AIRPORT REGULATORY RELIEF ACT OF 2025

AIRPORT REGULATORY RELIEF ACT OF 2025

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2658-H2659] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AIRPORT REGULATORY RELIEF ACT OF 2025 Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6427) to amend title 49, United States Code, to permit the use of State highway standards for airfield pavement construction and improvement under certain circumstances, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 6427 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Airport Regulatory Relief Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. USE OF STATE HIGHWAY STANDARDS. Section 47114(d)(4) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: ``(4) Use of state highway specifications.-- ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall use the highway specifications of a State for airfield pavement construction and improvement using funds made available under this subsection or subsection (c)(1)(D) at nonprimary airports serving aircraft that do not exceed 60,000 pounds gross weight if-- ``(i) such State provides notice to the Secretary that nonprimary airports in the State intend to use such highway specifications; and ``(ii) the Secretary determines that such specifications will not negatively affect safety. ``(B) Deadline.--The Secretary shall make a determination described in subparagraph (A)(ii) not later than 6 months after a State provides notice to the Secretary under subparagraph (A)(i). ``(C) Extension.--If the Secretary determines that the time provided under subparagraph (B) is insufficient to make a determination, the Secretary may extend the determination period by 6 months, so long as the Secretary-- ``(i) notifies the State that provided notice pursuant to subparagraph (A)(i) of the extension; and ``(ii) provides justification for the extension to such State. ``(D) Additional extensions.--The Secretary may authorize additional extensions under subparagraph (C).''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio. General Leave Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 6427. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio? There was no objection. Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 6427, the Airport Regulatory Relief Act of 2025, is a commonsense piece of legislation that reduces the burden on States seeking to use State highway specifications for airfield projects at nonprimary airports serving smaller aircraft. Our Nation's small and general aviation airports are vital links for rural communities, connecting them to essential services, supporting local jobs, and strengthening the national aviation system. Under current law, States seeking to use State highway pavement standards for airfield projects must formally request approval from the Secretary of Transportation. This legislation cuts unnecessary red tape by allowing States to notify the Secretary, rather than navigate a lengthy approval process. At the same time, the bill preserves safety by maintaining the requirement that the Secretary determine that such standards will not negatively affect aviation safety. By streamlining the process while upholding safety, this legislation will help deliver airfield improvements faster and more efficiently to the communities that need them most. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Begich for his leadership on this issue. I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6427, the Airport Regulatory Relief Act, as amended, introduced by my colleague from Alaska, Representative Begich. Current law provides small, general aviation nonprimary airports flexibility in how they construct runways by granting them the choice of using either Federal aviation paving standards or State highway paving standards. These options come with stipulations that the runways only service small planes, A, and, B, the DOT determines that it would not decrease aviation safety. Unfortunately, local and rural airports are having trouble with the time it takes the DOT to make these determinations. H.R. 6427 would allow small airports to be more agile in their project planning by changing the requirement for States to formally request permission from the Department of Transportation in order to use State highway specifications. By allowing States to simply notify the Department of Transportation of their intention to use the State highway specifications rather than formally request permission, critical airfield pavement construction projects will no longer be subject to lengthy and bureaucratic delays. For oversight, the bill maintains the requirement that the Department of Transportation make a determination on whether the use of such State highway standards would negatively affect aviation safety. If more time is needed to conduct the safety review, the DOT may take successive 6-month extensions, so long as the DOT also notifies the airport and provides such airport with justification. This deadline and extension process will help increase transparency for airport applicants, who will now be more regularly updated, and ensure accountability by requiring justification to come from the Department of Transportation. [[Page H2659]] Madam Speaker, I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich), who is the author of this legislation. Mr. BEGICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6427, the Airport Regulatory Relief Act of 2025, a bill I introduced to cut unnecessary Federal red tape and deliver real cost savings to America's small, rural airports, especially those across my home State of Alaska. For Alaska, maintaining our small airports is essential to keeping people, goods, and services moving, ensuring that supplies can reach even the most remote communities, and preserving access to lifesaving medical care, reliable mail service, and economic opportunity. For years, the FAA has required even our smallest nonprimary airports, those serving aircraft under 60,000 pounds gross weight, to follow the same costly, one-size-fits-all Federal pavement standards written for the Nation's largest international hubs. These rigid mandates and bureaucratic approval processes drive up construction costs, create lengthy delays, and stall critical runway repairs. H.R. 6427 fixes exactly that problem. It allows States to use their own proven highway construction standards for airfield pavement projects at these nonprimary airports. The process is simple and safe: The State simply notifies the Secretary of its intent, and the FAA must determine that the specifications will not negatively affect safety in any way. There is no new Federal spending and no lowering of standards, just commonsense flexibility that gets work done faster and cheaper for the airports that need it most. This legislation has strong bipartisan support because it helps rural airports in every corner of the country without ever compromising the safety of the traveling public. Madam Speaker, in Alaska, our airports are lifelines. Passing H.R. 6427 will empower States and local communities to maintain those lifelines more efficiently and affordably. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense measure. Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, our local and rural airports are the backbone of general aviation in the United States, and they need Congress' help to remain cost competitive. This is a commonsense piece of legislation that removes the Federal Government. This is not a situation where the Federal Government knows what is best. Many States have been doing this much longer than the Federal Government. My State of Alabama is not often thought of as one in the lens of aviation history, but the Wright brothers, whom we have spoken about today at length, were from Ohio and flew in North Carolina. When it came time to open their first civilian flight school, a little-known fact is that they opened it in Montgomery County, Alabama, which I now have the privilege of representing. They did that in 1910. The FAA wasn't founded until 1958, so the State of Alabama has been dealing with how to land aircraft on small airfields for nearly 50 years before the Federal Government was. They know how to get the job done, and this bill allows them to do just that. Madam Speaker, that is why I support H.R. 6427, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, nonprimary airports play a vital role in connecting rural and underserved communities like mine to essential services, sustaining local jobs, and enabling emergency response capabilities. Cutting red tape helps reduce project delays, lower construction costs, and gives communities faster access to modern, safe airfield infrastructure, allowing limited dollars to stretch further and deliver greater value to passengers and local economies. This commonsense measure reduces the burden on smaller airports seeking to use State highway pavement standards for airfi

Referenced legislation: HR6427, HR6427