Airport and Airway System Development Act of 1981

Summary

Airport and Airway System Development Act of 1981 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to review and revise the existing national airport system plan to provide for the development of public-use airports in the United States. Specifies that such plan shall include the type and estimated cost of eligible airport development considered by the Secretary to be necessary for civilian, military, and postal purposes. Directs the Department of Defense to make domestic military airports and airport facilities available for civil use to the extent feasible. Directs the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, and the Comptroller General, within one year of the date of enactment of this Act, to submit to Congress: (1) a joint evaluation of the military airport system; and (2) a plan to make such system available for civil uses compatible with national defense requirements. Specifies that the costs incurred by the Secretary of Transportation for improvements to air navigation facilities shall be charged to funds appropriated by this Act. Sets forth the aggregate funding level for such grants for fiscal years 1981 through 1985. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for airport development and planning in the form of project-grants or block-grants. Allows expenditures for such development or planning at a privately owned reliever airport under certain conditions. Authorizes appropriations out of the Trust Fund for fiscal years 1981 through 1985 for: (1) establishment of air navigation facilities; (2) airport research, engineering and development, and demonstration projects; (3) costs of services provided under international agreements relating to the joint financing of air navigation services; and (4) costs incurred by the Secretary to flight check and maintain such air navigation facilities. Sets forth the method for apportioning the funds made available under this Act. States that the funds of the Trust Fund shall not be appropriated except for purposes described in this Act. Specifies that funds apportioned by this Act and unobligated within a certain time shall be added to a discretionary fund established by this Act. Sets forth airport funding requirements. Directs the Secretary to cooperate with State and local officials in the development of airport plans and programs which are formulated on the basis of overall transportation needs and coordinated with other transportation planning with due consideration to comprehensive long-range land-use and access plans and overall social, economic, environmental, system performance, and energy conservation goals and objectives. Sets forth procedures for the submission of project-grant and block-grant airport development applications and requirements which must be satisfied for approval of such applications. Requires a sponsor of an airport project to hold public hearings where the project-grant application involves the location of an airport, an airport runway, or a major runway extension. States that such a grant shall not be made unless the Governor of the State in which the project is to be located certifies in writing to the Secretary that there is a reasonable assurance that the project will comply with applicable air and water quality implementation plans. Authorizes the Secretary to approve State airport development standards at specified kinds of public-use airports. Directs the Secretary to accept conclusionary certifications from participating project sponsors that they have complied or will comply with all of the statutory, regulatory, and procedural requirements imposed under this Act or any other Federal law. Limits the United States' share of allowable project costs to 90 percent. Establishes lower percentages for such projects under specified circumstances. Requires the Secretary to receive specified written assurances before approving an airport development project contained in a project-grant application. Exempts certain project sponsors from contractual obligations to provide free space in airport buildings to the Federal Government. Directs airport sponsors to consult affected parties in making a decision to undertake any airport development project. Sets forth procedures for acceptance of project-grant and block-grant agreements and allowable project costs. Requires that construction work on projects funded under this Act be subject to inspection and approval by the Secretary and be in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary. Provides that contracts in excess of $2,000 for such construction projects shall include provisions establishing minimum rates of wages to be predetermined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act. Requires that construction contracts for airport development projects grant employment preferences to Vietnam and disabled veterans. Directs the Secretary of Transportation, in the event that a public airport project will require the use of Federal lands, to request the head of the Federal agency or department controlling such lands to transfer the necessary property interests to the participating public agency. Requires the head of such agency or department to notify the Secretary within four months of its decision with respect to such a request. Exempts from such requests lands under the administration of the National Park Service, units of the National Wildlife Refuge System or similar areas under the jurisdiction of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or within any national forest or Indian reservation. Sets forth criminal penalties for fraudulent acts committed with regard to projects under this Act. Sets forth recordkeeping and auditing requirements with respect to projects under this Act. Requires annual documentation by hub airports of the need for Federal assistance. Directs the Secretary to take affirmative action to assure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, creed, color, national origin, or sex, be excluded from participating in any activity conducted with funds received from any grant made under this Act. Provides that no obligation for airport development shall be incurred by the Secretary after September 30, 1981, at any airport which enplanes more than .5 percent (.25 percent after September 30, 1982) of the total number of passengers enplaned in calendar year 1979 at all commercial service airports. Authorizes other airports after such date to elect not to receive such assistance. Directs the Secretary to issue criteria pursuant to which an owner or operator of an airport that becomes ineligible to receive Federal assistance under this Act may terminate any existing obligations with the United States that arose from the acceptance of such Federal assistance. Sets forth procedures for the termination of such obligations. Permits an air carrier airport owner or operator to renegotiate rates, fees, or other charges paid by air carriers to replace such Federal assistance revenues. Repeals sections of the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970 relating to airport development funding. Directs the Secretary to transmit annually to Congress a report describing the status of the revenues and expenditures of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and its programs and operations. Directs the Secretary and the Comptroller General, within nine months of the date of enactment of this Act, to conduct separate studies of airports ineligible to receive Federal assistance under this Act to determine the ability of such airports to replace the moneys they would otherwise receive as Federal assistance. Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to require that airport operating certificates prescribe terms, conditions, and limitations relating to such friction treatment for runways as the Secretary determines to be necessary. Requires that all airports upon which Federal funds have been expended shall be available for: (1) public use; and (2) all types of aeronautical use on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 20 February 1981

   Referred

   Referred to Subcommittee on Aviation.

   Source: Committee

2. 20 February 1981

   Introduced

   Read second time and referred to Senate Committee on Commerce.

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 20 February 1981

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 24 February 1981

   Committee

   Subcommittee on Aviation. Hearings held.

   Source: Committee

5. 25 February 1981

   Committee

   Subcommittee on Aviation. Hearings held.

   Source: Committee

6. 29 April 1981

   Reported

   Committee on Commerce. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

   Source: Committee

7. 15 May 1981

   Calendars

   Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Regular Orders. Calendar No. 121.

   Source: Calendars

8. 15 May 1981

   Reported

   Committee on Commerce. Reported to Senate by Senator Packwood under the authority of the order of May 13, 81 favorably with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 97-97.

   Source: Committee

9. 15 May 1981

   Reported

   Committee on Commerce. Reported to Senate by Senator Packwood under the authority of the order of May 13, 81 favorably with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 97-97.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

2 official files

• Reported to Senate with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 15 May 1981

  Open at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 20 February 1981

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Kassebaum, Nancy Landon [R-KS] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Packwood, Bob [R-OR] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Cannon, Howard W. [D-NV] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Exon, J. James [D-NE] · D · Cosponsor
• · sscm00 · Standing

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.