Senate committee OKs Hoeven’s bill to fill more air traffic controller positions

The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on July 24 advanced a bipartisan bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) to increase the nation’s number of qualified air traffic controller (ATC) positions.

Sen. Hoeven on April 11 introduced the ATC Hiring Reform Act of 2019, S. 1148, with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Cosponsors of the bill include U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Martha McSally (R-AZ).

If enacted, S. 1148 would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prioritize the hiring of U.S. military veterans and graduates of FAA Certified Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) schools, such as the University of North Dakota (UND) in Sen. Hoeven’s home state.

“UND is a world leader in aviation and aerospace education and it only makes sense that we use CTI schools like this to ensure our nation has an adequate supply of quality air traffic controllers,” Sen. Hoeven said on Wednesday.

Additionally, S. 1148 would remove the current 10 percent hiring pool limitation so that the FAA could hire enough qualified ATCs, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Hoeven’s office.

“Our bill removes red tape and allows the FAA to fill a greater share of its ATC positions with candidates from these institutions,” said Sen. Hoeven. “Doing so will preserve the safety of our nation’s airspace and help provide a better air travel system for people across the country.”

S. 1148 also would ensure that National Guard ATCs receive the same consideration as other U.S. Department of Defense ATCs when applying for a position with the FAA, and would require the FAA to regularly provide a report to Congress on new hire performance and attrition rates, among other provisions, according to the summary.

The legislation is supported by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the Association of Collegiate Training Institutions.