HR3270-119

What This Bill Does

The Air Traffic Control Workforce Development Act addresses air traffic controller hiring, training, retention, and safety infrastructure. FAA must maintain the Collegiate Training Initiative and Enhanced-CTI programs, continue and create higher-education agreements, set participation standards, and may appoint successful program graduates noncompetitively into excepted-service air traffic controller positions, convertible to career status after full-performance qualification. FAA must create an Enhanced-CTI grant program for curriculum, faculty, simulators, medical certificates, FAA tests, and supplies, funded at $20 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2031. Air traffic control instructors or supervisors at Enhanced-CTI institutions receive law-enforcement-style retirement coverage under section 8421a. The bill convenes an aviation rulemaking committee to review FAA academy, CTI, Enhanced-CTI, and ATSA exam curricula and modernization. It also authorizes $20 million annually for tower simulator systems, creates controller trainee qualification incentives and Certified Professional Controller retention incentives, requires FAA mental-health training for providers and Aviation Medical Examiners, and requires a 90-day report on Airport Non-cooperative Surveillance Radar funding, replacement, sustainment, radar divestiture, and threat-detection needs.

Who Benefits and How

Air traffic controller students benefit from CTI and Enhanced-CTI pathways, grants, simulators, and possible noncompetitive FAA hiring. Institutions of higher education benefit from $20 million per year in Enhanced-CTI grants for curriculum, faculty, simulators, supplies, and FAA-required tests. Certified Professional Controllers benefit from a required retention incentive program. Commercial service airports benefit if FAA identifies funding and equipment needs for non-cooperative radar threat detection.

Who Bears the Burden and How

FAA workforce staff must administer CTI agreements, grants, noncompetitive appointments, curriculum review, simulator procurement, incentives, and radar reporting. Transportation Department staff must establish controller qualification and retention incentive programs. Aviation rulemaking committee members must review curricula, ATSA testing, student success data, and modernization options without federal pay. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of $20 million annual CTI grants, $20 million annual simulator funding, and new incentive programs.

Key Provisions

• Establishes Enhanced-CTI grants and noncompetitive hiring authority for successful air traffic controller program graduates.
• Authorizes $20 million annually for Enhanced-CTI grants and $20 million annually for tower simulator systems from fiscal 2026 through 2031.
• Creates qualification and retention incentive programs for controller trainees and Certified Professional Controllers.
• Requires curriculum and ATSA exam review, mental-health training, and Airport Non-cooperative Surveillance Radar reporting.