FAA Modernization and Reform Act slated for renewal
Five years ago, in February 2011, we asked our members to write to Congress to encourage the passing of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft that is a part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act. The purpose of the letter-writing campaign was to make Congress aware of the positive value of model aviation as a wholesome, safe, recreational activity, and to protect the hobby from overbearing regulations.
More than 90,000 messages were sent to elected representatives. Our message was heard, and we appreciated your help in 2011! After years of work leading up to the letter-writing campaign, and a full year after the campaign, the Special Rule for Model Aircraft was finally signed into law.
Although at times frustrating, progress can be slow when working with Congress. This is by design. For a quick history lesson, when our country was laying the groundwork for a federal government, there was a strong case to establish a slow-moving legislative body. Our newly formed country was hesitant to create a swift-moving government that could rush through legislation. As a result, there are processes in Congress to keep the law-writing procedure at a slower pace to allow for review, amendments, and citizen engagement.
The FAA Modernization and Reform Act, with the Special Rule for Model Aircraft, was passed into law in 2012, but this year the act is slated for renewal. During the past several months, we have been active on Capitol Hill, making our case to protect and preserve the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. We have explained the strengths of the special rule and proposed some language to further enhance it.
These efforts include face-to-face meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill. We are also using a successful law and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. to help with the House and Senate revisions of the bill.
As a result of these efforts, we now have a House version titled the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act, which preserves our voluntary, community-based approach to managing the model aviation community. The House bill also provides a clear definition of a community-based organization and tasks the FAA with developing a process for recognizing community-based organizations, both long overdue tasks for the agency. Additionally, the bill expands protections to allow model aircraft to be used as a teaching tool for science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as aeronautics.
The Senate version, SB 2658, also keeps the Special Rule for Model Aircraft generally intact, but initially included additional provisions that could detrimentally impact our community. We were able to resolve many of these issues in earlier drafts or through revisions. One particularly onerous provision was a 400-foot altitude limit that initially applied to all model aircraft fliers, but we successfully worked to secure an exemption for AMA members.
There is still language in the Senate version that could have a negative impact on our hobby. The Senate proposed unnecessary regulations on modelers who scratch-build or kit-bash model aircraft. The bill also jeopardized many flying sites near airports and required all modelers to take an online FAA safety test.
While we continue our efforts on Capitol Hill, on April 12 we asked our members to write to their Senate representatives. In only a few days, nearly 30,100 letters were sent to the Senate asking for support of an amendment that would lessen the negative impact on the model aircraft community.
As we did in 2011, we again thank you for your prompt action. The call to action was shared by hobby shops, on
forums, through social media, and in club meetings. As in 2011, the results might be slow and we may not see the immediate fruits from our April letter-writing campaign for months.
Now that the Senate has passed its version of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, we will continue to work on the more favorable House version. After the two versions have passed, the bills go to a Conference Committee. In the Conference Committee, the bill will undergo a new round of revisions and changes.
The bill will eventually go to another vote in the House and Senate, then it will be signed into law by the president. We will be involved in every step of the process. This process could transpire during the next couple of months, but because this is a heated presidential election year, it is also likely that the process could stall until 2017.
We have a long road ahead and at any of these stages, we could ask you again to make your voice heard. Please continue to monitor www.modelaircraft.org/gov and your email. If you do not have Internet access, communicate with your club to learn about any updates or calls to action.
As always, thank you for your support of the AMA during this long process and for your efforts to protect our community.
—Chad Budreau
chadb@modelaircraft.org
AMA Government Relations team
