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Legislative News
Legislative Team Member: Scott Friday
To send email to the committee: Legislative Committee
Here is an example of a letter to write for our local congressman. You can hi-lite and copy this document or the the word file to your computer and "Fill In the Blanks"! Change the wording around some so that they are not all the same but this will give you a basic outline:
Letter to congressman in MS Word format
Letter to Congressman in PDF format
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Items of concern at West Palm Beach:
Relocation
The relocation of the radar functions from West Palm Beach to Miami International Airport is a serious safety issue. The FAA plan greatly reduces the redundancy built into the south Florida airspace by having these functions staffed at 2 different facilities. If a hurricane were to damage the Miami facility the next closest facility to handle the airspace according to the FAA plan is Jacksonville! this is completely unreasonable and was proven in New Orleans in 2005. If Baton Rogue had been combined into New Orleans as per the FAA plan for them no controllers would have been available for the emergency air traffic control needed!
Staffing Issue
Miami Center was mandated, by the FAA, to re-organize their airspace. In an effort to help Miami Center with their airspace problem, West Palm Beach offered to help by taking the Ft. Lauderdale arrivals inbound from the northeast. In order to take on this extra responsibility, West Palm Beach would require an additional 6 controllers above the authorized staffing level, along with an additional radar scope. Palm Beach is expected to begin working this airspace by the end of this year. Without additional personnel or equipment, this can not be accomplished.
At present Palm Beach is authorized 43 controllers and is expected to only have 39 by year’s end. As a result of this shortage, the employee workforce will be unable to continue to assist in facility projects such as airspace and training. (Examples: Letters of Agreement, Developing ETG Problems, Training for new equipment, etc.)
With all of the changes occurring around the airspace and the occasional change in equipment, it is vital that each individual be properly briefed on a variety of issues. At present briefings are not being performed in a timely manner and the quality of the briefing is lacking due to a shortage of staffing and the time necessary to prepare for personnel briefing.
Radar Issue
The ASR-11 Radar continues to be inconsistent and unreliable. The latest incident occurred on May 12th when the radar failed 5 times. This problem will remain persistent as long as Palm Beach continues to work with digital radar and an analog processor and display. A new switching device was installed to make the back-up Center Radar easier to fall back on but maintenance has been unable to get that to operate. Palm Beach has been unable to provide weather services to pilots since early July!
Facility Issue
While both Miami and Orlando have occupied new facilities in the past couple of years, the controllers at West Palm Beach Tower continue to work in a structure that is 37 years old. (Three prime examples to use; Line of Sight, Bird Infestation in the tower and Lack of Space for training and new equipment in the base building) This is a detriment to a Community that has a new modern terminal building as well as expanded and rebuilt FBO’s to service the aviation industry.
Online Links:
NATCA Legislative Page: The Political and Legislative Affairs Department serves as the liaison between NATCA and the Congress, the Executive Branch and the Administrative Agencies of the Federal Government. In doing so, the Department develops and maintains good relations with government officials to ensure the union is positioned to deal effectively with challenges and opportunities as they arise. The Political and Legislative Affairs Department works to implement strategies and tactics to favorably influence the outcome of public policy initiatives that may have a significant impact on NATCA and its members. Continual education of members of Congress and the Administration on NATCA's issues and concerns is central to this process.
NATCA Southern Region Legislative Page: Links to Southern Region Legislative Committee members.
NATCA's Grassroots Activism : Air traffic controllers expect quick responses because they receive immediate results every time they tell pilots "turn right" or "turn left." At the end of the work day, controllers do not plot the next step of planes safely already separated one from the other. The day's aircraft have already taken off and landed. The reality in non-controller environments is very different. NATCA prepares its vast membership for the surprisingly long, circuitous route leading to the insertion of a few simple sentences in a bill working its way through the U.S. Congress. By publishing two booklets aimed at grassroots participation in the national legislative process, NATCA encourages its members to read, learn and take appropriate action.
Fed Week, The online site for all the latest Government news. Including retirement, TSP and publications.
TSP The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Web site. The TSP is a retirement savings plan both for civilians who are employed by the United States Government and for members of the uniformed services and includes information relevant to both civilian employees and uniformed services members.
FedMoney.org Is the most comprehensive FREE full-text online resource on all U.S. federal government student financial aid programs. Here you will find detailed and up-to-date information about (1) who can apply, (2) how to apply, (3) full contact info, and much more... for over 130 government loans and grants (scholarships, fellowships, traineeships) related to education!
U.S. Senate The home page for the United States Senate.
U. S. House The home page for the United States House of Representatives.
Library of Congress A wealth of information on all things US Government.
Letter Writing:
Senate: The Honorable __________________, United States Senate, Washington, DC, 20510
House: The Honorable __________________, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, 20515
DOT: Secretary , U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street S.W., Washington, DC, 20590
FAA: Administrator Marion Blakey, FAA, 800 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, DC, 20591
Florida US Senators:
Senator Mel Martinez (R)
Website , 524 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510, Washington Office Phone: 202-224-3041
Senator Bill Nelson (D)
Email: billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#email , Website 716 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 Washington Office Phone: 202-224-5274
West Palm Beach Congressional Information
The West Palm Beach Airport is surrounded by 4 Congressional Districts and located in the 23rd District. The following information pertains to the 109th Congress.
16th District – Congressman Mark Foley
Washington Office, 104 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Phone 202-225-5792
Palm Beach Gardens Office, 4440 PGA Boulevard, Suite 406, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 Phone 561-627-6192
19th District – Congressman Robert Wexler
Washington Office, 213 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Phone 202-225-3001
Boca Raton Office, 2500 North Military Trail, Suite 100, Boca Raton, FL 33431 Phone 561-988-6302
22nd District – Congressman E. Clay Shaw
Washington Office, 2408 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Phone 202-225-3026
West Palm Beach Office, 222 Lakeview Avenue, Suite 225, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 Phone561-832-3007
23rd District – Congressman Alcee Hastings
Washington Office, 2235 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Phone 202-225-1313
West Palm Beach Office, 5725 Corporate Way, Suite 208, West Palm Beach, FL 33407 Phone 561-684-0565
Florida State Senate Home Page: Website
Florida State House of Representatives Home Page: Website
