Small Community Air Service Enhancement Act

Bill: 118-s-1438
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2023-05-03
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Latest action: action_date: 2023-05-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-03
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Small Community Air Service Enhancement Act</b></p> <p>This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and revises the Small Community Air Service Development Program, a Department of Transportation (DOT) grant program designed to help small communities address air service and airfare issues.</p> <p>The bill requires DOT to prioritize grants to communities that meet certain requirements, including where the assistance will be used to help restore scheduled passenger air service that has been terminated or significantly reduced. Under the current program, the air service must have been terminated. </p> <p>Further, DOT must solicit grant applications during a fiscal year when DOT has in excess of $5 million available to provide grants in that fiscal year.</p>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1438 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 3, 2023 Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Moran ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To make improvements to the small community air service development program.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Small Community Air Service Enhancement Act . 2. Improvements to the small community air service development program Section 41743 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (c)(5)(E), by striking has been terminated; and inserting the following: “has been— (i) terminated; or (ii) significantly reduced (as measured by enplanements, capacity (seats), schedule, connections, or routes); ; and (2) in subsection (e)— (A) in paragraph (2), in the first sentence, by striking $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2023 inserting $16,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 ; and (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3) Requirement if funding available In any fiscal year in which the amount available to the Secretary to make agreements to provide assistance under this section exceeds $5,000,000, the Secretary shall, subject to the total amount so available, issue an order soliciting grant applications under this section during that fiscal year. .