Bipartisan bill seeks to pay air traffic controllers during shutdowns

"The bill proposes funding salaries, operating expenses, and other Federal Aviation Administration programs by tapping into a little-used fund with $2.6 billion that was created to reimburse airlines if the government commandeers their planes and they are damaged. The bill's sponsors, which include four of the top Republicans and Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, hope that relying on the fund might make their bill more attractive than other proposals because it would limit the potential cost of doling out paychecks."

""We all saw that the system can be vulnerable when Congress can't get its job done," Graves said. "This bill guarantees that controllers, who have one of the most high-pressure jobs in the nation, will get paid during any future funding lapses and that air traffic control, aviation safety, and the traveling public will never again be negatively impacted by shutdowns.""

Flight disruptions during a record government shutdown led to bipartisan legislation to pay air traffic controllers during future funding lapses. The bill would fund salaries, operating expenses, and other FAA programs by using a $2.6 billion fund created to reimburse airlines for commandeered or damaged planes. Sponsors include Representatives Sam Graves, Rick Larsen, Andre Carson, and Troy Nehls. The measure seeks to limit potential costs by relying on the reimbursement fund and aims to protect air traffic control, aviation safety, and the traveling public. A Senate subcommittee plans a hearing; passage before the January deadline is uncertain.

Read at Fast Company