Republican Sen. John Thune told Reuters on Tuesday there's been a breakthrough that may allow the FAA Reauthorization Bill to be taken up by the Senate. The House passed its version of the bill in the summer but there's been a logjam in the Senate over relaxing airline pilot training, specifically a proposal to increase the number of loggable simulator hours from 100 to 150. Thune wouldn't comment in detail on the discussions but said there is an agreement that "deals with the pilot shortage, pilot supply issue and incorporates some of the best and greatest technology," Reuters reported him as saying.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/breakthrough-reported-in-faa-reauthorization-impasse