Aviation Investment Act of 1994

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Aviation Investment Act of 1994

Title II: Federal Aviation Act of 1958 Amendments

Title III: Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979

Amendments

Title IV: General Provisions

Title V: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986

Title I: Aviation Investment Act of 1994 - Aviation Investment Act of 1994 - Amends the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982 to declare that it is in the national interest to encourage projects that employ innovative technology that promotes safety, capacity, and efficiency improvements in air transportation.

(Sec. 103) Makes the acquisition or installation by a public-use airport of explosive detection devices and universal access systems an "airport development" activity.

(Sec. 104) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) FY 1994 through 1997 for airport development and airport planning projects; (2) FY 1996 through 1997 for airport improvement projects; and (3) FY 1995 through 1997 for research, engineering and development, and demonstration projects.

(Sec. 107) Authorizes the appropriation of the balance of available funds in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for costs incurred by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in operating the aviation system in a safe and efficient manner.

(Sec. 109) Extends through FY 1997 the requirement that any obligation or expenditure of amounts appropriated from the Trust Fund for navigation services and facilities be expressly authorized by amendment of specified law.

(Sec. 110) Declares that, if the Congress limits the apportionment for airport development and airport planning projects in any fiscal year to less than $1.9 billion, the total apportionment for primary and cargo service airports shall not exceed 44 percent of such amount.

(Sec. 111) Requires not less than five percent (currently, ten percent) of funds for airport development and airport planning to be distributed to reliever airports. Requires not less than 1.5 (currently, 2.5 percent) of such funds to be distributed to: (1) nonprimary commercial service airports; and (2) certain noncommercial service public airports.

Makes permanent the set-aside of airport development and airport planning funds for the development of current and former military airports.

(Sec. 112) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to designate one or more military airports to receive such funds. Requires the Secretary in making such designations to consider only those military airports listed in the reports issued by the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission whose conversion would enhance civil airport and air traffic control system capacity. Authorizes the Secretary to designate military airport set-aside participation to obtain grants to operate and repair airport facilities during the transition to civil operations. Limits participants who receive such funds to $250,000 apiece.

(Sec. 113) Reduces from two to one the minimum number of airports that may benefit from a State's project application for airport development or airport planning projects.

(Sec. 114) Allows as a project cost reimbursable by the U.S. Government airport development and airport planning costs incurred: (1) not more than two years before a project grant agreement was executed; (2) after September 30, 1993; (3) in accordance with an approved airport layout plan and applicable statutory requirements; and (4) after the Secretary's approval.

(Sec. 115) Allows the unlimited use of discretionary funds for terminal development at commercial service airports enplaning no more than .05 percent of the total U.S. enplanements (small airports) annually.

(Sec. 116) Declares that nothing in such Act shall be construed to prohibit the obligation of amounts for airport development and planning projects pursuant to a letter of intent in the same fiscal year as the letter of intent is issued.

(Sec. 117) Extends the State block grant pilot program for airport development and planning through September 30, 1997. Authorizes such program to provide funding for integrated airport system planning. Requires such planning to include at least one primary airport enplanning 0.25 percent or more of the total number of passengers enplanned annually at all commercial services airports.

(Sec. 118) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to State and local governments for land use compatibility planning projects that make the use of land areas around airports compatible with aircraft operations.

(Sec. 119) Authorizes the Administrator of the FAA to contract with the Center for Aviation Research and Education of the National Association of State Aviation Officials for the collection of airport safety data.

(Sec. 120) Revises the term "integrated airport system planning" to include, among other things, the role which airports play in the transportation system in a specific area. Mandates that not less than one percent (currently, one-half of one percent) of airport development and airport planning funds be distributed during each fiscal year to planning agencies for integrated airport system planning. Sets forth certain requirements for the approval of a grant to a planning agency for integrated airport system planning.

(Sec. 121) Authorizes the Secretary, in a manner that advances the overall infrastructure needs of the aviation sector of the nation's economy, to enter into innovative financing agreements that produce a greater amount of investment in airport development per dollar of Federal expenditure than generally prevails in the existing Federal airport improvement program. Authorizes appropriations.

Title II: Federal Aviation Act of 1958 Amendments - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to authorize the Administrator of the FAA to enter into cooperative agreements on a cost-shared basis with Federal and non-Federal entities to promote aviation research, engineering, and development, including the development of prototypes and demonstration models.

(Sec. 202) Authorizes the Administrator of the FAA to provide safety-related training and operational services for foreign aviation authorities with or without reimbursement, if it promotes aviation safety or U.S. aviation interests. Requires reimbursed air travel, to the extent practicable, to be provided on U.S. air carriers.

(Sec. 203) Authorizes the Administrator of the FAA to collect fees for providing the following aviation services outside the United States: any test, authorization, certificate, permit, rating, evaluation, approval, inspection, or review.

(Sec. 204) Revises the mandatory features of a fee proposal the Secretary must find when granting a public agency controlling a commercial service airport the authority to impose a passenger facility fee to finance specific projects. Requires the application for such authority to include adequate justification for each of the specific projects.

Title III: Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979 Amendments - Amends the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979 to revise and make uniform the Federal share of costs for airport noise compatibility projects.

(Sec. 302) Provides for projects to soundproof residential buildings if specified conditions are met.

(Sec. 303) Repeals a certain annual reporting requirement concerning the status of the implementation of collision avoidance systems in the national air traffic control system.

Title IV: General Provisions - Requires compensation received by the United States from the transfer of the San Jacinto Disposal Area to the City of Galveston, Texas, to include compensation to the FAA for costs to replace existing airway facilities on such area.

(Sec. 402) Amends the Aviation Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 to provide certain waiver authority with respect to foreign air carriers.

(Sec. 403) Amends the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970 to repeal a provision requiring local government approval of airport development projects for general aviation airports that are located astride a line separating two counties within a single State.

Title V: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend certain aviation-related taxes and trust fund spending authority.