NBAA Works With Washington State Aviation Caucus on 2016 Priorities

Feb. 5, 2016

Setting the stage for its work in 2016, the Washington State Legislative Aviation Caucus held its first meeting at the Capitol in Olympia at a Jan. 28 breakfast sponsored by NBAA.

Caucus members received an NBAA white paper that stressed the significant economic and employment contribution general aviation makes to Washington. The document also addressed congressional proposals to privatize air traffic control and fund it with user fees, which would place general aviation at risk.

The white paper also included a Business Aviation Insider member profile of Pullman, WA-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, headquartered in Pullman, WA. Read a profile of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.

“Sen. Jim Honeyford, co-chairman of the caucus, specifically thanked NBAA for its continued support and participation in the caucus meetings, and its efforts on behalf of aviation,” said Kristi Ivey, NBAA’s Northwest regional representative.

Established in 2013, “the caucus is valuable in that it provides a tool that educates the group’s members on aviation legislation, helps promote legislation and stays informed about the needs and benefits of aviation to the state of Washington,” said Honeyford, adding that the caucus now includes 23 legislators. “We are working on a formal mission statement, but as founder of the caucus, my goal was to have a caucus that promotes and represents aviation in Washington.”

Dave Stauffer, chief operating officer of NBAA-member Soloy Aviation Solutions, headquartered in Olympia, interacted with caucus members face-to-face. “This was my introduction to the elected officials on legislative aviation caucus, and it was an opportunity to represent business aviation and get a view of general aviation from their perspective,” said Stauffer.

Joining Stauffer was Alan Burnett, government affairs liaison for the Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association (PNBAA), which will sponsor a breakfast meeting on March 10. PNBAA and NBAA are members of the Washington State Aviation Alliance of aviation organizations, which regularly attend caucus meetings.