Protecting our freedom to fly
Landmark aviation law ensures a bright future
By Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri)
As pilots, we’ve all probably heard the saying that a mile of highway will take you a mile, but a mile of runway will take you anywhere. To this day, nothing is more exciting to me than getting behind the stick and seeing where that runway is going to take me.
We live in the land of freedom, and the freedom to fly is something that I treasure. So, when I became chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in January 2023, with a critical bill to reauthorize the programs of the FAA on our agenda, I made it my mission to protect and expand that freedom to fly for the general aviation community.
Over the past 18 months my colleagues and I have worked to develop comprehensive legislation to secure U.S. aviation and then shepherd the legislation through Congress. On May 15, 2024, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 was sent to the president’s desk and signed into law. I’m proud of this landmark law for many reasons.
For one thing, during this highly partisan time in Washington, it’s next to impossible to get much of anything done. Bringing together Republicans and Democrats to overwhelmingly approve this significant measure was no small feat. This truly was a team effort, from the aviation stakeholders, like AOPA, who came to the table with substantive policy ideas, to my Democratic counterpart on the Transportation Committee and partner in this process, Rep. Rick Larsen, to our colleagues in the Senate who went through a similar process.
The result is a law that will ensure the United States maintains the gold standard in aviation safety, make the FAA operate more efficiently, improve airport infrastructure, grow the aviation workforce, foster more innovation, improve the passenger experience for the general public, and more.
But of the many lasting impacts this legislation will have, I’m most proud of what this bill will do for GA. This was the first time an FAA reauthorization bill, passed by Congress, included a legislative title—an entire section of the law—dedicated solely to strengthening GA.
GA is the backbone of the U.S. aviation system. It’s where I and many other professional pilots, mechanics, technicians, and others started out in aviation. However, for too long in Congress, GA simply didn’t get the attention it deserved. I wasn’t going to allow that on my watch, and I wanted to ensure that we maintain and broaden this GA pipeline to American aviation.
This law, for example, expands BasicMed, which continues to be a success and allows more pilots the freedom to fly. As long as I remain in Congress, I will continue to protect and work to expand BasicMed.
The law also prohibits the FAA from weaponizing ADS-B data against pilots and using it as an enforcement tool. When the ADS-B mandate went into effect, the FAA told the pilot community that this safety-enhancing technology was that and only that: for safety. Unfortunately, many of us know the FAA is using this technology to surveil aircraft to identify potential noncompliance. But through this law, we’re going to hold the FAA accountable for using ADS-B data properly.
This bill also puts a time line on the FAA’s issuance of a final rule for MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification). Many of us are looking forward to seeing exactly what the FAA proposes, but early indications are that it will make it even easier for pilots to fly than BasicMed. This rule has been held up for too long, and it’s far past time for the FAA to put it in place.
Another important provision in this law, which I championed for years, is an increase in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) investments. AIP is paid for out of the Aviation and Airway Trust Fund, which in turn is funded by aviation taxes that we all pay. While this is money that was already being paid into the trust fund and was available for use, Congress had not increased the amount that could be spent for AIP in many years. I fought to raise the stagnant AIP levels so that GA airports will receive more than $1 billion annually. That’s a lot of concrete for a lot of runway and taxiway miles that will finally get built or repaved.
Growing up in northern Missouri, I never would have guessed that the little stretch of runway on my family farm would one day take me to Washington, D.C. I’m thankful that it did and for the opportunity to work on a law that strengthens our entire aviation system and ensures a bright future for GA in America.
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and holds an ATP certificate.
