S.Amdt. 6551

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Hoeven and others, aims to improve the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative and the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative programs. It seeks to add these improvements to bill S. 4784.

The amendment proposes the following changes and additions:

• Program Management and Hiring: The FAA Administrator will maintain these programs through agreements with institutions of higher education to prepare students for air traffic controller positions. Graduates who successfully complete the training may be appointed to these positions noncompetitively.

• Grant Program: It establishes a grant program for institutions of higher education participating in or seeking to participate in the Enhanced initiative.

  • Grants can be used for curriculum implementation, faculty, simulators, classroom supplies, medical certificates, and FAA-required tests.
  • The authorized funding is $20,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2032, with the Federal government covering 90 percent of the costs.

• Faculty Support: It amends the law to include air traffic control instructors or supervisors at participating institutions of higher education in the faculty annuity supplement.

• Curriculum Review: The Administrator must convene an aviation rulemaking committee to review and modernize the curricula.

  • The committee will include representatives from accredited institutions, industry organizations, FAA experts, aircraft operators, the air traffic controllers' bargaining representative, and safety experts.
  • The committee will consider factors such as education technology (including virtual and augmented reality), practical application, instructional techniques, and student success rates.
  • The Administrator must submit the committee's report to Congress within 18 months of enactment and either implement the recommendations or provide a justification to Congress for not doing so.
  • Committee members will not receive pay or benefits from the Federal Government for their service, unless they are Federal employees acting as part of their official duties.