aeronautical repair stations and similar avia- tion businesses and roughly 1,500 aero- space manufacturers. The legislation also includes $15 billion
for air carriers and $8 billion for airports, with $100 million specifically for general aviation airports. Other notable items in President Biden’s relief plan include a new grant program for small-business owners in addition to the PPP. Throughout the legisla- tive process, HAI worked with committees of jurisdiction to ensure the rotorcraft industry received adequate financial sup- port in the relief package. Now that Congress has wrapped up this latest relief package, lawmakers will next turn to appropriations work as well as a potential infrastructure package. These leg- islative vehicles provide opportunities for HAI to pursue important priorities for the vertical flight industry. As the industry moves forward with advanced air mobility, congressional policy discussions involving vertiports, urban planning, intermodal trans- portation, and availability of power for elec- trical charging take on increased importance and ramifications. HAI contin- ues to engage with the committees of jurisdiction on these issues.
Safety Policy
Of course, no edition of “Advocating for You” would be complete without recogniz- ing the importance of safety and how the rotorcraft industry can work toward improv- ing in this area. HAI’s safety team has done impressive work in creating new safety programs and providing new training oppor- tunities and resources to operators and pilots to improve safety in their daily opera- tions. It’s important to educate lawmakers and other policymakers about this work as these discussions will inform the process as Congress looks at various safety initia- tives and potential policy paths.
As the 117th Congress settles in for its
two-year term, state houses across the nation have convened for their compara- tively shorter sessions. Many state legisla- tive sessions will adjourn by April and May. A handful of states, such as Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Wisconsin, meet throughout the year. With adjournment dates set for late spring to early summer, state legislators are on an expedited time frame to finish their legisla- tive work and set state budgets.
State Legislatures The legislative process in the states may seem to occur at lightning speed compared with the slower pace of the federal legisla- tive process. This is an important lesson for our grassroots efforts. Getting to know your state elected officials early and work- ing with them in the run-up to the state legislative session is paramount. Because events move so quickly in the
state legislatures, it’s important to be a part of the dialogue and provide resources and perspective on issues that affect our indus- try. Use the run-up time before the session begins to meet with your state legislators. This is a great opportunity to brief them on issues important to your company, serve as a resource during the short but intense session, and then continue to expand your network and strengthen relationships throughout the year.
The Human Element The new year has brought in a new Congress and new leadership, but the poli- tics remain the same. Is it cynical or pessi- mistic to say that politics is the same, regardless of who’s in power? Well, sure, you could read it that way. You could find lots of websites to support that theory as well. But the human element of politics
hasn’t changed. Yes, the country has new leadership, the Senate changed parties, and politics seem to get more partisan with each passing election. But what hasn’t changed is the human element. Our elected officials are still human, despite how political cartoonists skewer them. Focusing on this human element will
allow us to take our industry in a new direc- tion. It takes a human touch to have an impact. We need to tell our story to our leg- islators, so they know and understand our problems and pinch points. We need to describe how different solutions can remove roadblocks and allow businesses to thrive and grow. The PSP is a good exam- ple of how this human-focused outreach provided more than $179 million in funding for HAI members. We need to be advocates for ourselves and our industry. We belong to a unique industry that does an incredible job of help- ing others through the many types of mis- sions we fly, missions that often could not be accomplished by other means. We do good work for good people, and that’s a good story. Help us to tell that story. As part of our outreach efforts, please consider signing up for HAI Action Alerts (
https://p2a.co/fl36o27) to stay informed of the most important rotorcraft-related gov- ernment developments and to directly engage with your elected officials when certain bills are up for a vote in Congress. Just fill in your name and contact informa- tion, and HAI will notify you when major legislation is up for a vote. With all that’s new this year, let’s com- mit to contact our elected officials and develop new relationships or strengthen existing ones. Don’t know where to start? Reach out to us at
advocacy@rotor.org and let us help. Here’s to a much better year than last.
After 2020, we can only go up. MARCH 2021 ROTOR 13
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