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SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION!

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canned response

Mike,
Don't feel bad. That's pretty much a pre-canned response with fill-in-the-blank slots for your individual interest/measure/concern (in this case, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act). Doesn't mean he supports or rejects: It's a standard congressional warm-and-fuzzy reply to you. With all the mail they get, this is how they let you know your mail got through.
Having said that, you're right: You don't know where he stands. I think your follow-up gives him even more info to consider, and I don't think it was harsh. If he supports the Act, then you've given him even more info for his staffers to dig into.
 
Looks like these folks have signed on (some VERY recently) as co-sponsors.
Keep sending your emails to your representatives!

Flores, Bill [R-TX17]

Graves, Sam [R-MO6]

Hanna, Richard [R-NY22]

Peterson, Collin [D-MN7]

Pompeo, Mike [R-KS4]

Johnson, Bill [R-OH6]

(joined Dec 12, 2013)

Kinzinger, Adam [R-IL16]

(joined Dec 12, 2013)

Pearce, Stevan ?Steve? [R-NM2]

(joined Dec 12, 2013)

Smith, Lamar [R-TX21]

(joined Dec 12, 2013)

Long, Billy [R-MO7]

(joined Dec 16, 2013)
 
E-mails sent.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sam Graves this past summer while he was visiting up here in Maine. He's very active in the warbird community (he was piloting a TBM for the Texas Flying Legends Museum), building an RV-8, and, oh yeah, he's a congressman too.

He's one of those extraordinary ordinary guys that's trying to make a difference by being sensible and practical...it doesn't surprise me at all that he's involved in this legislation.

Thanks Sam!
 
YellowPeril said:
E-mails sent.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sam Graves this past summer while he was visiting up here in Maine. He's very active in the warbird community (he was piloting a TBM for the Texas Flying Legends Museum), building an RV-8, and, oh yeah, he's a congressman too.

He's one of those extraordinary ordinary guys that's trying to make a difference by being sensible and practical...it doesn't surprise me at all that he's involved in this legislation.

Thanks Sam!
Click to expand...

Is Sam a member or lurker on VAF?
 
He is a very good guy, was introduced to him at OSH. I have a mutual friend who is a very good friend of his whom he consults with on matters related to one of the most dysfunctional agencies in the government. You know, the one that keeps trying to keep us all from flying.
 
Let's keep this thing going!!!

I heard back from my congressman... Might be a canned response BUT I did not supply the HR number when I emailed my congressman!!! I urge everyone to support this... You never know when the man will question your medical fitness! I've been a cpl for over 15 years and am 2 years into an rv-7 build... I just found out that my 3rd class medical & dream build are in the gutter due to a medication I took several years ago....

Well. Here's the response from my congressman. Sound favorable to me. Fingers crossed!!!!


Thank you for contacting me to express your support for H.R. 3578. It is good to hear from you.

I was pleased to support H.R. 3095, which dealt with similar rule making issues under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It is important that all Federal agencies are made to follow a rigorous and thorough rule making process and as such, I fully support H.R. 3578.

Thank you again for contacting me. Together we can make a difference.
Sincerely,

Rob Woodall
Member of Congress
 
Let's keep this thing going!!

Right Daniel. I'm writing letters for my friends too. I get their signature & post it for them to make certain the word is getting out.

Cheers,
 
Co-Sponsor Requests sent..

..to both Colorado Senators. I haven't seen either of them listed in support of this bill, although we have one representative who is supporting it. Come on Colorado! Email makes it easy to make the effort.
 
I just made a phone call to my Representative, Congressman Mike Rogers. Spoke to the call taker and he informed me that he (the call taker) was not familiar with the Bill, but has gotten a several calls about it in the past few days, so please take the time to call your Representative and urge him or her to support this legislation. It took me less than two minutes.
 
