I’ve often said that pilots will need to become even more active in the future in protecting their flying privileges from the increasing number of threats. Here’s an opportunity for you to help do that. If you live in California, your help is urgently needed to contact your legislators on July 1 and July 2 before their recess. Please ask them to vote for AB 1140(amended), which has completely erased its original wording and now includes a single purpose:
"This bill would prohibit the bureau, for the period July 1, 2010, to December 31, 2011, inclusive, from enforcing the act against institutions that offer flight instruction or institutions that offer Federal Aviation Administration certified educational programs in aircraft maintenance.
The bill would also require the Legislature to hold public informational hearings for the purpose of reviewing the appropriateness of regulating educational programs in flight instruction and aircraft maintenance under the act."
If you've already contacted your legislators regarding AB 48 and perhaps AB 1889, thank you. However...
we still need your help, so please contact them again requesting them to support AB 1140. Please forward this information to other California pilots. We need the help of all California pilots TODAY in generating letters, faxes and emails regarding AB 1140.
Background
California AB 48 levied large state fees, increasing costs to flight schools and flight instructors and goes into effect in August 2010. This will raise the cost for pilots to get flight instruction, and effectively put many instructors and flight schools out of business. In early June, I emailed you asking you to contact legislators and/or attend a public hearing in Sacramento on June 7. AOPA and dozens of flight schools and flight instructors showed up and testified. However the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) said that they would still be implementing the regulations. Since new bills cannot be introduced until January 2011, efforts by AOPA, NATA and flight schools turned to finding an existing bill that could be amended with provisions delaying the new fees for a year, pending further legislative hearings.
AB 1889 was amended to include language similar to the wording in AB 1140 and it passed the CA Assembly on June 28th. However, some people feel that the Governor might not sign AB 1189, since it includes language that contains a requirement for the state to provide an additional $580,000 to fund the creation of BPPE staff. The Governor has stated he will veto any bill that increases the budget, which this bill does.
AB 1140 is a second, parallel effort. It was originally a health care bill that was "gutted and replaced" so that now it only contains the language above regarding aviation education providers.
Individual letters are more effective than form letters. Please write as little as a few sentences but not more than 1 page of comments telling your personal story and why AB 1140 should be passed. Explain the impact that complying with the new fees will have on you if AB 1140 is not passed. You can also use a sample letter provided by NATA.
If you know a Member or staff aide, say so at the start of your letter and state if you live in the member’s district. Be courteous, constructive, and not negative. Staffs are severely overloaded, so confine your comments to one typewritten page and address only one topic: implementation of AB 1140.
Contact Information
Please contact your California state assemblyman and state senator. To get contact information for your California state assembly and senate representatives, go to http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp and click on “Find My District” in the left column.
Thank you for your help and please forward this information to other California pilots.
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