I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2879 
To reform apportionments to general aviation airports under the airport 
improvement program, to improve project delivery at certain airports, 
and to designate certain airports as disaster relief airports, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2017 
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri (for himself and Mrs. BUSTOS) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reform apportionments to general aviation airports under 
the airport improvement program, to improve project 
delivery at certain airports, and to designate certain air-
ports as disaster relief airports, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Forward Looking Investment in General Aviation, Hang-
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ars, and Tarmacs Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘FLIGHT Act of 
2017’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. General aviation airport entitlement reform. 
Sec. 3. Extending aviation development streamlining. 
Sec. 4. Establishment of public private-partnership program at general aviation 
airports. 
Sec. 5. Disaster relief airports. 
Sec. 6. Airport development relating to disaster relief. 
Sec. 7. Inclusion of covered aircraft construction in definition of aeronautical 
activity for purposes of airport improvement grants. 
SEC. 2. GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT ENTITLEMENT RE-
FORM. 
(a) APPORTIONMENT.—Section 47114(d)(3) of title 
49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 
(B) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting before subparagraph (B), as re-
designated by paragraph (1), the following: 
‘‘(A) Not less than 4 percent to airports 
designated as disaster relief airports under sec-
tion 47145 to enhance the ability of such air-
ports to aid in disaster relief, including through 
funding for airport development described in 
section 47102(3)(P).’’. 
(b) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY.—Section 47117(b) of 
such title is amended by striking ‘‘3’’ and inserting ‘‘4’’. 
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(c) UNITED STATES SHARE OF PROJECT COSTS.— 
Section 47109 of such title is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(g) GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORTS.—The Govern-
ment’s share of allowable project costs may be increased 
by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion to 95 percent for a project— 
‘‘(1) at an airport that is not a primary airport 
if the Administrator determines that the project will 
increase safety or security at that airport; or 
‘‘(2) at an airport that is categorized as a basic 
or unclassified airport in the report of the Federal 
Aviation Administration entitled ‘General Aviation 
Airports: A National Asset’ and dated May 2012.’’. 
(d) USE
OF
APPORTIONED
AMOUNTS.—Section 
47117(e)(1) of such title is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(D) All amounts subject to apportionment for 
a fiscal year that are not apportioned under section 
47114(d), for grants to sponsors of general aviation 
airports, reliever airports, or nonprimary commercial 
service airports.’’. 
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(6) in subsection (k), by striking ‘‘(b)(2)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(b)(3)’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 47175 of such title is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), 
(4), and (5) as paragraphs (2), (5), (1), (3), and 
(4), respectively, and by rearranging such para-
graphs so that they appear in numerical order; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (7) as para-
graph (8); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(7) GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT CONSTRUC-
TION OR IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.—The term ‘gen-
eral aviation airport construction or improvement 
project’ means— 
‘‘(A) a project for the construction or ex-
tension of a runway, including any land acquisi-
tion, taxiway, safety area, apron, or naviga-
tional aids associated with the runway or run-
way extension, at a general aviation airport, a 
reliever airport, or a commercial service airport 
that is not a primary airport (as such terms are 
defined in section 47102); and 
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‘‘(B) any other airport development project 
that the Secretary designates as facilitating 
aviation capacity building projects at a general 
aviation airport.’’. 
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC PRIVATE-PARTNER-
SHIP PROGRAM AT GENERAL AVIATION AIR-
PORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 481 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 48115. General aviation public-private partnership 
program 
‘‘(a) SMALL AIRPORT PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNER-
SHIP PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Transportation shall 
establish a program that meets the requirements under 
this section for improving facilities at— 
‘‘(1) general aviation airports; and 
‘‘(2) privately owned airports used or intended 
to be used for public purposes that do not have 
scheduled air service. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION REQUIRED.—The operator or 
sponsor of an airport, or the community in which an air-
port is located, seeking, on behalf of the airport, to partici-
pate in the program established under subsection (a) shall 
submit an application to the Secretary in such form, at 
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such time, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require, including— 
‘‘(1) an assessment of the needs of the airport 
for additional or improved hangars, airport busi-
nesses, or other facilities; 
‘‘(2) the ability of the airport to leverage pri-
vate sector investments on the airport or develop 
public-private partnerships to build or improve facili-
ties at the airport; and 
‘‘(3) if the application is submitted by a com-
munity, evidence that the airport supports the appli-
cation. 
