Senate Passes 4-Year FAA Bill After Five Years of Wrangling

The Senate has passed a long-awaited reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration, avoiding another shutdown like the one that occurred last summer.

On a 75-20 vote, senators agreed Monday to approve the four-year, $63.4 billion bill, which is retroactive to the 2011 fiscal year. The bill, which authorizes FAA spending through 2014, must be signed by President Obama.

The bill includes $11 billion to modernize the nation’s air traffic system, which would allow for installation of GPS systems by which pilots can track the positions of nearby aircraft.

House and Senate conferees worked out the small airport subsidy and labor provisions that had held back long-term FAA reauthorization for five years.

During that time, Congress passed 23 temporary extensions. It deadlocked last summer, though, and airport projects were closed down and FAA employees laid off for nearly two weeks.