To keep tabs on all of ARSA’s work related to the current pandemic, visit arsa.org/anti-viral-measures.

On May 19, President Trump signed Executive Order 13924, “Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery.” Describing the impact of the current pandemic on American businesses and workers – closures, furloughs and layoffs resulting in 36 million new unemployment claims made over the previous eight weeks – the president directed the U.S. government to rejuvenate the nation’s “economy as well as its health.”

“Just as we continue to battle COVID–19 itself, so too must we now join together to overcome the effects the virus has had on our economy,” the executive order said. “To aid those efforts, agencies must continue to remove barriers to the greatest engine of economic prosperity the world has ever known: the innovation, initiative and drive of the American people.”

In general, EO 13924 directs U.S. federal agencies to:

• Address economic emergency by rescinding, modifying, waiving, or providing exemptions from regulations and other requirements.
• Identify and address regulatory standards that may inhibit economic recovery, particularly for small businesses.
• Provide compliance assistance before pursuing enforcement on issues stemming from efforts to manage economic distress.
• Maintain fairness in administrative enforcement, notably by being prompt, fair and bearing the burden of proof.

The principles of the executive order, though focused on emergency relief, are those ARSA would hold out as the foundation of good government oversight in any economic environment. As such, not only does the president’s direction offer the association and its members direction in seeking right action from the FAA and other oversight bodies during the current crisis, it should continue to do so through and beyond recovery.

To access Executive Order 13924, click here.

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