Action in the states--This month’s focus: Southern Region

On top of that, the legislature approved spending an estimated $8 million to $10 million each year for the next two years for aviation and airport improvements. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, where airports took a big funding hit in 2015 when the state capped FedEx’s fuel tax payments at $10 million, a new airport economic development fund has been launched. Airports can apply for development funds on a project-by-project basis. The only hitch is that there’s so far no money in the fund—that will take a supplemental appropriation later this year. South Carolina Aviation Director James Stephens has asked the legislature to provide $5 million in additional funding for the next fiscal year to allow airport projects now underway to continue, and also to make the required 5-percent match for the $61 million in FAA Airport Improvement Program grants pledged to the state. The House has approved the bill, but the Senate has proposed providing just $2.3 million and has yet to vote on the measure. In North Carolina, aviation maintenance shops learned in March that their legislature had quietly passed a tax bill in 2015 that now charges aircraft owners a 7.25-percent tax for aircraft maintenance labor. That measure is driving business and jobs out of the state. Repealing the tax is an obvious remedy, but since it’s a new tax, that may be politically difficult. A tax cap is more likely. AOPA is working with several legislative leaders to fashion such a cap.

Advocating for your region

Through AOPA staff, a network of seven regional managers, and a corps of 2,500 Airport Support Network volunteers, AOPA advocates for its members at the state and local levels to:

• Promote, protect, and defend America’s community airports.

• Maintain sufficient state and local funding for GA airports and infrastructure.

• Prevent excess state taxation on flying.

• Protect general aviation from unnecessary state and local regulation.

• View proposed releases of airport property that could affect your local airport.

• Please click on your state on the map online to see news, blogs posts, and tweets for your region.

Meet Your Regional Manager
Steve Hedges, Southern Region

Steve Hedges has served as AOPA’s Southern regional manager since 2015. Previously he was communications director at AOPA headquarters in Frederick, Maryland. He resides in Columbus, North Carolina, and flies his Piper Comanche out of nearby Spartanburg, South Carolina’s Downtown Memorial Airport (SPA). Hedges is responsible for general aviation state advocacy, policy, and other aviation-related issues in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. He is a 1,000-hour pilot with instrument and seaplane ratings.

Alaska Region, Tom George, Fairbanks, Alaska [email protected]

Northwest Mountain Region, Warren Hendrickson,  Seattle, Washington [email protected]

Western Pacific Region, Melissa McCaffrey, Temecula, California [email protected]

Central Southwest Region, Yasmina Platt, Houston, Texas [email protected]

Great Lakes Region, Jared Esselman, Frederick, Maryland [email protected]

Southern Region, Steve Hedges, Columbus, North Carolina [email protected]

Eastern Region, Sean Collins, Bangor, Maine sean.collins@aopa,org