Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate aviation subcommittee, and ranking member Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) are expected to introduce an FAA reauthorization bill this week to counter one the Bush Administration released in February. According to The Hill, a newspaper for those who follow Washington politics, the new proposal would raise the tax on general aviation jet fuel to 49 cents per gallon and introduce “a new user fee” of $25 per segment for turbine-powered aircraft that use the ATC system. The Hill said that piston aircraft will not be affected by the new fees or taxes. The White House has proposed hiking GA jet fuel tax from 21.8 cents a gallon to 70 cents a gallon and aviation gasoline from 19.3 cents to 70 cents. It also wants to institute a smorgasbord of new user fees and eliminate the airline passenger ticket tax, a move the nation’s airlines support and GA opposes. Meanwhile, the House aviation subcommittee is working on its own version of an FAA reauthorization plan.