Hultgren initiative to reform FAA hiring practices for air traffic controllers signed into law

Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) was recently signed into law as part of larger bill that reauthorizes the FAA through September 2017.

The FAA reauthorization bill includes original language from Hultgren’s Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act, H.R. 1964, which aims to modernize and reform the FAA’s hiring practices.

“Since 2014, I have investigated the FAA’s obscure and illogical hiring practices, which have passed over our country’s most qualified air traffic controller candidates and raised concerns of safety and transparency,” Hultgren said. “The FAA reauthorization passed by Congress included language from my bill to eliminate the discredited biographical questionnaire which has caused the FAA to pass over the most qualified applicants and veterans into the air traffic control program. I was pleased to see this important language signed into law, which promises to restore safety and confidence to air travel.”

Hultgren testified before the FAA in June about air traffic controller hiring practices and staff shortages, calling for transparent hiring procedures and legislative solutions that enable qualified military veterans and Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) graduates to be considered for open positions.

“This isn’t just about securing a fair job application process or the status quo,” Hultgren testified. “This is about Americans feeling and being safe and secure when flying. This is about transparency and openness from an agency which is accountable to the American people and their representatives.”

Hultgren said that he has worked “tirelessly” to establish a three-pool system in which CTI graduates, veterans and off-the-street applicants are hired in an efficient and timely manner to address staffing challenges.