WASHINGTON, D.C.—The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) today celebrates the passage of the Small Airplane Revitalization Act, H.R. 1848, by the U.S. House of Representatives. Introduced in the House by U.S. Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS) in May—along with other original co-sponsors Congressmen Sam Graves (R-MO), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Rick Nolan (D-MN) and Todd Rokita (R-IN)—the bipartisan bill requires the FAA to implement the recommendations of the FAA’s Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) by December 31, 2015. The ARC’s goal is to double safety and cut certification costs in half for light general aviation (GA) airplanes. The bill, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also in May, passed the Senate last month and now heads to President Obama for his signature.

“On an overwhelming and bipartisan basis, Congress has given important momentum to critical reforms that are needed at the FAA,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. “H.R. 1848 is an emphatic statement that overly prescriptive FAA regulations and inefficient bureaucratic processes that unnecessarily lengthen certification timelines and add significant costs must be replaced if we are to promote safety and growth in general aviation. While much work remains, especially on the part of FAA, passage of this legislation significantly improves the industry’s ability to accelerate safety enhancements in light GA aircraft and will stimulate additional high-quality manufacturing jobs throughout the entire general aviation industry.”