NBAA Welcomes Graves as New House GA Caucus Chair

Contacts: Dan Hubbard, (202) 783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Patrick Dunne, (202) 783-9263, pdunne@nbaa.org

Washington, DC, November 15, 2010 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today welcomed the announcement that U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-6-MO) will serve as co-chair of the House General Aviation (GA) Caucus when the 112th Congress convenes in January 2011.

“We are pleased that Congressman Graves has agreed to serve as co-chairman of the House General Aviation Caucus in the new Congress,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “He has been a tireless advocate on behalf of general aviation during his service in the House of Representatives. As a pilot and a representative for a congressional district with rural areas that rely on general aviation, he will continue to bring a real-world perspective to his work in the caucus.”

Graves will replace retiring Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-3-MI), who helped form the House GA Caucus and served as its co-chairman. Ehlers announced that he would be succeeded by Graves in co-chairing the GA Caucus during the AOPA Aviation Summit, held last week by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in Long Beach, CA.

Graves was re-elected to a sixth term in the national elections held earlier this month. He serves on the House Aviation Subcommittee and is expected to serve as chairman of the House Committee on Small Business in the next Congress.

Graves’s Democratic counterpart on the GA Caucus is expected to be named in the near future; the position is currently held by Rep. Alan Boyd (D-2-FL), who will not be returning in the new Congress.

The House GA Caucus has over 120 members, making it among the largest caucuses in the House of Representatives. Lawmakers in the House and Senate formed GA Caucuses in 2009, to inform members and staff about the importance of GA to the nation’s economy and transportation system.

It is expected that the Senate General Aviation Caucus will continue to be led by Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Mike Johanns (R-NE) in the new Congress. There are currently 31 members of the Senate GA Caucus. To see a current state-by-state listing of Senate/House GA Caucus members, visit www.nbaa.org/advocacy/ga-caucus.

Graves has twice been featured in NBAA’s bimonthly Member publication, Business Aviation Insider.

# # #

Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.

Members of the media may receive NBAA Press Releases immediately via e-mail. To subscribe to the NBAA Press Release e-mail list, submit the online form at www.nbaa.org/news/pr/subscribe.