Originally Posted by
JohnLocke
Remember, HR 5900 which requires all crew members to hold an ATP was passed into law and will not change, however the FAA is charged with determining what you need to qualify for one.
Congress didn't trust the FAA, so while the law left the deets up to the FAA it also mandated a specific minimum of 1500 hours (also allowed for R-ATP minimums). So the law would have to be changed by congress, not just an FAA pencil-whip. Congress may not really care if a few bottom-feeder regional airlines have staffing troubles.