14-month FAA extension passed
From AMA:
Dear Members,
We are happy to announce big news related to FAA authorization. As of today, both the Senate and House of Representatives have passed a 14-month FAA extension, and the President has signed the bill into law.
We are very pleased that the FAA extension affirms our right to continue to fly within AMA’s community-based safety program and free from additional government regulations. Congress continues to recognize the importance of AMA and our strong commitment to safety.
As you know, AMA aggressively engaged with Congress to achieve the best possible result for our members. It is through these advocacy efforts that we were able to achieve our goal of maintaining the Special Rule for Model Aircraft and protecting our hobby. This victory adds to AMA’s history of successfully advocating for our members at the federal level, including with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forrest Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA and Congress.
There are two important things for all AMA members to know about the extension. The first, and most important for our hobby, is that the extension preserves the Special Rule for Model Aircraft (Section 336 of the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act) through September 2017. And second, while this bill does not nullify FAA’s requirement to register, we are pleased to share that the problematic language that existed in earlier FAA bills has been removed.
Our advocacy efforts are not over – we continue to work with the FAA on reducing the burden of the registration requirement on AMA members. And, over the next 14 months, we will continue to work with Congress on a long-term reauthorization bill that will further strengthen the Special Rule for Model Aircraft and advance other protections of our longstanding hobby.
We want to extend our appreciation to all of our members and donors for your support throughout this process.
Thank you,
AMA Government Affairs Team
