WHEREAS, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) is the principle grant-in-aid program for our nation’s airports; and

WHEREAS, the AIP program is vital to providing airports with the federal funding necessary to build, maintain and improve critical aviation infrastructure to meet forecasted capacity needs in excess of 1 billion passengers by 2015; and

WHEREAS, according to federal statutory authorized levels, the AIP program should receive $3.6 billion in federal funding for fiscal year 2006, as opposed to $3 billion which was included in the Bush Administration’s budget; and

WHEREAS, the $3 billion funding level proposed by the Bush Administration this year is $500 million less than what was appropriated in fiscal year 2005, subjecting the AIP program to one of the five biggest program reductions contained in the fiscal year 2006 Budget; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress to maintain the authorized level of AIP funding at $3.6 billion to continue to address the nation’s aviation infrastructure and capacity needs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference of Mayors calls on the Bush Administration to support an increased level of funding for the AIP program to $3.6 billion.