This story is part of AIN's continuing coverage of the impact of the coronavirus on aviation.
NBAA is encouraging young professionals to become engaged in advocacy to ensure lawmakers understand the need for industry relief as they weigh the next series of Covid-19-related assistance packages.
Speaking during a YoPro Legislative Update webinar on Monday, Christa Lucas, NBAA senior v-p of government affairs, noted that a great number of business and general aviation small businesses have applied for payroll assistance under the $349 billion paycheck protection program included in the sweeping CARES Act adopted late last month, but that program quickly ran out of money. The Senate approved an agreement on another measure to provide an additional $320 billion—up from the original discussions of $250 billion—to that program, and are hopeful that the interim stimulus measure would clear the House this week.
In addition, Lucas said lawmakers are eyeing a further, much more comprehensive relief bill that industry groups are hoping will provide the possibility for relief from excise taxes on jet-A fuel and aviation gasoline. Congress has already temporarily suspended excises taxes for commercial aviation, and NBAA, along with other business and general aviation organizations, has appealed to House and Senate leadership to extend that to private aviation.
“Advocacy is important and it really helped make sure our community was included in [the CARES Act],” Lucas said. “The longer this pandemic ticks on, the more hurt that our community is feeling and the more economic tools they need at their disposal to try to get through this period so that they can actually enter into what all of us are hoping to be a recovery process at some point this fall. ”Lucas added she believed advocacy is critical because "it was lost on" many members of Congress that business and general aviation has been seriously harmed by the Covid-19 crisis.
NBAA has issued a “contact Congress” call to action to its YoPro members to enable that engagement and provide the opportunity to explain the importance of relief to business aviation small businesses.
Also, during the webinar, Scott O'Brien, senior director of government affairs for NBAA, outlined the assistance that was set aside specifically for air carriers, including a similar payroll program. NBAA and NATA appealed to the Treasury Department to ensure the program would not be too onerous for charter operators to access, and the department followed with guidance on April 10 providing the necessary flexibility for on-demand and smaller air carriers to receive payroll support. NBAA noted that those operators began to receive their assistance on Monday.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include Tuesday's Senate passage of the additional paycheck protection program funding.
