Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2008

Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6327) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 6327

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF TAXES FUNDING AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST FUND.

(a) Fuel Taxes.--Subparagraph (B) of section 4081(d)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ``June 30, 2008'' and inserting ``September 30, 2008''.

(b) Ticket Taxes.--

(1) PERSONS.--Clause (ii) of section 4261(j)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ``June 30, 2008'' and inserting ``September 30, 2008''.

(2) PROPERTY.--Clause (ii) of section 4271(d)(1)(A) of such Code is amended by striking ``June 30, 2008'' and inserting ``September 30, 2008''.

(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AIRPORT AND AIRWAY TRUST FUND EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY.

(a) In General.--Paragraph (1) of section 9502(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--

(1) by striking ``July 1, 2008'' and inserting ``October 1, 2008'', and

(2) by inserting ``or the Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2008'' before the semicolon at the end of subparagraph (A).

(b) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (2) of section 9502(e) of such Code is amended by striking the date specified in such paragraph and inserting ``October 1, 2008''.

(c) Extension of Expiring Aviation Program Authority.--

(1) Section 40117(l)(7) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``the date that is 3 years after the date of issuance of regulations to carry out this subsection.'' and inserting ``September 30, 2008.''.

(2) Section 47141(f) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``September 30, 2007.'' and inserting ``September 30, 2008.''.

(3) Section 161 of the Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (49 U.S.C. 47109 note) is amended by striking ``fiscal year 2008 before July 1, 2008.'' and inserting ``fiscal year 2008.''.

(4) Section 186(d) of the Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (Pub. L. No. 108-176, 117 Stat. 2490, 2518) is amended by striking ``October 1, 2007, and for the portion of fiscal year 2008 ending before July 1, 2008,'' and inserting ``October 1, 2008,''.

(5) Section 47115(j) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``fiscal years 2004 through 2007,'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2004 through 2008,''.

(6) Section 44302(f)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``August 31, 2008'' and inserting ``November 30, 2008''.

(7) Section 44303(b) of such title is amended by striking ``December 31, 2008'' and inserting ``March 31, 2009''.

(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 48103(5) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

``(5) $3,675,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.''.

(b) Project Grant Authority.--Section 47104(c) of such title is amended by striking ``June 30, 2008,'' and inserting ``September 30, 2008,''.

(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady) each will control 20 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6327.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?

There was no objection.

Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank Chairman Rangel and Chairman Oberstar for their tireless efforts in trying to seek a long-term funding solution for our Nation's aviation programs.

Last year, I was honored to chair a hearing in the Select Revenue Measure Subcommittee where we heard from all sides on this issue, including the chairman and ranking member of the Transportation Committee and Aviation Subcommittee. Unfortunately, our colleagues on the other side of the Hill have not been able to secure an agreement, and that's really why we're here today to provide some additional time for negotiations.

H.R. 6327 extends the financing and spending authority for the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. The trust fund taxes and spending authority are scheduled to expire on June 30, 2008. H.R. 6327 extends these dates at current rates for 3 months through September 30, 2008.

Previous legislation extending these taxes were unanimously reported out of the Ways and Means Committee with bipartisan support. The substitute amendment makes one change from the bill as introduced. It deletes section 5 which would have transferred $8 billion to the Highway Trust Fund. This provision would prevent cuts in highway programs next year. CBO has informed us that it would have no budgetary impact.

While that provision enjoys significant bipartisan support, a number of Republican Members have indicated strong opposition. It is imperative that we enact the FAA provisions this month. To ensure that we have the necessary two-thirds support to pass this bill today, we decided to remove the highway language. This bill will keep the Airport and Airway Trust Fund taxes and operations in place until a long-term FAA reauthorization act is signed into law.

The bill also includes a number of authorizing provisions under the jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which worked with Ways and Means to develop the legislation.

The most important of these is the Airport Improvement Program, or AIP. This program funds grants for projects throughout the country. Many of our airports rely on this program to help finance critical modernization and expansion efforts.

The bill would extend the AIP for another 3 months. The other authorizing provisions are also 3-month extensions.

Mr. Speaker, this is a temporary extension of an essential funding mechanism for our aviation programs, and I urge its adoption.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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