SENATE COMMERCE CMTE EXECUTIVE SESSION ON FAA REAUTHORIZATION, Feb 8, 2024, DC, 10:00 am ET

February 7, 2024:  The Senate Commerce Committee today announced that it will hold an Executive Session tomorrow. February 8, at 10:00 am ET, to consider the FAA Reauthorization bill. The meeting will be webcast on the committee’s website.

The committee was scheduled to mark up the bill on June 15, 2023, but postponed action in large part because of a dispute over pilot training requirements, although there were other issues. The House passed their version of the bill on July 20, 2023.

The FAA must be reauthorized every 5 years. Its authorizaton expired on September 30, 2023, but Congress temporarily extended it twice, most recently until March 9, 2024.

The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) promotes, facilitates and regulates commercial space launches and reentries.

A prohibition on FAA/AST promulating new regulations on commercial human spaceflight also is expiring. It usually is NOT part of the FAA Reauthorization bill, but dealt with in separate commercial space legislation.  However, absent action on a commercial space bill, Congress extended the “learning period” or “moratorium” to March 9 when it extended the FAA’s authorization in December.  Whether they will include it in this version of the FAA Reauthorization is unclear.