PRINTER'S NO. 1501
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
261
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY FOLMER, ARGALL, SCAVELLO, YAW, BROWNE, WAGNER,
WARD, SABATINA AND AUMENT, JANUARY 13, 2016
REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, JANUARY 13, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to support a Passenger
Facility Charges (PFC) increase for commercial airports
controlled by public agencies.
WHEREAS, In 2010, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's public
use airports supported approximately 304,400 jobs, generated
$9.2 billion in annual payroll and produced $23.6 billion in
annual economic activities; and
WHEREAS, In 1990, the Congress of the United States
authorized Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs), local user fees
collected for every boarded passenger, to help airports of all
sizes meet their capital needs to finance Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) approved projects such as terminals,
parking and multimodal projects that enhance safety, security,
capacity, noise reduction or increase air carrier competition;
and
WHEREAS, PFCs are locally determined fees collected at the
point of sale, which do not affect Federal expenditures; and
WHEREAS, The PFC cap was last raised in 2000 when Congress
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set it at $4.50; and
WHEREAS, Inflation has eroded the buying power of PFCs by
approximately one-half since then due to rising construction
costs; and
WHEREAS, There is a growing recognition of the need for
infrastructure finance and funding to keep pace with inflation
and action for doing so such as the act of November 25, 2013
(P.L.974, No.89) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Modernizing the PFC cap to $8.50 now and indexing it
for inflation would restore its original purchasing power and
provide local communities with the ability to set their
individual PFC user fees based on locally determined needs for
ensuring the safety and security of their airports; and
WHEREAS, Over the next five years, airports will require more
than $75 billion to improve infrastructure to prevent passenger
delays and congestion; and
WHEREAS, Direct Federal funding through the FAA Airport
Improvement Program has declined 10% over the past six years and
covers only a fraction of the total infrastructure projects
required to upgrade and maintain the world-class aviation
system; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge the Congress of the United States to modernize the Federal
cap on the locally set PFC user fee by setting it at $8.50 and
adjusting it periodically to offset the impacts of inflation;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution to be sent to the
President of the United States, the presiding officers of each
house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania.
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