Committee advances bill raising airport procurement threshold and directing aviation workforce study

The Kentucky House Transportation Committee on March 1 reported Senate Bill 87 with a favorable recommendation, advancing a measure that sponsors say updates airport procurement rules and includes a provision to study aviation workforce training.

Senator Shelley Funke Frohmeyer, the bill sponsor, told the committee the legislation increases the procurement threshold that triggers a formal procurement process from $40,000 to $250,000 for covered airports and attaches a cost-of-living adjustment mechanism so the figure does not require frequent statutory updates. She said the change is intended to reflect rising materials and construction costs in the aviation industry.

The committee substitute also includes language—filed at the request of Senate leadership—directing the Council on Postsecondary Education to evaluate options for providing basic air traffic controller training in Kentucky. Frohmeyer said any final certification for trainees would remain with the existing federal process and training entities (she noted current certification occurs in Oklahoma), but that the study would examine Kentucky-based educational capacity.

Seth Cutter, vice president of public affairs for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), and Rebecca Hartsoe, identified as a Babbage cofounder for CVG airport, appeared in support. Committee members asked clarifying questions about which airports would be covered. Cutter said the provision applies to the state’s three largest commercial airports: CVG, Louisville Muhammad Ali International and Blue Grass Airport in Lexington.

The committee voted to report the bill with favorable expression. No fiscal estimate or specific effective date was discussed during the committee hearing. The measure will proceed to the House floor for further consideration.