8th District of Indiana Reponse

February 7, 2014
Dear Mr. Schnarr,
Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 3708, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013. As your Congressman, it is beneficial for me to hear your thoughts on this important issue.
H.R. 3708, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013, was introduced by Representative Todd Rokita (R-IN) on December 11, 2013. If enacted, this legislation would direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to loosen medical restrictions required to operate small aircraft. H.R. 3708 has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where it is pending further review. As a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I understand the importance of general aviation as it relates to the transportation of goods and people as well as economic activity in our local communities. Please be assured I will keep your thoughts in mind as I gather all pertinent information concerning this legislation.
It was good to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact me any time you have an issue of concern before Congress. I encourage you to visit my website at bucshon.house.gov to sign up for my e-newsletter to receive updates from Washington. Also, please take time to fill out my survey at bucshon.house.gov/survey regarding important issues before Congress. It is an honor to serve you and the people of the 8th District of Indiana.

Sincerely,

Larry Bucshon
Member of Congress
 
John Carter Response - Williamson County TX

Dear Mr. Reiley:

Thank you for contacting me. It is good to hear from you and I am pleased to respond.

As a proud Member of the Congressional General Aviation Caucus, I share your concern about the importance of GA to the nation's economy and transportation system. General aviation creates jobs, provides a transportation lifeline to communities across the country, helps businesses succeed, and supports people and communities in times of crisis.

The General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013, H.R. 3708 eliminates a duplicative medical certification regulation that drives up costs for pilots and prevents the general aviation industry from fulfilling its economic potential. The General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013 has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Please rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind should this or similar legislation come to a vote on the House Floor.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Please feel free to visit my website (www.house.gov/carter) or contact me with any future concerns.

Sincerely,

John Carter

Member of Congress

JC/mh
 
response

"Dear Mr. Larson,
*
************** Thank you for your letter regarding H.R. 3708, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act. I appreciate hearing from you.
*
************** H.R. 3708 directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue regulations with respect to the medical certification of certain small aircraft pilots. This bill has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which I am not a member. Be assured that I will have your comments in mind as this legislation progresses through the House.*"

Hmmmm. Sounds like we need some muscle on the committee.
 
From the 'been there; done that' gallery:

A surprisingly small number of *active* people lobbying for a bill can make a huge difference. Several years ago, I saw an unneeded project that would have cost over 1/2 Billion $ get killed by around 300 *active* citizens in my county.

I also saw a bill that spent money on cancer research get another sponsor (and get passed) when a few hundred citizens in my state phoned & faxed our congressman in support.

We did learn a few things along the way. Here are some thoughts from someone who's been active in the past:
Notes from my prior experience in contacting legislators:

It's most effective to both call and to FAX your representative. Since the anthrax scare, regular mail can take weeks (if ever) to reach your representative. Emails may or may not be effective, depending on staffers in your representative's office.

When you call, ask for the staffer in charge of transportation and/or aviation issues. Try not to settle for the person answering the phone.

Some talking points:

No safety issues, borne out almost a decade of experience with the Sport Pilot rule.

Huge economic benefits, demonstrated by the dozens of new aircraft designs to support Sport Pilot flying.

Further economic benefits to private pilots, who will no longer have to spend hundreds-to-thousands of dollars to navigate the legal minefield of a 3rd class medical.

A chance for our conservative representatives to 'walk the walk', and prove that they really want to help eliminate unwarranted government intrusion into our lives. (I'm in a southern state.)

Absolutely *no* political downside; there will be no increase in taxes, and a large reduction in expenses for the FAA medical division, when they no longer have to process many thousands of 3rd class medicals.

Don't make one call, or send one email, & call it done. Follow up, even if you get a response from your 1st effort. Ask for progress reports. If we do our jobs and the various representatives' staffers are decent, we'll be on a 1st name basis with them before this is done.

FWIW,

Charlie
 
Given that the bill has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (HTIC), the measure will first be considered (discussed and/or modified) and voted on by the HTIC?s subcommittee on aviation. So the first hurdle on the road to successful passage is NOW at the subcommittee level. Below is a link showing all of the members of the HTIC?s subcommittee on aviation:

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/committees/HSPW/05

Members of Congress are most receptive to feedback and requests from their own constituents, i.e., people that live and vote in their districts. So please review the list of aviation subcommittee members and if YOUR representative is on the subcommittee please contact them directly and encourage their support for the measure. It will be especially helpful if constituents contact either the subcommittee chairman, Frank Lobiondo, R-NJ, or the ranking member, Rick Larsen, D-WA. If your representative is not on the subcommittee it may still be beneficial to contact one or more of the subcommittee members. Please be sure to include a contact with the subcommittee chairman and ranking member as noted above. This is how the sausage gets made!!

