Sponsor
Daniel Milton Newhouse
Representative · R-WA
Representative · R-WA
The bill standardizes federal references and gives formal local recognition by renaming the tower for Roy A. Rutherford, at the cost of small administrative expenses, possible short-term naming confusion, and some perceptions of symbolic legislative use.
Pilots, air traffic controllers, transportation staff, and federal employees will see a single, official name — the Roy A. Rutherford Air Traffic Control Tower — used in federal publications and charts, reducing confusion and inconsistent references.
Local governments and nearby communities will receive formal, permanent recognition through the renaming, honoring Roy A. Rutherford and providing local civic recognition.
Federal taxpayers and agency administrative staff will incur minor costs to update signage, publications, charts, and electronic records to reflect the new tower name.
Pilots, controllers, transportation workers, and nonfederal entities may face short-term confusion as older documents and nonfederal materials continue using the former tower name, requiring cross-referencing.
Taxpayers and members of the public may view the renaming as a symbolic use of congressional attention and time, creating minor political or public-perception costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Renames the Yakima Air Terminal air traffic control tower as the Roy A. Rutherford Air Traffic Control Tower and makes that name the operative federal reference.
Official title: To designate the facility of the Federal Aviation Administration located at Yakima Air Terminal in Yakima, Washington, as the "Roy A. Rutherford Air Traffic Control Tower".
Introduced May 7, 2026 by Daniel Milton Newhouse · Last progress May 7, 2026
Designates the air traffic control tower at Yakima Air Terminal in Yakima, Washington, and any successor tower at that location, as the "Roy A. Rutherford Air Traffic Control Tower." It also directs that all references in federal law, maps, regulations, documents, and records to that tower be read to refer to the new name.