WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House has given final approval to an aviation bill that speeds the transition to a new air traffic control system based on GPS technology.
Lawmakers approved the bill Friday on a 248 to 169 vote. The Senate should vote Monday.
The bill is four-year budget blueprint for the Federal Aviation Administration. It's a compromise negotiated between the House and Senate over the past year.
Lawmakers say it will give certainty and stability to programs that are critical to the health of the commercial aviation industry, which accounts for about 5 percent of U.S. economic output.
Long-term authority for the FAA expired in 2007. The agency has been limping along under a series of 23 short-term extensions.
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