The Ferguson Group Blog

Expedited Airport Screening Program Now Offered by TSA

TSA recently announced the first application site for its TSA Pre✓™ Application Program at the Indianapolis International Airport. The agency also unveiled the online pre-enrollment program. TSA Pre✓™ is an expedited screening lane program that allows travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, and keep their laptops and authorized liquids in their carryon bag.

Those seeking to enroll may begin their application online and make an appointment before visiting an enrollment center. Travelers must visit an application center to pay the non-refundable $85 application fee and provide required biographic information (name, date of birth, address, etc.), fingerprints and identity and citizenship or immigration documentation. Approval may take up to three weeks.

Over the next few weeks, TSA plans to open additional enrollment centers in the New York City area, the Washington, D.C. metro area and in Los Angeles. By the spring of 2014, the TSA plans to have more than 300 enrollment centers open around the country. TSA Pre-check lanes are now available at more than 100 airports and on nine major U.S. airlines.

Additional program information and how to enroll can be found at www.tsa.gov.

 

Airlines and Cell Phone Usage

If you are a frequent flyer who would prefer not to stow your electronic devices for takeoffs and landings, you will be glad to hear that the aviation experience is changing.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently announced that airline passengers will soon be able to use electronic devices, in “airplane mode,” to listen to music, read, and watch videos in all phases of flight. Passengers will still be prohibited from talking and texting on cell phones throughout flight and the use of Wi-Fi will be allowed above a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet. These changes are a result of a report by the Portable Electronic Device Aviation Rulemaking Committee. The report concludes that most commercial airplanes can tolerate radio interference signals from portable electronic devices and recommended that the government allow greater use.

The changes are likely to take effect before the end of the year, however, may vary by airline. Before expanding the use of electronic devices, an airline will have to conduct tests on equipment to determine that their aircraft can tolerate increased radio interference, revise operating manuals, checklists for crew member training materials, carry-on baggage programs and passenger briefings.

You can read more about the new FAA Portable Electronic Devices guidelines at: http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/

The Passing of a Senator

Today has been a somber day of steady rain as New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. News reports this past week cited how his passing was notable because he was the last sitting senator of the "greatest generation," that chamber's last veteran of World War II. His death came just months after Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a wounded veteran of that war, took his resting place among the nation's noted military and civilian leaders at Arlington.

It need be said that Senator Lautenberg's death on June 3, also is notable because it marked the passing of a champion of Federal policy to making communities healthier, the environment cleaner, and industry and travel safer and better. It was a personal agenda well suited to his home State of New Jersey but carried out with no less than the nation in mind. 

In his 28 years as a senator he served on virtually every committee and subcommittee that touched on authorizing and funding transportation, civil works and environmental policy. For a period he chaired the Transportation Subcommittee on Appropriations while as a senior member of the Environment & Public Works Committee. In recent years he also chaired the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine, Infrastructure, Safety and Security Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee.  His approach to legislating was to cover all the bases, or at least as many as he could. He championed improving airports and the aviation system, expanding the use of transit and passenger rail, modernizing freight transportation, bringing American port infrastructure to world standards, and securing them all from the those who would do us harm.  

He was appointed to the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism after the tragic downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and returned to the Senate, after a two-year hiatus, to help write and oversee anti-terrorism law after the downing of the World Trade Center towers. In those towers he had served on the Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey before being elected senator in 1982. That--and his building the Automatic Data Processing Corporation (ADP) from scratch--were parts of his resume about which he often enjoyed telling people if the occasion would allow.

Senator Frank Lautenberg put much effort into environmental issues. He devoted considerable time to the recovery of the old industrial wasteland through brownfields initiatives and Superfund legislation and to making the Toxic Substances Control Act more effective. He was protecting the coastline whether the recreation beaches or the nurturing marshlands. In his last year he walked the Jersey Shore in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, secured bi-partisan support for his toxic substances legislation and, from his wheel chair, cast his final vote in support of tighter gun legislation.

From start-to-finish Senator Frank Lautenberg was an advocate for his New Jersey and for improving the vitality of the United States by improving the quality of its people's lives and its means of commerce.

 

Traveling? Keep Your Knives at Home

On June 5, TSA announced that it is dropping its highly contentious plan to allow small knives on commercial flights. TSA issued the following statement:  "TSA strongly values the input of our partners and traveling public, and appreciates the varying points of view shared throughout the review process. After extensive engagement with the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, law enforcement officials, passenger advocates and other important stakeholders, TSA will continue to enforce the current prohibited items list."

In other agency news, Representative Paul Broun (R-GA) offered an amendment to the House Homeland Security Appropriations bill to eliminate TSA. That amendment was defeated. 

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

Senate Moves Ahead on Online Sales Tax-But Would it Help or Handicap Small Businesses?

As the Senate moves to a vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act, some small business supporters say that online merchants will face the colossal issue of dealing with the nearly 9,600 different state and local taxing jurisdictions.  Small businesses with less than $1 million in annual revenue will be exempt; however, there is still much debate about how much burden a business can handle and if the $1 million mark is too low.  Read More…

White House Says Open to Legislation to Halt FAA Furloughs

On Tuesday, the White House announced it is open to looking at alternative ideas Congress may have to address the challenges sequester cuts have caused the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and American travelers.  Since furloughs at the FAA started Sunday, April 21, there are reports that the reduced staff has caused delays.  The FAA reported that on Monday alone, 1,200 of the 2,600 delays were attributed to the furloughs.  Read More…  

Dave Camp to Brief House Republicans on Tax Reform

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) will brief House Republicans on a draft bill his office has written proposing tax law changes for small business, Wall Street and international firms.  If this push is ultimately successful, it will be the first time Congress has rewritten the Tax Code in over 25 years.  Read More…

Congressional Immigration Debate Signals Big Shift

When Arizona became the first state to pass strict immigration laws three years ago, it created a firestorm of debate concerning border security and immigration policy.  Today, amidst the immigration bill discussion, we see that Congress has accepted some of the strict policies set by Arizona even if lawmakers are leaning the opposite way.  Read More…

Is Raising the Gas Tax Truly Politically Unpalatable?

