The California Assembly overwhelmingly passed legislation Aug. 31 that would impose a moratorium on costly new flight training regulations in the state.
Assembly Bill 1889 would delay the controversial flight school regulations from the California Private Postsecondary Act of 2009 until July 1, 2011, to allow time for the legislature and aviation industry to review the issue and consider alternatives. The Senate had already adopted the bill, which now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“This is a major hurdle in resolving an issue that could have serious unintended consequences for the flight training industry,” said AOPA Vice President of State and Local Advocacy Greg Pecoraro. “AOPA will continue working to obtain a final positive resolution.”
The governor has not yet given an indication of whether he will sign the legislation; concerns in his administration over issues unrelated to flight training could affect whether he decides to sign the bill.
Throughout the process, AOPA has called on members in the districts of lawmakers on key committees to contact their assemblymen and senators in support of the bills, and AOPA members’ responses have played an important role in moving the bill forward. Pecoraro urges members to stay tuned for Action Alerts from the association, but is not yet calling on members to contact the governor, as AOPA will first meet with his staff to discuss the bill.
