Maria Cantwell - Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Maria Cantwell - Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Today, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced that President Biden has signed the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 into law. The legislation, co-authored by Sen. Cruz and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), represents a historic investment in the safety, efficiency, and innovation of America’s aviation system.
Sen. Cruz expressed his pride in the bipartisan support the bill received from lawmakers, stating: “Our legislation will make flying faster, easier, and more enjoyable for passengers while improving airports and air traffic control so flying is even safer.”
He also highlighted significant wins for Texas and its aerospace workers, such as expanding the number of direct flights into and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. He further noted that the new law establishes an advanced aviation center for testing and approving futuristic aircraft like air taxis.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 addresses several challenges facing the aviation industry. It includes provisions to improve aircraft incident investigations, enhance manufacturing quality controls, increase safety measures for ramp workers around plane engines, require airlines to seat families together, and facilitate drone delivery of essential medicines.
Additionally, it provides a historic $4 billion per year in funding for airport infrastructure projects across Texas and the nation. It also allows five additional exemptions to statutory “perimeter rule,” enabling new round-trip flights to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from locations previously excluded from direct flights.
The act also directs the FAA to hire maximum air traffic controllers to address understaffing issues at Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas. Furthermore, it aims at integrating commercial space activities into the national airspace system to assist launch providers in navigating complicated airspace.
Other provisions include reforms to FAA’s State Block Grant program to level the playing field – putting Texas on par with non-Block Grant states; funding improvements for FAA’s UAS test range managed by Texas A&M and located in Corpus Christi, Texas; and a measure addressing recent devastating wildfires in Texas by directing the FAA to develop a plan to better integrate the use of unmanned aircraft systems to help fight wildfires.
The FAA Reauthorization Act also includes new guidance directing the FAA to establish a process to enable test and demonstration flights for hypersonic and supersonic aircraft, potentially establishing a test corridor in Texas.
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