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Harmful Legislation Moves Forward
USPA Urges Members to Act Now
Updated March 18, 2024
Congress has passed a third extension to FAA Reauthorization, pushing the deadline for finalizing the bill to May 10. Congress could convene a Conference Committee soon to reconcile the differences in their respective versions of the bill.
Once a Conference Committee is scheduled, USPA will initiate a final call to action urging our members to contact their Representatives advocating for the removal of the proposed "Air Tour and Sport Parachute Safety Act" from the final legislation.
We appreciate your continued patience and understanding throughout this process. When the time comes, we will provide clear instructions to communicate concerns to elected officials. We encourage members to stay informed by visiting the USPA website for updates.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Updated February 13, 2024
USPA is requesting members contact their Congressional Representatives urging them to oppose harmful language in FAA Reauthorization. On February 8, the Senate Commerce Committee held the long-awaited markup of the Senate's draft FAA Reauthorization Bill. Unfortunately, Senator Budd's (NC) amendment to strike the "Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act" was not adopted. With the current FAA authorization expiring March 8, the House and Senate will soon convene a Conference Committee to reconcile their respective drafts. USPA submitted a joint letter to the committee signed by seven other aviation associations, including AOPA and EAA, expressing our deep concerns that the proposed requirements are not scalable and do not support a data-driven approach to enhancing safety for these segments of aviation. For more information contact Michael Knight USPA Director of Government Relations.
Updated October 31, 2023
Just prior to September 30, avoiding a government shutdown, Congress passed a 90-day extension to FAA funding at current levels. This essentially moved the deadline to pass FAA Reauthorization from September 30 to December 30. With this additional time, the Senate first set their sights on confirming a new FAA Administrator, which they did in October. It is now expected that the Senate Commerce Committee will mark up the Senate draft of the FAA Reauthorization Bill, which contains the damaging sport-parachuting language we are working to have removed. Senator Budd from North Carolina has proposed an amendment to strike that language. Your support continues to be vital to these efforts. Emailing your representatives through this page continues to ensure that your voice is heard and that you want this harmful language removed from FAA Reauthorization Bill.
Updated August 7, 2023
Congress was unable to agree on several issues within the FAA Reauthorization Bill and is currently on recess until September 5. This gives extra time for skydivers and aviation supporters to contact their legislators in Congress and urge them to support Senator Budd of North Carolina’s amendment to strip the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act from the bill.
USPA opposes this act because skydiving has an excellent safety record under the current FAA regulations and because the proposed regulations would not improve safety but would increase costs and drive many DZs out of business.
Although many members and drop zones have already sent letters to their legislators asking them to support USPA’s position to stop the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act from being included in the FAA Reauthorization Bill, we need to keep the pressure on! If you haven’t already done so, please contact your legislators today! If you have already contacted your senators, reaching out a second time would be helpful (you can resubmit the form every 21 days).
Updated August 2, 2023
Congress was unable to agree on several issues within the FAA Reauthorization Bill and is currently on recess until September 5. This gives extra time for skydivers and aviation supporters to contact their legislators in Congress and urge them to support Senator Budd of North Carolina's amendment to strip the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act from the bill.
Although many members and drop zones have already sent letters to their legislators asking them to support USPA’s position to stop the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act from being included in the FAA Reauthorization Bill, we need to keep the pressure on! If you haven't already done so, please contact your legislators today!
Updated July 18, 2023
This is an all-hands-on-deck moment: We need your help today.
Legislation that is unnecessary and potentially damaging to skydiving is working its way through Congress right now. We are facing legislators’ latest attempt to add costly and burdensome maintenance requirements to skydiving aircraft nationwide. USPA’s steadfast efforts to educate legislators have thwarted these misguided attempts since they began in 2020. This is the most serious threat yet, and we need your help NOW to stop it again!
Although damaging language was rejected by the House in its version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill, it is currently buried in the Senate version and will be considered at conference. If passed, this would drastically increase the cost of a jump and likely force many DZs—especially smaller DZs—out of business. The FAA has not supported this proposal, nor is there any evidence that it would improve safety for skydivers or the general public.
The clock is ticking: We need your help NOW! Click the button below to view and send letters to your Senate and House representatives asking them to:
Please, take just 30 seconds to help defend skydiving by clicking the button below.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Every email makes it harder for congress to push these burdensome policies through.