a bill thursday night. Making critical investments in key policy reforms to the Aviation System to deliver for the American People and the american economy. From air Traffic Controller staffing challenges to the modernization of the f. A. A. s legacy safety and Technology Infrastructure to the integration of new entrance in the u. S. Sky, theres no shortage of problems facing the aviation sector. This f. A. A. Reauthorization bill takes significant steps to addressing these issues and ensuring the u. S. Aviation system remains the safest and most efficient in the world. It will bolster aviation safety, strengthen Consumer Protections and accessibility and make landmark investments in sustainability, enhance and diversify our aviation workforce and advance American Leadership in aerospace. Im pleased that many might have priorities have made it into this bill that many of my priorities have made it into this bill. I worked with senator markey on this on the senate side, airlines will now be required to provide full cash refunds to those situations, if a passenger does not accept alternative compensation. Im also glad to see the inclusion of my proposals that provide transparency in complaints from passengers with disabilities and help passengers who use mobility aid such as wheelchairs. Too many times weve seen wheelchairs tossed like some type of