‘‘(c) LIMITATION.— 
‘‘(1) STATE LIMIT.—Not more than 4 airports 
in the same State may be selected to participate in 
the program established under subsection (a) in any 
fiscal year. 
‘‘(2) DOLLAR AMOUNT LIMIT.—Not more than 
$500,000 shall be made available for any airport in 
any fiscal year under the program established under 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(d) PRIORITIES.—In selecting airports for participa-
tion in the program established under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall give priority to airports at which— 
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‘‘(1) the operator or sponsor of the airport, or 
the community in which the airport is located— 
‘‘(A) will provide a portion of the cost of 
the project for which assistance is sought under 
the program from local sources; 
‘‘(B) will employ best business practices in 
developing or implementing a public-private 
partnership; or 
‘‘(C) has established, or will establish, a 
public-private partnership to build or improve 
facilities at the airport; or 
‘‘(2) the assistance will be used in a timely 
fashion. 
‘‘(e) TYPES OF ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 
use amounts made available under this section— 
‘‘(1) to provide assistance to market an airport 
to private entities or individuals in order to leverage 
private sector investments or develop public-private 
partnerships for the purposes of building or improv-
ing hangars, businesses, or other facilities at the air-
port; 
‘‘(2) to fund studies that consider what meas-
ures an airport should take to attract private sector 
investment at the airport; or 
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‘‘(3) to participate in a partnership described in 
paragraph (1) or an investment described in para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(f) AUTHORITY TO MAKE AGREEMENTS.—The Sec-
retary may enter into agreements with airports and enti-
ties entering into partnerships with airports under this 
section to provide assistance under this section. 
‘‘(g) AVAILABILITY
OF AMOUNTS FROM AIRPORT 
AND AIRWAY TRUST FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated, out of the Airport and Airway Trust 
Fund established under section 9502 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, $5,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(2) 
AVAILABILITY.—Amounts 
appropriated 
pursuant to paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) shall remain available until expended; 
and 
‘‘(B) shall be in addition to any amounts 
made available pursuant to section 48103.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap-
ter 481 of such title is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘48115. General aviation public-private partnership program.’’. 
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(c) EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY FROM AIRPORT AND 
AIRWAY TRUST FUND.—Section 9502(d)(1)(A) of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting ‘‘or 
the FLIGHT Act of 2017’’ before the semicolon at the 
end. 
SEC. 5. DISASTER RELIEF AIRPORTS. 
(a) DESIGNATION
OF
DISASTER
RELIEF
AIR-
PORTS.—Subchapter I of chapter 471 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 47145. Disaster relief airports 
‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall designate as a disaster relief airport an 
airport that— 
‘‘(A) is categorized as a regional reliever 
airport in the report issued by the Federal 
Aviation Administration entitled ‘National Plan 
of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) 2017– 
2021’; 
‘‘(B) is within a reasonable distance, as de-
termined by the Secretary, of a hospital or 
transplant or trauma center; 
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‘‘(C) is in a region that the Secretary de-
termines under subsection (b) is prone to nat-
ural disasters; 
‘‘(D) has at least one paved runway with 
not less than 3,400 feet of useable length capa-
ble of supporting aircraft up to 12,500 pounds; 
‘‘(E) has aircraft maintenance or servicing 
facilities at the airport able to provide aircraft 
fueling and light maintenance services; and 
‘‘(F) has adequate taxiway and ramp space 
to accommodate single engine or light multi-en-
gine aircraft simultaneously for loading and un-
loading of supplies. 
‘‘(2) DESIGNATION IN STATES WITHOUT QUALI-
FYING
AIRPORTS.—If fewer than 3 airports de-
scribed in paragraph (1) are located in a State, the 
Secretary, in consultation with aviation officials of 
that State, shall designate not more than 3 general 
aviation airports in that State as a disaster relief 
airport under this section. 
