AviationTypo delays signing FAA budget bill into law
Typically, Congress, the country’s deliberative body, tends to take its time when it comes to legislation. This tendency was not in evidence when it came to rescheduling sequester-mandated cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) budget in order to allow air traffic controllers to work their full schedule without being furloughed. The president was supposed to sign the bill Friday – but in its rush to pass the measure, the version which was delivered to the White House contained a typo (an “s” was missing). The president will sign the bill today.
Typically, Congress, the country’s deliberative body, tends to take its time when it comes to legislation. This tendency has not been in evidence when it came to rescheduling sequester-mandated cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) budget in order to allow air traffic controllers to work their full schedule without being furloughed. The furloughs, which went into effect a week-and-a-half ago, caused many flight cancellations and delays.
The Senate and House passed the Reducing Flight Delays Act at lightning speed last week, and President Barack Obama did not want to waste any time signing the bill into law. ABC News reports that the bill could not be signed last Friday, and instead could only be signed Monday, due to a spelling error.
The bill gives the Federal Aviation Administration the power to move $253 million to pay air traffic controllers,, ending the flight cancellations and delays that upset passengers for a week. The Senate passed the bill late Thursday night, and last Friday the House passed the bill with a 361-41 vote.
According to a copy of the bill which was acquired byABC News, lawmakers rushed the measure Friday – so much so, that parts of the bill were handwritten.
With Congress on vacation this week, aides say that a procedural correction was be made to the bill Monday so the president could sign it into law Tuesday.
The FAA released a statement saying that all employee furloughs were suspended and operations were back to normal at airports around the country by Sunday evening, before the measure was officially signed into law.
The typo in question was a missing “S” in the bill.
