For Immediate Release Date: March 7, 2000

Contact: Christopher Battle 202-226-8063 Chris.Battle@mail.house.gov

Congressman Asa Hutchinson Announces Agreement for Airport Funding
House-Senate Conferees Agree to Increased Funding for Arkansas Airports

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Asa Hutchinson today announced that the House and Senate Conference Committee Members have agreed on legislation providing Arkansas's airports with a 100 percent increase in funding starting in Fiscal Year 2001.

Pending signatures on the Conference Committee’s report, the Senate is expected to vote on the report this week, and the House is expected to vote either late this week or early next week.

The agreement came after months of House-Senate Conference Committee negotiations on the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21), a three-year bill to re-authorize the Federal Aviation Administration and the Airport Improvement Program. The $40 billion bill will ensure safer travel and fewer flight delays by modernizing air traffic control systems and improving airport quality.

"I am glad that the AIR 21 conferees have finally come to an agreement that is so beneficial to the state of Arkansas," Hutchinson said. "With the expected increases in air traffic over the next few years, it is absolutely crucial that we make the investments necessary to sustain a safe and efficient system. By guaranteeing that Aviation Trust Fund revenues are spent on aviation infrastructure, AIR 21 will help to do that for Arkansas and for the nation."

As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Hutchinson worked closely with Committee Chairman Bud Shuster to ensure that the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport receives federal entitlement funds totaling at least $1 million.

Congressman Hutchinson also worked to include language in the bill that would enable the Fort Smith Regional Airport to apply for Airport Improvement Program funds to mitigate for noise from military aircraft.

A number of general aviation airports in the Third District will also benefit from AIR 21 by receiving for the first time a guaranteed entitlement. (See attached chart for specific funding figures.)

Further, Arkansas's primary airports such as the Fort Smith Regional Airport, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and Adams Field in Little Rock will receive double their annual entitlement, provided that the Aviation Trust Fund receipts total more than $3.2 billion per year.

Other aspects of AIR 21 include measures that improve general air safety and efficiency and also assist smaller airports like those found in Arkansas:

• Provides substantially more money for runways and other equipment, such as Instrument Landing Systems, at airports to enhance safety.

• Ensures that the taxes passengers pay will actually be used to fund the safety, security and infrastructure they need for a safe and expeditious journey.

• Phases out slot restrictions at the nation's busiest airports, providing access for smaller communities to lower fares and better service.

 

                                                                    ###