‘‘(b) PRONE TO NATURAL DISASTERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of sub-
section (a)(1)(C), a region is prone to natural disas-
ters if— 
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‘‘(A) in the case of earthquakes, there is 
not less than a 50 percent probability that an 
earthquake of magnitude 6 or above will occur 
in the region within 30 years, according to the 
United States Geological Survey; and 
‘‘(B) in the case of other types of natural 
disasters, the President has declared more than 
5 major disasters in the region under section 
401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5170), according to the most recent map of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency. 
‘‘(2) NATURAL DISASTER DEFINED.—For the 
purposes of this section, the term ‘natural disaster’ 
includes any hurricane, tornado, severe storm, high 
water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earth-
quake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snow-
storm, drought, or wildfire. 
‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A disaster relief air-
port and the facilities and fixed-based operators 
on or connected with the airport shall be oper-
ated and maintained in a manner the Secretary 
consider suitable for disaster relief. 
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‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—A disaster relief air-
port shall not be considered to be in violation 
of subparagraph (A) if a runway is unuseable 
because the runway is under scheduled mainte-
nance or is in need of necessary repairs. 
‘‘(2) COMPLIANCE WITH ASSURANCES ON AIR-
PORT OPERATIONS.—A disaster relief airport shall 
comply with the provisions of section 47107 without 
regard whether the airport has received a project 
grant under this subchapter. 
‘‘(3) 
NATURAL
DISASTER
MANAGEMENT 
PLAN.—A disaster relief airport shall develop an 
emergency natural disaster management plan in co-
ordination with local emergency response teams and 
first responders. 
‘‘(d) CIVIL PENALTY.—A public agency that know-
ingly violates this section shall be liable to the United 
States Government for a civil penalty of not more than 
$10,000 for each day of the violation. 
‘‘(e) CONSIDERATION FOR PROJECT GRANTS.—The 
Secretary shall give consideration to the role an airport 
plays in disaster relief when determining whether to pro-
vide a grant for the airport under this subchapter. 
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‘‘(f) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS.—This section 
shall apply notwithstanding any other law, rule, regula-
tion, or agreement.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap-
ter 471 of such title is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 47144 the following: 
‘‘47145. Disaster relief airports.’’. 
SEC. 6. AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT RELATING TO DISASTER 
RELIEF. 
Section 47102(3) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(P) planning, acquiring, or constructing 
facilities at an airport designated as a disaster 
relief airport under section 47145, including— 
‘‘(i) planning for disaster prepared-
ness associated with maintaining airport 
operations during a natural disaster; 
‘‘(ii) acquiring airport communication 
equipment and fixed emergency generators 
that are not able to be acquired by pro-
grams funded under the Department of 
Homeland Security; and 
‘‘(iii) constructing, expanding, and im-
proving airfield infrastructure to include 
aprons and terminal buildings the Sec-
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retary determines will facilitate disaster re-
sponse at the airport.’’. 
SEC. 7. INCLUSION OF COVERED AIRCRAFT CONSTRUC-
TION IN DEFINITION OF AERONAUTICAL AC-
TIVITY FOR PURPOSES OF AIRPORT IM-
PROVEMENT GRANTS. 
Section 47107 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(u) 
CONSTRUCTION
OF
RECREATIONAL
AIR-
CRAFT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The construction of a cov-
ered aircraft shall be treated as an aeronautical ac-
tivity for purposes of— 
‘‘(A) determining an airport’s compliance 
with a grant assurance made under this section 
or any other provision of law; and 
‘‘(B) the receipt of Federal financial assist-
ance for airport development. 
‘‘(2) COVERED
AIRCRAFT
DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘covered aircraft’ means an air-
craft— 
‘‘(A) used or intended to be used exclu-
sively for recreational purposes; and 
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‘‘(B) constructed or under construction, re-
pair, or restoration by a private individual at a 
general aviation airport.’’. 
Æ 
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