Bills: HR 915, S 1451, HR 1586Outlook: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will continue to operate under a short-term reauthorization if Congress cannot find time to act on a longer-term bill before the end of the session. The House and Senate have both passed versions of a multi-year bill, but negotiators have been unable to reach a final deal. Synopsis: This year, lawmakers have struggled to complete a conference agreement on a bill that would reauthorize aviation programs and make a number of significant changes to aviation law, some of which are a direct response to safety concerns. Conferees have not been named, but House and Senate negotiators have been trying to reach an agreement in advance of a formal conference.

Lawmakers came close to inking a final deal before adjourning for the August recess, but disputes that flared at the last minute forced Congress to clear yet another short-term reauthorization to buy more negotiating time. The FAA has been operating under a string of short-term extensions since the last full reauthorization bill expired at the end of fiscal 2007.

In particular, lawmakers found themselves unable to resolve a dispute over expanding long-distance flights to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, pitting Western lawmakers who want more direct flights home against the Virginia and Maryland delegations, which claim an expansion would mean too much noise and disruption.

Negotiators also struggled to find a compromise on how much to raise the maximum landing fee that airports can charge as part of a passenger ticket. The revenue is used primarily for capital improvements. The current cap is $4.50 per ticket; the House-passed bill would raise it to as much as $7 per ticket. The airline industry opposes the change.

Negotiations on a final agreement were also roiled significantly by a provision in the House-passed bill that pits two delivery giants against each other. The House-passed language would make it easier for ground-fleet workers at FedEx Corp. to unionize, placing FedEx under the same labor statutes that currently apply to rival UPS. The Senate bill was silent on the issue, and the two Republican senators from FedEx's home state of Tennessee, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, have threatened to block any bill that would alter the labor laws affecting the company.

Legislative action: Senate passed HR 1586, 93-0, on March 22, 2010.

House passed HR 1586, amended, 276-145, on March 25.

House passed HR 915 (H Rept 111-119, Parts 1 and 2), 277-136, on May 21, 2009.

Related stories: Senate passage, CQ Weekly, p. 760; House passage, 2009 action, 2009 Almanac, p. 19-3; action in 110th Congress, 2007 Almanac, p. 18-6.Source: CQ Weekly The definitive source for news about Congress. ©2010 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved.