Considered yesterday on the House floor, The Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century reauthorized use of the aviation trust fund, which is funded by ticket and aviation fuel taxes. The trust fund is used exclusively to improve airports and the national air traffic management system. The measure was approved on a vote of 319-101.

Under the bill, Napa and Sonoma County Airports both will receive funding for installation of digital bright radar indicator tower equipment. The improvements in radar systems will enable the airports to read aircraft identification, beacon codes, altitude, speed, barometric pressure and collision avoidance information for as many as 128 aircraft at any given time.

"The improved radar capability will improve air traffic safety around the increasingly busy Napa and Sonoma County airports," said Thompson.

The bill also includes an amendment similar to one Thompson authored last year to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration from replacing human weather observers with automated observation stations. Under the amendment, the Secretary of Transportation must provide a report to Congress that the automated weather system provides consistent reporting of changing meteorological conditions before any human weather observer can be removed.

The bill now moves to the White House for the President's approval.