After Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) announced November 26 that he would leave the Senate at the end 2007, it didn’t take long to fill his post as the ranking Republican member of the Senate aviation subcommittee. With- in days, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas) was named to replace him.
The selection of Hutchison could have interesting ramifications for general aviation. A
former vice chairman of the NTSB, she is considered a friend of GA and hails from a state in which 387 airports are open to the public. While Lott was widely seen as a supporter of GA, he also was an early advocate of user fees. Lott said he turned in his resignation to enter the private sector. By leaving before year-end, he will be eligible to lobby the Senate by January 2009. Under new Senate rules, he would be prohibited from directly lobbying his old colleagues for two years if he departs after this session of Congress adjourns next month.