If the bill makes it out of the subcommittee on aviation it will then be taken up by the full HTIC for further consideration. At that point the advocacy process will begin another round along the same lines as described for the subcommittee above. Below is a link to all of the members of the HTIC for future reference:

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/committees/HSPW
 
Other talking point

Leveraging on what Charlie said in an earlier post another talking point could be the money saved by not processing unnecessary 3rd class paperwork could be directly applied to other funding issues in the FAA budgets that may actually provide a safety impact like Nextgen transportation infrastructure, they always think they don't have enough controllers, and the GPS civil funding. It also may alleviate any need for additional user fees or taxes that they keep wanting to impose.

(By the way does anyone know how to decipher from the FAA budget how much they spend on administering the 3rd class medical operations? It's always nice to let the congressional folks know how much money we're talking about....)

And by gosh there's a provision in the legislation that if we have it all just terribly wrong and pilots and planes start raining out of the sky after 5 years they can review the data and change it back.

Gregg
 
Very positive reply received

Received this reply in response to the letter sent to my Rep.

Thank you for contacting me in support of HR 3708, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act.

As a pilot and member of the Congressional General Aviation Caucus, I understand the importance of the General Aviation industry in America. It is an industry that carries 166 million passengers to over 5,000 communities and exceeds 37 million flight hours each year. General Aviation generates more than $150 billion to the U.S. economy annually while employing nearly 1.3 million workers. It is also one of the few remaining industries to have a trade surplus.

Currently, this bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for further consideration. I am a proud cosponsor of the bill and I look forward to an opportunity to vote in favor of this bill on the house floor. Thank you again for sharing your support for this bill and your support for general aviation.
 
HR 3708 Co-Sponsors

I'm not sure if this is good or bad for this bill... I have not looked up this bill for a bit, I was pleasantly suprised today to see that this bill now has 47 Co-Sponsors... That is 10.8% of the house backing this thing (3 Dems / 44 Reps). The Sleep Apnea / rule making bill only had 33 (5 dems / 28 Reps). I'm sure there are people that know politcs way better than me... Is this a good number of Co-Sponsors? :eek:
 
I hate this. The timing, at least. I'm not willing to wait indefinitely to see if this thing passes or not, and if the FAA decides to act on it or ignore it (as they have other Congressional mandates). I can't just sit here indefinitely not able to fly, and there are zero options locally for LSA flying. So - do I sell the RV-7 wings currently gathering dust in the garage, and get to work on a Champ? Or not? It seems to me the only way to guarantee something happens, is to make sure that it will cost me lots of money and work if/when it does.

In other words... I can do nothing, and nothing will happen. Or, I can commit to LSA, and that will probably guarantee the bill will pass... the FAA will act... and my RV-7 will be gone, and whatever I have to replace it (a Champ, most likely) will be worth next to nothing.

Grr. This sucks. Sorry, just had to vent a little. Maybe I'll just find a place to keep the wings, just in case.
 
This is GREAT news. Even if it doesn't help you or you got screwed by timing, it is still GREAT news for all of aviation.

Dale - if the bill passes and is made law, the FAA has no choice - they must follow the law. I am biting my tongue when I saw that because they just sort of make up rules as they go but hopefully they will follow this.

Now it the time to call, send emails and letters to your employees who are working for you in your state house and Washington to get this passed.

Lets get this passed!
 
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Agreed -- IF it actually happens, it's great news. Just at absolutely the worst time for me personally. Some days you're the leading edge, some days you're the bug.
 
AOPA Call Drive

Apologies for the copy/paste, but got an email from AOPA today that I thought would be of interest. Apparently they're finally kicking off their grassroots campaign.

I have already called my senator and representatives. It was surprisingly easy--I called up, mentioned the bill by number (H.R. 3708 in the house and S. 2103 in the senate), gave a 15-second synopsis of why it's great, and respectfully requested that the boss consider co-sponsoring.

I'm sure that the intern answering the phone just added a tick mark to the summary sheet they make of calls received, but if it helps get the bills on my legislators' radars then it's worth it.

