Iowa House cuts aviation funding a dramatic 75 percent

The Iowa House of Representatives late Wednesday night refused to fully fund aviation spending. Despite strong representations by AOPA and Iowa pilots, lawmakers provided only $500,000 for the state's aviation programs. Now it's up to the Iowa Senate to put the money back into aviation. AOPA encourages members in Iowa to contact their state senators and urge them to restore aviation funding to historical levels. Fully funded, Iowa's aviation program would cost $2.2 million.

AOPA Vice President of Regional Affairs Bill Dunn decried the action in the House, calling the appropriation paltry. Pointing out the federal matching dollars available through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), he said, "Now more than ever, this is critical because federal legislation has substantially increased funding that is available to airports, including Iowa airports."

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