House quickly approves rule for FAA conference report

That language was agreed to as a compromise between the House and Senate bills on the issue of labor elections. The House version of the bill sought to repeal a rule from the National Mediation Board that would have made it easier for workers to win union elections, while the Senate bill had no language on this issue.

{mosads}House Rules Committee ranking member Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said she regretted that some were “injecting politics” into the bill, and said she would oppose the rule and the bill itself over the union language.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) agreed, and said conferees put a “poison pill” into the bill.

However, Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) noted that House and Senate conferees from both parties broadly supported the compromise.

After approving the rule by voice vote, the House started debate on the bill itself at about 9:45 a.m. Under the bill, the FAA would be funded through 2015. The measure maintains funding at fiscal 2011 levels, and includes funding for NextGen air traffic control updates and other aviation-related construction projects. Passage of this longer-term funding bill is expected to be welcomed by both Republicans and Democrats, and it would end the streak of 23 short-term extensions for FAA funding over the last eight years.