Wall of text follows.

*********************

DEAR [eehite],

I am writing to ask for your support with legislation that could change the future of general aviation.

Bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate that would exempt thousands of general aviation pilots from requiring a third-class medical certificate to fly.

I am asking for your help to show Congress that the general aviation community is behind this legislation and wants to see real change.

In December, AOPA members Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Indiana), a member of the House General Aviation Caucus, and GA Caucus Co-Chair Sam Graves (R-Missouri) introduced the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act or (GAPPA).

Under GAPPA, pilots who make noncommercial VFR flights in aircraft weighing up to 6,000 pounds with no more than six seats would be exempt from the third-class medical certification process. Pilots would be allowed to carry up to five passengers, fly at altitudes below 14,000 feet msl and fly no faster than 250 knots. The legislation would also require the FAA to report on the safety consequences of the new rule after five years.

On March 11, Sen. John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), members of the Senate GA Caucus, introduced identical legislation in the Senate.

I urge you to contact your elected officials in the United States House and Senate and ask them to co-sponsor these bills. By signing on to this legislation, lawmakers will help create the momentum we need to change the outdated third-class medical certification process in ways that will promote safety, keep aviators flying, and save pilots, and the federal government, millions of dollars.

Please contact your Senators and Representative (contact information below) and politely ask them to co-sponsor the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act. A phone call generally creates the fastest results.

[My legislators]

When you call, tell them you are a constituent and that:

You support H.R. 3708 (Rokita) in the House and S. 2103 (Boozman) in the Senate.
These bills expand on the FAA’s successful sport pilot medical standard.
This measure will save pilots and the FAA money and time.
These bills address the number one concern of pilots.
General aviation is a vital part of the nation’s transportation system and we hope our Congressman/Senator will cosponsor.
There are a number of Representatives and Senators that have already signed on as cosponsors to these bills. See a list here. In the event that one of your congressmen is already a cosponsor, we encourage you to write a note of appreciation and thank them for being one of the first to support this critical legislation.

Sincerely,


Mark R. Baker

AOPA President and CEO
 
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There is something about the phrase used by AOPA------"Bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate that would exempt thousands of general aviation pilots from requiring a third-class medical certificate to fly."

I would suggest something more on the line of "Bills have been introduced that would lift a time and financial burden from the backs of thousands of pilots, who only fly for personal reasons, and do not fly for commercial purposes."

Or something like that..........

Seems better to stress the relief of an odious burden, than to say we want to be exempted from a long standing rule.
 
wirejock said:
Done.
I contacted my Representative previously so today I reached out to both Senators.
Click to expand...
Me too. One Rep, two Senators. Included it in my annual letter to Santa as well, it's always good to have a backup.
 
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SAMPLE Text for Your Short e-Mail

Subject: 3rd CLASS Medical - General Aviation Pilots Protection Act - HELP NOW by Contacting Your US Senator and Representative

http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/legislative-affairs/general-aviation-pilot-protection-act.aspx

Contact your US Senator by using the following link (sort it by state):
http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/How_to_contact_senators.htm

Contact your US Representative in the House by using the following link:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

HERE is some SAMPLE TEXT you can use and/or modify in the body of your message via the Senator's or Representative's website. Just copy and paste the message.

EVERY e-Mail MAKES a DIFFERENCE!

------

I am sincerely asking for your SUPPORT of S. 2103 (Boozman) and H.R. 3708 (Rokita) . The General Aviation Pilot Protection Act or (GAPPA).

Under GAPPA, pilots who make noncommercial VFR flights in aircraft weighing up to 6,000 pounds with no more than six seats would be exempt from the third-class medical certification process. Pilots would be allowed to carry up to five passengers, fly at altitudes below 14,000 feet msl and fly no faster than 250 knots. The legislation would also require the FAA to report on the safety consequences of the new rule after five years.

These bills expand on the FAA?s successful sport pilot medical standard.
This measure will save pilots and the FAA a HUGE amount of money and time.
These bills address the number one concern of pilots.

General aviation is a vital part of the nation?s transportation system and I hope you, as my representative in Congress will co-sponsor.

