Rep. Sam Graves believes one of his first and most pressing tasks in the new Congress will be to rebuild the membership of the General Aviation Caucus. 

The elections cost the seats of a number of members of both the House and Senate caucuses, while others retired or switched chambers. The House went down about 30 members from its high of 254, while the Senate lost about seven members from 41.

“My first challenge is getting the numbers back up,” Graves told AIN. At 224, the number of caucus members returning to the House is still safely past the “magic” number necessary for a majority. But Graves knows that numbers will matter in an upcoming FAA reauthorization year that will be complicated by an overarching federal budget, sequestration and taxes debate.

The Republican lawmaker from Missouri, one of GA’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill, has steered the House GA Caucus since 2011 and was a founding member when it formed in 2009. He is the only returning co-chair of the General Aviation Caucuses. The midterm elections cost the seats of the Democratic co-chairs in both the House and Senate, while the Senate Republican co-chair didn’t run for re-election. Graves immediately began to reach across the aisle to seek a successor to his Democrat colleague, Rep. John Barrow (Ga.), another staunch aviation advocate and early member of the caucus. Like Graves, Barrow had stepped into the co-chair position in 2011.

Graves says he has been discussing the role with Texas Democrat Marc Veasey. Veasey is just entering his second term in Congress, but immediately joined the general aviation caucus and has signed on to some key GA initiatives, such as the third-class medical exemption. He also represents the Fort Worth area, home to numerous aviation and aerospace companies, and has a strong understanding of the value of the industry to his home state. Joining in the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s jobs rally in Texas last April, Veasey proclaimed that as a member of the caucus, he was “proud to be a part of this event to celebrate, promote and protect general aviation and its economic impact to the state of Texas.” He added that general aviation was responsible for billions in economic impact and some 50,000 jobs.

In the Senate, the new leadership will take shape as the caucuses reform in the new Congress. Senate Republican co-chair Mike Johanns (Neb.) began fielding possibilities for a successor to his caucus seat shortly after announcing his retirement. The search broadened in recent weeks to include a successor for Senate Democrat co-chair Mark Begich (Alaska), after Begich lost a hard-fought battle for his seat.

While Graves and Barrow were second-generation caucus co-chairs, Johanns and Begich were the founding co-chairs, establishing the Senate caucus in September 2009.

Although the base for the caucuses is down after the elections, they are starting with a strong foundation. After the 2012 midterms, the House lost 32 caucus members from what was then 190 members. In the subsequent two years, the caucus not only replenished but grew into one of the largest on Capitol Hill. 

As the House caucus has experienced steady growth since its founding, the Senate caucus has remained stable over the last several years. At the end of 2012, the Senate caucus was poised to lose three of its 39 members. The Senate regained the numbers and added two more. 

The number of Senate caucus members lost in the most recent election was greater than in 2012, but a number of the incoming senators have ties to general aviation, including former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R), who is an AOPA member, and Rep. Tom Cotton (D-Ark.), who although not a caucus member has supported general aviation initiatives. Others moving to the Senate include House GA caucus members Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.).

Industry-Lawmaker Partnership

General and business aviation groups are encouraged by the stage set for the caucuses in the new Congress. “Sen. Johanns has talked to several senators,” said Dick Doubrava, vice president of government affairs for NBAA. “They have a pretty good list to start out with in the new Congress.”

The co-chairmen have worked closely with the aviation associations to drive up the numbers, making the caucuses stronger forces in controversial issues and active advocates.

For Graves, reaching new members is a matter of education. “We go out and explain why general aviation is important to every member of Congress,” Graves said, adding that while the lawmakers might not be involved in aviation they are educated about the contribution the industry provides to their state.

This concerted education effort is taking root. Lawmakers are better informed about the industry than they were even a few years ago, Graves said. But, he cautioned, “We can never let our guard down.”

The caucuses formed as the industry was in the throes of a public-relations nightmare. The visit of the flailing Detroit automakers to Washington aboard their business jets in November 2008 had put a bulls-eye squarely on business aviation. Politicians, both in the administration and on Capitol Hill, used that as an opportunity to malign the use of corporate aircraft–all while the industry was in a steep economic dive.

GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce told the annual media kickoff breakfast during the most recent NBAA Convention that “People just assumed there must be no good reason for using business aviation.” 

This led business aviation advocates to redouble their efforts, including the relaunch of the “No Plane, No Gain” initiative, and to work with Congress on the founding of the caucuses. The results have been tangible, underscored by the numbers in the caucuses. “The real measure is not how hard you’re working, but the results you’re getting,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen during the kickoff breakfast. “We’ve made great strides to date.”

Graves stressed the need to continue a close collaboration with industry. “We have a good core group of industry groups. That’s important,” he said. 

2015 Legislative Agenda

Paul Feldman, vice president of government affairs for GAMA, said Graves will “provide both great leadership and continuity to the caucus in the 114th Congress.” That leadership will be necessary, Feldman notes, because 2015 is “shaping up to be a busy” year for the caucus. The aviation community in Washington has already turned its attention to FAA reauthorization with the agency’s current authorization set to expire September 30. “This will no doubt be a focus for much of 2015,” Feldman said.

With reauthorization comes talk of FAA reform and privatization. Lawmakers and some industry groups are pushing for “transformational” change, which general aviation advocates fear can open the door to fresh user-fee proposals. “We’re always going to be concerned about user-fee proposals,” Graves said, adding that “It’s a constant battle.”

Elevating that concern is the possibility that the FAA reauthorization debate could become ensnared in a larger federal debate surrounding the budget, taxes and sequestration, which is set to ramp up again beginning in 2016. Many groups already point to the threat of sequestration as justification to rethink FAA funding.

The caucus in the past has remained vocal about issues such as user fees, coordinating letter-writing campaigns in opposition, as well as working with other members of Congress on the issue. But aside from the funding, Graves expects the caucus to tackle several other issues, such as Sen. James Inhofe’s (R-Okla.) Pilots Bill of Rights II and the accompanying third-class medical exemption.

Certification issues also are at the top of the list, with the FAA facing a December 2015 deadline to implement Part 23 reform. “We look forward to working with caucus members to ensure that the FAA is able to make progress on meeting that deadline,” Feldman noted.

The caucuses played an important role in backing the Small Airplane Revitalization Act, helping get that passed in a year when few stand-alone bills were adopted in Congress.

“There are a lot of different issues outstanding that are important to general aviation,” Graves said. “It’s important we stay active.”