Aviation industry urges full funding for workforce grant programs

Update: After the Senate passed the FY 2020 appropriates package for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies, which included only $5 million in funding for both the pilot and AMT grant programs, a coalition of aviation organizations, including ATEC, sent a letter to congressional leaders urging adoption of the House-passed bill affording $5 million for pilot training and $5 million for AMT training, as called for in the FAA reauthorization. Read the letter.

With last week’s passage of the FY 2020 appropriates package for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies, the workforce grant programs moves forward but at half the funding level called for in the FAA reauthorization, which prescribed $5 million for maintenance grants and $5 million for pilot grants. The Senate bill calls for $5 million for both the maintenance and pilot grant programs. House and Senate conferees must now gather to determine the amount of funding for the two programs in the final conference report/appropriations bill. 

An industry coalition – consisting of 42 aviation organizations, including ATEC – will shortly be sending a letter to House and Senate appropriators urging full funding. While the coalition acknowledges Senate passage as a step in the right direction, it urged everyone to get involved in ensuring appropriators know the importance of these grant programs especially given the vagaries of the FY 2020 appropriations process.

For more information, see the previous news post, AMT, Pilot Programs May Fall Short, or download the legislative issues one-pager on the Legislative advocacy page.