Hoeven-led bills included in FAA reauthorization bill being negotiated by Senate

Several legislative priorities secured by U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) to bolster aviation in his home state are included in a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, which is under consideration in the U.S. Senate.

Congressional leaders this week want to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, S. 1939, and today will resume negotiations on amendment proposals. They hope to reach an agreement to vote on the full measure and give the U.S. House of Representatives time to hold its own vote before the FAA’s May 10 authorization deadline, according to reports.

S. 1939 includes several priorities offered by Sen. Hoeven that would bolster the University of North Dakota’s (UND) role as a leader in aviation research, development, training and operations. 

Through his role on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Sen. Hoeven worked to secure in the FAA reauthorization bill his bipartisan American Aviator Act, S. 748, as well as measures to improve hiring and staffing of air traffic controllers (ATC).

S. 748, which he cosponsored in March 2023 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), would formally authorize the veteran pilot training program, Vets2Wings, through fiscal year 2028. The bill builds on Sen. Hoeven’s efforts to fund the pilot program at UND and would provide long-term certainty to the program, according to a summary provided by his office.

“We’ve now secured my American Aviator Act in the FAA reauthorization, which provides a long-term extension of the program to maintain and expand this opportunity for veterans,” said Sen. Hoeven. “At the same time, we’re working to strengthen opportunities for UND’s ATC training program, allowing students to bypass the academy in Oklahoma, directly enter the workforce and meet the demand for qualified air traffic controllers.”

Sen. Hoeven cosponsored measures to improve ATC hiring and staffing that would require the FAA to use a more accurate staffing model developed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, and would set an updated minimum hiring target for new ATCs, the summary says.

“We rely on skilled aviators on a daily basis to safely and efficiently move people and goods across the country,” Sen. Hoeven said. “It makes sense to leverage the professionalism, training and skill of our veterans, combined with the expertise of UND’s flight school, to meet the demand for new commercial pilots.”