At some point during FY 2015, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) will run out of enough funds to meet its current obligations.  In order to sustain the HTF, one of the proposed resolutions is to raise or index the gas tax from the current 18.4 cents; a tax which has not been increased since 1993.  Some politicians believe raising this tax would be wildly unpopular, however, recent data shows the public may not be as opposed to the idea as some think.  Read More…   

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

Skilled-Worker Visas Eyed in Immigration Debate

With immigration reform as a top priority in Congress, there is a strong push from tech industries to raise the H-1B visa limit from 65,000 to 300,000.  Some in the industry argue the U.S. does not turn out enough math and science graduates to fill their positions, yet others believe the shortage of skilled American workers is exaggerated. Read More…

Some Small Businesses Opt for the Health-Care Penalty

When the new health-care law begins next year, some small-business owners will have to make the choice between providing healthcare to all their full-time employees or paying a penalty to avoid the new law’s “employer mandate.”  Some employers say the burden may be too hefty, and elect to pay fines.  Read More…

Energy Tax Reform a Heavy Lift for Lawmakers

Congress plans to tackle energy tax policy issues in the near future, but massive amounts of data must be sifted through before a detailed plan can be produced.  Lawmakers say that in order to make good policies, they need to have the most accurate analysis, even if it that takes more time than anticipated.  Read More…

'Obama Phones’ Subsidy Program Draws New Scrutiny on the Hill

The Lifeline program has provided discounted phone service to low-income subscribers for 28 years, but with recent increases in the cost of the program, lawmakers on the Hill are taking a closer look at it.  Read More…

Senators Move to Stop Flight Tower Closures

This summer the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to close 149 air traffic control towers, but a bipartisan group of 18 Senators are looking to stop the closures with the Protect Our Skies Act. Read More…

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

House Committee to Take Up Municipal Bonds

The House Ways and Means Committee began their push for tax reforms, as lawmakers quarrel with the decision on whether states and local governments should be able to issue tax-exempt municipal bonds that, if taxed, could generate up to $40 million in new revenue by some estimates.  Read More… 

Small U.S. Airports Face Tower Closures

Due to recent budget cuts at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), many small airports throughout the country may be forced to close their air traffic control towers.  The FAA has assured passengers that safety will not be compromised as a result of the closed towers.  Read More…

Senators Expect Clear Path for Water Bill

With strong bipartisan support on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senators believe the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) will soon be ready for the chamber floor.  Read More…

Dueling Budget Plans:  How the House and Senate Proposals Stack Up on Main Street

Democrats and Republicans have released their budget plans, however the approaches differ greatly, particularly on tax issues.  Both parties would like to close various tax loopholes, but Democrats would like to use the added revenue to feed into the federal budget rather than cancel out lower rates for high-income earners and corporations. Read More…

Tax Credits or Spending?  Labels, but in Congress, Fighting Words

Whether projects are funded by federal grant money or tax credits does not make much of a difference to taxpayers, however, in Congress it makes all the difference.  However, threatening to take away a tax break often means starting a fight with a powerful interest group. Read More…

Senate Gun Bill Won’t Include Assault Weapons Ban

This week the Senate dropped the controversial assault weapons ban from its comprehensive gun reform bill.  Although this change will likely make gun reform easier to pass in the Senate, the bill faces a long road to the House.  Read More…  

FAA Reauthorization

After 23 extensions over four years, the FAA Reauthorization bill will finally be signed into law.  On January 6, the U.S. Senate passed the conference report accompanying H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization bill, by a roll call vote of 75 to 20. The House approved the measure last week.  The bill includes funding for the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program - $3.35 billion per year for four years, and reduces the federal cost share for AIP from 95% to 90% - requiring non-federal sponsors to spend more on these projects. The bill also increases the federal cap for control tower construction from $1.5 million to $2 million.

- Posted by Jennifer Imo, The Ferguson Group

FAA Reauthorization

On Friday, January 21, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) finally reached a deal on changes to the Railway Labor Act that will hopefully lead to final enactment of a FAA Reauthorization bill in the coming weeks. The current extension - the 22nd extension - expires next week (January 31). The House is scheduled to vote tomorrow, January 24, on one final short-term extension as leaders hammer out the final bill. 

- Posted by Jennifer Imo, The Ferguson Group

Furloughed FAA Workers to Receive Back Pay

On Friday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt announced that the nearly 4,000 workers who were furloughed during the partial two-week shutdown of the FAA from July 23, 2011 through August 5, 2011 will receive back pay.

There have been several attempts to pass legislation specifically giving the FAA authority to provide back pay to workers but those bills have failed to pass or go anywhere. Lawyers from the Department of Transportation decided that the language in the FAA extension bill that was passed by Congress in August was sufficient enough to provide the money to the furloughed workers.

The back pay will be in the workers' October 18^th paychecks and will come from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund.