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Title IV — Air Traffic Controller Reforms

S. 2198 · 116th Congress · Jul 22, 2019 · Lineage

IV Air Traffic Controller Reforms

Sec. 401 Federal Aviation Administration Academy

The Administrator shall designate all necessary employees at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as excepted employees in the event of a covered lapse in appropriations (as such terms are defined in section 1341(c) of title 31, United States Code) that is in effect on or after the date of enactment of this Act to ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration Academy remains open and capable of continuing to train air traffic controllers for the duration of the covered lapse in appropriations to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sec. 402 Practical experience for air traffic controllers

(a)
Review—
(1)
In general— The Administrator shall assign to the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (in this section referred to as the “Committee”) the task of reviewing all regulations and policies related to the training of air traffic control tower operators, including the practical experience requirements.
(2)
Recommendations— After conducting the review under paragraph (1), the Committee shall, not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, submit to the Administrator recommendations on the following:
(A)
Ways to modify the requirements described in paragraph (1) to enable the contract tower industry to prepare and better utilize approved air traffic collegiate training initiative (AT–CTI) school graduates, veterans, and other qualified air traffic control program graduates for work at air traffic control facilities in the Federal contract tower program.
(B)
Regulatory and policy changes that are necessary to ensure that an applicant applying for their initial facility rating must successfully accomplish a minimum of 2 months of on-the-job training in a control tower and that such an applicant be allowed to qualify for a facility rating having undertaken classroom and simulation training within a formal training process approved by the Federal Aviation Administration that may not have taken place within the facility for which the initial facility rating is being applied.
(C)
Other areas determined appropriate by the Committee.
(b)
Action based on recommendations— Not later than 1 year after receiving recommendations under subsection (a)(2), the Administrator shall take such actions as the Administrator considers appropriate with respect to such recommendations.