Stauber’s bill seeks improvements to FAA’s nationwide air missions computer system

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) on Jan. 12 sponsored a bipartisan bill that aims to bolster the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) computer system known as the Notice to Air Missions or NOTAM, which last week experienced an outage that briefly halted all U.S. flights.

“Yesterday’s failures show the urgent need for updates and improvements to the NOTAM system to keep air traffic moving safely in our skies,” Rep. Stauber said, referring to the system’s Jan. 11 outage. 

“In my time on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have heard from many pilots who have expressed concerns over the NOTAM system — which is why yesterday’s news came as no surprise,” said the lawmaker. 

The NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023, H.R. 346, which Rep. Stauber introduced alongside original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), would establish an FAA task force to determine what improvements should be made to the NOTAM system, which provides airlines with a digital bulletin board of critical safety updates and sends alerts to pilots about any conditions that could affect the safety of their flights.

Once enacted, H.R. 346 would require that within 180 days the FAA administrator establish the FAA Task Force on NOTAM, which would consist of FAA administrator-appointed members, with at least one member each from an air carrier, labor union, general and business aviation entity, aviation safety, computer system architecture, and cybersecurity, among other areas, according to the text of the bill. 

“We must quickly pass my legislation to figure out how to make the NOTAM system work better for pilots and passengers alike, and ensure greater oversight of the Federal Aviation Administration going forward to avoid future problems,” Rep. Stauber said.

H.R. 346 has been referred to the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for consideration.

The congressman’s legislation previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support during the 116th and 117th Congresses, according to his staff, but failed to garner action in the U.S. Senate.