At a recent event on Capitol Hill, members of the General Aviation (GA) Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives described their plans for membership growth in the 112th Congress.
According to a report from the National Business Aviation Association, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), co-chair of the House GA Caucus, said Feb. 16 at a gathering of industry leaders and lawmakers that he hopes the caucus will have more members in this session of Congress than in the previous two. “The general aviation caucus is all about ensuring the growth of aviation and preserving aviation in this country,” said Graves. “We have a goal of having 218 members in this caucus.”
Currently, there are 104 members of the House and Senate Caucuses. The House Caucus is co-chaired by Reps. Graves and John Barrow (D-Ga.). On the other side of Capitol Hill, Sens. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) co-chair that chamber’s GA Caucus.
GA caucuses were formed in the House and Senate in 2009 so that lawmakers who support the industry could educate their fellow representatives and Hill staff about the importance of GA to the nation’s economy and transportation system.
“The formation of the caucus demonstrates a recognition in Congress that general aviation plays a critical role in serving citizens and communities in every state,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said.
“Business aviation supports 1.2 million jobs across the country and generates more than $150 billion annually,” said Dick Doubrava, NBAA’s government affairs director. “When you can focus on a particular state or Congressional district, and talk about the airports, jobs and companies that are there because of business aviation, elected officials start to understand the real value of the industry.”
Pilots and aircraft owners can use NBAA’s Contact Congress resource to ask their elected officials to become involved with the GA Caucus and advocate for business aviation.
For a full list of GA Caucus members, click here.
