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Committee approves substitute to reshape Commonwealth Aviation Fund allocation; bill referred to finance
Summary
A substitute to Senate Bill 1467 modifies the Commonwealth Aviation Fund allocation percentages to better match airport needs, includes a three‑year sunset, and was reported and re‑referred to Finance with committee approval.
Senate Bill 1467, as replaced by a committee substitute, would change how money from the Commonwealth Aviation Fund (CAF) is distributed among large, medium and small airports. The substitute shifts the allocation percentages (patron described original 40/40/20 split moving toward a 50/40/10 structure in earlier drafts), indexes maximum and minimum grant levels and adds a three‑year sunset to preserve flexibility while the new distribution is evaluated.
Sponsor testimony said the change is intended to restore the fund’s original purpose, address an imbalance in which some small airports are underutilizing grant funds, and provide more reliable funding for larger commercial airports and growing general‑aviation airports (the patron specifically mentioned Manassas as an airport moving toward commercial service). The Virginia Airport Operators Council and representatives from larger commercial airports spoke in favor.
The committee adopted the substitute by voice vote and reported the bill; the clerk recorded committee action as the bill reporting and being referred with the substitute to Finance (ayes 12, no 0 in the recorded roll in the transcript).
