S. 3662 would have the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pay 100 percent of the cost for airports to acquire stand-alone, input-based equipment to test certain fire suppression systems. Under current law, the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program and Airport Infrastructure Grants program provide grants for capital improvements at airports and, depending on the type of airport, generally cover 75 percent to 90 percent of the costs for eligible projects. Under current agency guidance, airports’ acquisitions of those systems can be reimbursed through November 1, 2023.
S. 3662 would not provide additional budget authority for airport grants or increase existing obligation limitations. However, the bill could affect direct spending from the expenditure of previously appropriated amounts that CBO does not expect to be spent over the 2022-2032 period under current law. Using information from the FAA about previous grants for similar equipment, CBO expects that the FAA would spend a small amount of those balances. Thus, we estimate that enacting the bill would increase direct spending by less than $500,000 over the 2022-2032 period.
S. 3662 would require the FAA to notify airports of the cost-sharing increase and to report to the Congress on those efforts. Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that the cost to implement those provisions would not be significant over the 2022-2032 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