I have noticed as published in the following website, that you may be unaware of this IMPORTANT issue facing pilots in our state.

http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/legislative-affairs/general-aviation-pilot-protection-act.aspx

If you decide NOT to become a co-sponsor, I would like to hear your reasoning.

------

End of Text
 
That is just too easy. Great. I copied the letter, changed a few things and sent it to every one of the elected officials in the state. I opened a spam email account with yahoo so I don't get all the political shinola they will be sending me!
 
Received a reply from DiFi's office------copy and paste below.

Typical political speak, no commitment either way, but at least it shows that the EAA's process linked above is getting the message through.

If you have not yet sent a message, please do so ASAP. Easy thing to do, click http://govt.eaa.org/14781/support-general-aviation-pilot-protection-act/


Dear Mike:

Thank you for writing to express your support for the "General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013." I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

On December 11, 2013, Representative Todd Rokita (R- IN) introduced the "General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013" (H.R. 3708), which would require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to revise regulations to allow small aircraft pilots to fly without medical certification. The proposed change would allow pilots to fly small aircraft if they comply with any medical requirement associated with a valid State driver's license. H.R. 3708 has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

I understand that you support this bill because you believe it will alleviate the high cost of flying small aircraft. Please know that I have made careful note of your comments, and I will be sure to keep them in mind should the Senate consider a companion to H.R. 3708 or related legislation in the future.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841, or visit my website at http://feinstein.senate.gov. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,


Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
 
Last Friday Bruce Landsberg from AOPA spoke at the East Central Ohio Pilots Assn banquet. Without wanting to give us unrealistic expectations he feels that due to several dynamics that it is very possible we could see this happen. He encourages everyone to keep pushing your representatives.
 
There is a line in the above EAA link that shows the number of folks who have signed up-----------currently at 27,400+ and growing larger every time I check.

Send this link to your family and friends too.

And, if you are a member of other online forums-----------I have gotten good feedback from my Jeep forum.
 
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Now 74 cosponsors in the House. 4 Senators on board. If you have a Democrat in your district , give them an extra bump. This needs bipartisan support.
 
Happy to report that my email to my Congressman was answered today with an email telling me that he has signed on to support HR 3708. First time I have ever received a response from a legislator that actually told me what his/her position on the issue is. Refreshing!
 
Back to Reality

Well, back to reality. After getting an actual response from my Congressman discussing the actual issue, I got a response from one of my Senators this morning. He did not have one word to say about this legislation but crowed about his support of the FAA Modernization act of 2012 and the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011 that he proudly supported. Not one word about the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013. Inside the Beltway must be an alternate universe.:rolleyes:
 
E-mailed both senators and my rep about three wks ago. Only response was a form letter from the one senator up for election in Nov. who faces a close race. Speaks volumes where their priorities are. I sure hope this bill makes it into law, I would start building an -8 or -4 the day it gets signed into law.
 
Don't let up on pressuring your Reps & Senators. The FAA final rule will never be as favorable to us as the legislation would be.

Charlie
 
rv7charlie said:
Don't let up on pressuring your Reps & Senators. The FAA final rule will never be as favorable to us as the legislation would be.

Charlie
Click to expand...

Absolutely don't give up the pressure on the congress!! This just means that the FAA will start thinking about looking at how they might consider doing a potential rulemaking process - a good way to delay it for at least several administrations.

This is an attempt to stave of a mandate from congress, and then they won't actually change anything in the long run.
 
Pressure

Ironflight said:
Absolutely don't give up the pressure on the congress!! This just means that the FAA will start thinking about looking at how they might consider doing a potential rulemaking process - a good way to delay it for at least several administrations.

This is an attempt to stave of a mandate from congress, and then they won't actually change anything in the long run.
Click to expand...

Totally agree.
 
FAA - bait and switch

The FAA is running for cover now and a bait and switch. They do not want the rules changed and don't want to lose their power to just change rules when they want. They really do not want a law restricting their "power" like is being proposed.

This is a stall maneuver to hope congress does not follow through with the legislation that they do not support.

Now we need to talk to those people in Washington and our own state capitals that work for us that we need the LAW, not a half assed bait and switch by the FAA. They are not our friends when they try to do this.
 
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