Congress Passes Legislation to Accelerate Safe AAM Integration [Assuring Autonomy blog]

Advanced Air Mobility?(AAM), which captures?Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Regional Air Mobility (RAM),?is?an?already proven form?of?sustainable?transportation?technology?that helps?high-paying jobs, reduces?vehicle?traffic?on our nation’s roadways,?and?connects?rural and urban?areas?throughout the country.?This week, the U.S.?House of Representatives?passed two?critical and?forward-looking?pieces of legislation?with broad bipartisan support.?AUVSI?is?proud to support?both bills.?

The Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization (AAIM) Act

On Monday, the U.S. House?of Representatives?passed?H.R. 6270, the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization (AAIM) Act, which will?help state, local, and tribal governments prepare for AAM operations. The bill?establishes?a pilot program?to?invest $25 million in comprehensive planning grants for the development and deployment of AAM vertiports and related infrastructure.?The?Senate companion version?passed last month out of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation?Committee.?AUVSI looks forward to seeing?H.R. 6270, which was?pre-negotiated?with the Senate, pass the?full Senate and be signed into law by President Biden?soon.

AUVSI?thanks?the?sponsors?of?H.R. 6270:?Aviation Subcommittee Chair?Rick Larsen?[D-WA-2],?Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member and Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus Co-Chair?Garret Graves?[R-LA-6], and?Aviation Subcommittee Member and Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus Co-Chair?Dina?Titus?[D-NV-1].?We also thank the sponsors of the Senate version of the AAIM Act, S. 4246:?Sens. Alex Padilla [D-CA] and?Jerry Moran [R-KS], in addition to?all Members of Congress who cosponsored?both bills?and had a hand in?their?passage.

The Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act

On Tuesday, the House also passed?S. 516, the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act, which instructs the U.S. Department of Transportation to create an AAM interagency working group to “evaluate, plan, and coordinate efforts regarding the safety, infrastructure, and security of the developing AAM ecosystem in the United States.”?The bill, which previously passed by unanimous voice vote in the U.S.?Senate,?now heads to the President to be signed into law, which we expect to happen soon.

U.S. Aviation Innovation Leadership

The AAM?industry is rapidly growing?into a?safe, efficient, and?sustainable?user of our National Airspace System (NAS). AAM technologies and aircraft?can carry?larger payloads, including?people?and cargo,?with varying levels of autonomy.?To ensure the U.S. remains a leader in aviation innovation,?we?must embrace new technologies and?support?new rules?and necessary?funding?necessary?to facilitate their operations.?Legislative and regulatory changes are necessary to facilitate their scaled integration.

H.R. 6270 and S. 516 will ensure stakeholders and regulators at both the federal and local levels are prepared to safely integrate AAM into the airspace and therefore reap the benefits this technology is poised to bring to communities?around the country.?AUVSI?members?are laying the foundation for this industry’s future, and?we?will continue to?advocate for?commonsense changes to?regulatory frameworks that?allow safe and scalable AAM operations.

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Max Rosen is Manager of Government Affairs at AUVSI.