WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Subcommittee on Aviation will begin a series of hearings the week of Feb. 13 as part of its preparations for developing the next FAA reauthorization bill.

The subcommittee’s first hearing of the year will examine the current state of civil aviation manufacturing in the United States, including the economic, regulatory, and general health of American civil aviation manufacturing, as well as challenges facing this critical industry.

The United States is the home of several major aviation manufacturers, including one of the two major global manufacturers of wide-body aircraft, and a number of the world’s major general aviation manufacturers for business jets.

While American aviation manufacturing is a critical sector of our economy, the industry faces a number of global and domestic challenges, including the often slow and costly FAA processes and compliance reviews that certify the design and production of aircraft and aircraft components, according to elected officials.

The hearing will examine these and related issues.

The hearing, chaired by U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), is titled “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: State of American Aviation Manufacturing.”

It is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.

Witnesses include:

Peggy Gilligan, FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety,

Dr. Alan Epstein, Vice President, Technology and Environment, Pratt and Whitney,

John Hamilton, Vice President, Engineering, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and

Michael Thacker, Senior Vice President for Certification, Textron Aviation