Meet Sen. Inhofe at Congressional Forum

July 28, 2017 - Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), who has been an active advocate for general aviation on Capitol Hill, will be hosting a congressional forum 10 a.m. today at Forum Stage 6 to discuss current legislation impacting the community.

The forum will be led as a panel discussion, with EAA CEO and Chairman Jack J. Pelton and AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker. Legal experts from both organizations will also be participating.

Inhofe is currently working on passing the Forward Looking Investment in GA, Hangars and Tarmacs (FLIGHT) Act, which would extend the rollover period GA airports have to use their funds by one year, as well as designate and provide resources for disaster-relief efforts.

“It’ll be a big help for infrastructure improvement, runway improvement, and taxiways,” he said.

Inhofe will also discuss the rollout of BasicMed, which went into effect May 1, after much effort on the senator’s part to get third-class medical reform passed into law in 2016, and the current FAA reauthorization bill moving through the Senate, which includes the remainder of the provisions from the Pilots Bill of Rights 2.

2017 marks the 39th consecutive year that Inhofe, EAA 179992, attends AirVenture, and he said he’s looking forward to perusing the experimental and ultralight areas.

“It means a lot because it’s the only place you can go where there are people there who think like you do, that have a love for aviation, and have all that in common,” Inhofe said. “There’s no place else like it.”