>From AOPA mails.. STATE HOUSE PASSES BILL TO REPEAL MICHIGAN SECURITY CHECK The AOPA-backed bill written to repeal Michigan's criminal background checks for pilots passed the Michigan House Tuesday by a vote of 106 to 0. House Bill 4704, sponsored by Rep. Steven Ehardt, would repeal the background check requirement and substitute a number of commonsense security requirements for flight schools. Additionally, the legislation would adopt the federal requirement that a student possess a medical and student pilot certificate prior to being endorsed for solo flight. The bill must next be considered and passed by the Michigan Senate. AOPA expects Senate action to take place this summer. ...BUT NEW JERSEY LAWMAKERS TRY TO REGULATE PILOTS It wasn't all good news on the state level. In New Jersey pilots were swept up in a last-minute push by the state's general assembly to recess for the summer. Legislators late Monday passed a bill that requires identity background checks for flight students. As the bill returns to the Senate for concurrence, AOPA is asking John Bennett, Senate co-president, to hold the bill. "There is no compelling security reason for this bill; the federal government has already stepped in. The bill not only duplicates federal efforts, it also usurps federal authority to regulate pilots--authority that both Congress and the courts have said belongs to the federal government alone," said Andy Cebula, an AOPA senior vice president. New Jersey members are urged to contact Bennett via telephone 609/292-5199 or e-mail ( mailto:SenBennett@xxxxxxxxx ) and urge him to hold the bill. See ( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/03-2-215x.html ). OHIO AIRCRAFT OWNERS GET HIT WITH BIG FEE INCREASE Ohio Gov. Bob Taft on Thursday signed his state's budget into law without vetoing a huge increase of the state's annual aviation registration fee. For the owner of a typical four-seat general aviation aircraft, that's going to mean paying 800 percent more the next time the aircraft is registered. In a letter to Taft, AOPA had called for the governor to veto the bill. "As Ohio celebrates 100 years of aviation, do not let the birthplace of aviation become the first state to tax it out of existence," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. Under previous Ohio law, aircraft registration fees were determined with a sliding scale based on seating capacity. The owner of a Cessna 172, for instance, paid $12. A Gulfstream V owner paid $85. Under the new law, the 172 owner and the Gulfstream V owner will both pay $100. AOPA is pursuing legislative remedies to the law. BAHA ACUNER - CFI,CFII,MEI www.bahadiracuner.com www.acuwings.com