S.Amdt. 6671

SA 6671 aims to improve the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative and the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative programs. Its primary purpose is to support the recruitment, education, and hiring of well-qualified developmental air traffic controllers.

The amendment adds the following to the bill:

• Program Requirements: It requires the FAA Administrator to coordinate with accredited institutions of higher education that have air traffic curricula, establish entry standards, and certify that these institutions provide training equivalent to the FAA Academy.

• Hiring Authority: The Administrator is allowed to noncompetitively appoint graduates who successfully complete these programs into air traffic controller positions in the excepted service.

• Rulemaking Committee: It mandates the creation of an aviation rulemaking committee. This committee will review training curricula and on-the-job training to provide recommendations for modernization. The Administrator must either implement these recommendations or provide a justification to Congress for not doing so.

• Accountability and Review: The Comptroller General is required to conduct a study within 5 years to evaluate if the Enhanced Initiative is actually effective at increasing training capacity and growing the air traffic controller workforce.