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Sept. 14--The House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday extending the Federal Aviation Administration's operating authority through January in an attempt to avoid another shutdown of the agency.

The summer shutdown left 4,000 FAA employees and 70,000 construction workers out of work nationwide. About 640 employees of the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township were furloughed. The nearly two-week shutdown ended in August after Congress extended the funding until midnight Friday.

The Senate still must pass the bill by Friday to prevent a shutdown and extend the FAA's authorization through Jan. 31.

The disagreements in Congress over the last extension stemmed from underlying partisan disputes over labor rights and subsidies for air service in rural communities. Provisions regarding those issues are not included in the bill passed by the House. When federal leaders met with tech center employees in August after their return to work, employees said they feared they could be out of work again if Congress were unable to come to an agreement in September.

FAA contractors also were affected as stop-work orders were issued on 27 contracts at the tech center. Many of those companies were working on research and development for the NextGen Air Transportation System, a series of technologies that will help make air travel more efficient.

"It was a preventable disaster that must never be repeated," said U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd. "The Senate should quickly follow the House's lead and then both chambers must end this practice by passing a full four-year FAA authorization."

The agency has been operating under a series of 21 short-term extensions since 2007, when the last long-term FAA funding bill expired.

Contact Jennifer Bogdan

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