Legislation introduced by U.S. Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) that would promote innovation and growth in the aviation industry advanced the House Thursday.
The Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act previously advanced the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where Graves and Davids are both members.
“This bill is a gamechanger for how we develop new transportation options, help with the future ways we move goods, and create new jobs,” Graves said. “It will also support our emergency preparedness and disaster relief efforts. The time is fast approaching for ways the federal government will have to plan for new and emerging aviation technology, which could positively disrupt existing ways of life. We should be taking the steps now to mitigate and integrate the benefits instead of waiting for the positive disruption caused by future technology and ensuring our existing transportation and infrastructure systems have the right preparation. This bipartisan legislation pushes the United States forward in the right direction and bolsters our global leadership in this transformative space.”
The legislation would encourage the federal government to begin planning on how to integrate new and emerging aviation sector technology into existing transportation and infrastructure systems. The legislators said that new technologies resulting from this measure would also support infrastructure safety and security for highways, bridges, and pipelines.
“Kansas was once the center of aviation manufacturing in the country, and we are still home to a significant and skilled aviation workforce,” Davids said. “That means we are especially primed to harness the huge economic and transportation potential of advanced air mobility—but we can’t wait for it to come to us.”
The legislation is supported by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the Regional Airline Association.
“The Advanced Air Mobility sector is on the verge of transforming the future of aviation with the introduction of electric and hybrid powered aircraft into the national airspace system,” Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said. “The Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act will ensure that the federal government develops a coordinated approach for promoting this innovative sector of aviation which will facilitate additional transportation options, create jobs and economic activity, advance environmental sustainability and new technologies, and support emergency preparedness and competitiveness.”