AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2014 - 30

AOPA ACTION

ELECTION 2014

SEN. JIM INHOFE
(R-OKLAHOMA)
As an AOPA member since
1963 and a CFI with more
than 11,000 hours, Sen. Jim
Inhofe knows what it takes
to protect the freedom to fly. He even credits
general aviation for his 1994 election win, saying flying gave him the speed and flexibility to "be
everywhere" during the tough campaign.
Inhofe is a member of the Senate GA Caucus
and introduced the bipartisan Pilot's Bill of Rights
in 2011. In June 2014, he announced plans to
build on his earlier success with a second pilot's
Bill of Rights that will include third class medical reform and protect GA pilots from Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) searches without
probable cause. He has worked with AOPA to put
an end to those stops and searches, repeatedly
opposed user fees, and co-sponsored legislation,
including the Small Airplane Revitalization Act,
which was signed into law in November 2013 and
sets a deadline for streamlining the aircraft certification process.

SEN. MARK BEGICH
(D-ALASKA)
No state is more dependent
on GA than Alaska, and Sen.
Mark Begich has made protecting and promoting GA a
priority during his first term in office. He helped
launch and co-chairs the Senate General Aviation
Caucus. This year, Begich has been at the helm of
two important pieces of legislation affecting pilots.
He was one of four lead co-sponsors on a bill to
stop the FAA from requiring sleep apnea testing
for thousands of pilots and was an early co-sponsor of the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act
designed to allow thousands of pilots to fly without requiring a third class medical certificate.
He sent a letter to the FAA demanding that the
agency stop dragging its feet on third class medical reform, and he has consistently opposed user
fees. Begich also acted as the lead Democratic cosponsor for the Pilot's Bill of Rights that passed in
2012 and sits at the intersection of several powerful committees affecting AOPA's advocacy
efforts, including the Senate aviation subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation; the Senate Appropriations
Committee; and the Senate Committee on
Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

REP. SAM GRAVES
(R-MISSOURI)
Growing up across from Gould
Peterson Municipal Airport
in Tarkio, Missouri, Rep. Sam
Graves has had a passion for
general aviation for as long as he can remember.
Now in his seventh term in Congress, Graves serves
on the House aviation subcommittee and co-chairs
the House General Aviation Caucus-one of the
largest bipartisan caucuses in Congress with 248
members. As an AOPA member and a multiengineand instrument-rated commercial pilot with more
than 3,000 flight hours, Graves has been called
the "face of general aviation in Congress." Whether
it's reforming the third class medical process
as a lead sponsor of the General Aviation Pilot
Protection Act, or confronting the Department
of Homeland Security regarding zero-suspicion
stops and searches of GA aircraft, Graves looks
out for GA. Every time the administration suggests imposing user fees, Graves fights back. In
fact, last year he gathered signatures from more
than 200 members of Congress on a letter to the
President opposing user fees. As a result of his
leadership, Graves was the 2011 recipient of the
AOPA Joseph B. "Doc" Hartranft Jr. Award-one
of the association's two highest honors.

REP. JOHN BARROW
(D-GEORGIA)
Rep. John Barrow, an AOPA
member since 2006, is the
Democratic co-chair of the
House General Aviation
Caucus and a dependable opponent of user
fees, which he says would amount to giving the
FAA a blank check. Barrow co-sponsored bills
to reform the third class medical certificate
and prevent the FAA from unilaterally requiring thousands of pilots to undergo sleep apnea
testing. He also co-sponsored the Small Aircraft
Revitalization Act of 2013, which sets a deadline for streamlining aircraft certification. He is
a member of the powerful House Energy and
Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction
over environmental issues such as aviation gasoline emissions. For his work, Barrow is the
most recent recipient of the AOPA Joseph B.
"Doc" Hartranft Jr. Award.

REP. TODD ROKITA
(R-INDIANA)
While serving only his second term in Congress, Rep.
Todd Rokita is already making
a splash as a strong advocate
for general aviation. Like most AOPA members,
Rokita was frustrated with the FAA's failure to
respond to the AOPA-EAA third class medical
petition. Working with AOPA and the GA community, Rokita introduced the General Aviation Pilot
Protection Act to allow thousands more pilots
to fly without the need for a third class medical
certificate. The bill has gathered strong bipartisan support and led the FAA to announce that it
will issue a rulemaking. Rokita is a member of the
House GA Caucus and serves on the House Budget
Committee, where he is quick to oppose user fees
on general aviation. He has also stood firm against
the President's plan to alter the depreciation
schedule for noncommercial aircraft.
Rokita began flying in a Cessna 152 when he
was just 17. Today, he volunteers with Veterans
Airlift Command, providing free air transportation to wounded soldiers.

REP. DAN LIPINSKI
(D-ILLINOIS)
As one of the more senior
Democratic members of the
House aviation subcommittee, Rep. Dan Lipinski was
a lead co-sponsor of a bill to prevent the FAA
from unilaterally requiring thousands of pilots to
undergo sleep apnea testing and a co-sponsor of
the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act to allow
more pilots to fly without a third class medical certificate. In the past year, Lipinski has worked with
AOPA to protect the civil liberties of pilots and
put an end to the stops and searches of GA aircraft without probable cause. Lipinski asked the
Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee
to include language about CBP law enforcement
actions in the Department of Homeland Security
spending bill for fiscal year 2015. His request was
incorporated and the bill was approved by the
House Appropriations Committee. Lipinski was
also the lead Democratic co-sponsor on the Pilot's
Bill of Rights, designed to give aviators more protection and access to information during FAA
enforcement actions.

30 | AOPA PILOT October 2014
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2014
