The number of General Aviation Caucus members in the U.S. House and Senate is approaching all-time highs.
“The good news is that we’ve built the GA Caucus in the House back up to 248 members,” says National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Vice President for Government Affairs Dick Doubrava.
He pointed out that after the mid-term elections last November, the number of caucus members in the House of Representatives stood at 221. Republican Rep. Sam Graves (R-6-MO), who co-chairs the House GA Caucus along with Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey (D-33-TX), has set a goal of 300 members.
In the Senate, the number of GA Caucus members is also on the upswing. Co-chaired by Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Senate GA Caucus membership dipped to 31 after the mid-term elections. That number now stands at 35, according to Doubrava.
“Are we satisfied? No,’ said Doubrava. “We want to continue to build those numbers.’
He encourages pilots to contact their legislators to encourage them to join the GA Caucus.
Now, as congressmen and senators are home for the traditional August recess, Doubrava suggested NBAA members, pilots and aviation enthusiasts, make personal contact with their lawmakers, in addition to communicating with them through the Contact Congress page on the association’s website.
“Explain to them how important general aviation is to your business and to our economy,’ Doubrava suggested. “Visit with them and make your voice heard because there’s no more important time than right now.’