Positive Aurora Airport
Management
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FYI, Ted Millar SB-108 Aeronautics Separation The Aeronautics Separation Bill was heard on the Senate Floor on January 28, 1999. The Bill passed the Senate 25 to 3 (Castillo, Courtney, Hannon) with two Senators excused (Gordly, Hartung). The information we have says that Gordly and Hartung would have also been ayes. The bill now goes to the Speaker of the House of Representatives where it should be assigned to the House Transportation Committee. If it makes it out of that Committee, it will go to the floor of the House for a vote. The January 29th Oregonian had an article about the vote on the front page of the Metro Section entitled "Senate Aviation Bill makes feathers fly". The article used the aviation vote as a vehicle to beat on the legislature about highways and transit. It did, however, show the Governor’s office appearing in opposition to the proposal for the first time this session. The Governor’s now-public opinion means that we need to double our efforts to reach out to our Representatives, particularly any Democratic members, who may be concerned about voting against the governor’s wishes. Although just a guess, the bill may be heard by the House Transportation Committee within two weeks. The Committee could hold a hearing and work session and pass the bill out in one sitting. It would likely go to the House floor in short order. The day after the hearing, Senator Peter Courtney contacted OPA’s VP of Legislative Affairs, Betsy Johnson and asked if she would be willing to meet with the Governor. Betsy told Senator Courtney that she would welcome the opportunity to talk about the issue. Courtney said he would make the arrangements. It is unknown whether Courtney’s call came at the direction of the Governor or not. Courtney has not called back at this writing. HB-2199; AVGAS & Jet Fuel Tax ProposalHB-2199 had its first reading on January 27th in the House. It has been referred to House Transportation with a subsequent referral to the Revenue Committee. HB-2358; Airport Self-Fueling Bill HB-2358 had its first reading in the House on January 11th and was referred to the House Transportation Committee. House Trans held a hearing and work session on the bill on January 20th. The bill was amended and sent out of committee with a do-pass recommendation on January 22nd. The amendment changed the description of airports qualified for self fueling from "a general aviation airport" to "an airport registered, licensed or recognized by the Department of Transportation". HB-2358 had its second reading on January 26th and was carried to the floor by Representative Jeff Kropf on January 27th . The House voted 59 -0 in favor with one excused (Prozanski). On January 28th, the bill had its first reading in the Senate and has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee. It is scheduled for a hearing on Monday, February 1st, at 3:05 PM in Hearing Room C. LC-1909; Requires that one person on the Oregon Transportation Commission be a licensed pilot or have experience with airport operations. Representative Vicki Walker will be filing this bill at our request on Monday, February 1st. As you can see, the bill requires that at least one person on the OTC have some aeronautical experience. Should the Aeronautics Separation Bill pass, this will provide a new conduit for communication between aviation and surface modes of transportation. Heard in the Capitol:Rumor has it that there may be legislation being drafted to prohibit news helicopters from flying over "tactical operations" as determined by an on scene law enforcement officer. No bill yet. This seems to have some interesting constitutional and federal preemption issues to consider. end |