[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1148 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 319
116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1148

                          [Report No. 116-169]

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of 
the Federal Aviation Administration to give preferential consideration 
 to individuals who have successfully completed air traffic controller 
   training and veterans when hiring air traffic control specialists.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 11, 2019

 Mr. Hoeven (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Sinema, Mrs. 
    Capito, Ms. McSally, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Inhofe) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                            December 5, 2019

                 Reported by Mr. Wicker, with amendment
  [Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of 
the Federal Aviation Administration to give preferential consideration 
 to individuals who have successfully completed air traffic controller 
   training and veterans when hiring air traffic control specialists.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``ATC Hiring Reform Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. HIRING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SPECIALISTS.

    Section 44506(f)(1)(B)(i) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ``referring'' and all that follows through ``10 
percent.'' and inserting ``giving further preferential consideration, 
within each qualification category based upon pre-employment testing 
results, to pool 1 applicants described in clause (ii) before pool 2 
applicants described in clause (iii).''.

<DELETED>SEC. 3. REPORT ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AND 
              TRAINING.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Report to Congress.--Not later than December 31, 2019, 
and every 6 months thereafter, the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
Congress a report regarding the hiring and training of air traffic 
controllers.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Contents.--Each report under subsection (a) shall 
include the following information:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) The number of applicants, from each hiring 
        pool, who have done the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Applied for the position of air 
                traffic controller.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Been issued a tentative offer letter 
                for the position of air traffic controller.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Been issued a firm offer letter for 
                the position of air traffic controller.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) Been hired for the position of air 
                traffic controller.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) Reported to the FAA Academy for 
                initial qualification training.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) Successfully passed Air Traffic Basics 
                training at the FAA Academy.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (G) Successfully passed Terminal initial 
                training at the FAA Academy.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (H) Successfully passed En Route initial 
                training at the FAA Academy.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) The average cost of training per individual 
        for the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Air Traffic Basics training at the FAA 
                Academy.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Terminal initial training at the FAA 
                Academy.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) En Route initial training at the FAA 
                Academy.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) The FAA Academy attrition rate for each hiring 
        pool.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Other information determined appropriate by 
        the Administrator.</DELETED>

SEC. 3. REPORT ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AND TRAINING.

    (a) Report to Congress.--Not later than December 31, 2019, and 
every 6 months thereafter, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report regarding the hiring and training of air traffic controllers.
    (b) Contents.--Each report under subsection (a) shall include the 
following information:
            (1) The number of applicants, from each hiring pool (by 
        vacancy announcement beginning with vacancy announcement FAA-
        ATO-19-ALLSRCE-61676 (issued on June 14, 2019)) who have done 
        the following:
                    (A) Applied for the position of air traffic 
                controller.
                    (B) Been issued a tentative offer letter for the 
                position of air traffic controller.
                    (C) Been issued a firm offer letter for the 
                position of air traffic controller.
                    (D) Been hired for the position of air traffic 
                controller.
                    (E) Reported to the FAA Academy for initial 
                qualification training.
                    (F) Successfully passed Air Traffic Basics training 
                at the FAA Academy.
                    (G) Successfully passed Terminal initial training 
                at the FAA Academy.
                    (H) Successfully passed En Route initial training 
                at the FAA Academy.
            (2) The average cost of training per individual for each 
        such hiring pool for the following:
                    (A) Air Traffic Basics training at the FAA Academy.
                    (B) Terminal initial training at the FAA Academy.
                    (C) En Route initial training at the FAA Academy.
            (3) The FAA Academy attrition rate for each such hiring 
        pool.
            (4) The number of applicants, from each such hiring pool, 
        who have successfully completed qualification training at their 
        first FAA facility and the number who are still in training at 
        their first facility.
            (5) Other information determined appropriate by the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

SEC. 4. ENSURING HIRING PREFERENCE FOR APPLICANTS WITH EXPERIENCE AT AN 
              AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FACILITY OF THE NATIONAL GUARD.

    Section 44506(f)(1)(A)(ii) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting ``(including a facility of the National Guard)'' 
after ``Department of Defense''.

SEC. 5. DOT INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEW AND REPORT.

    (a) Review.--
            (1) In general.--The Inspector General of the Department of 
        Transportation (in this section referred to as the ``Inspector 
        General'') shall conduct a review that assesses the assumptions 
        and methodologies used to develop the air traffic controller 
        pre-employment test. Such review shall include--
                    (A) what job-relevant aptitudes are measured by the 
                air traffic controller pre-employment test and to what 
                extent such aptitudes are tested;
                    (B) the scoring methodology for the air traffic 
                controller pre-employment test, including an assessment 
                of whether such methodology is applied uniformly for 
                all classes of applicants;
                    (C) whether the air traffic controller pre-
                employment test incorporates any biographical 
                questionnaire or assessment other than basic 
                identifiers, such as name and questions that assess 
                personal characteristics, and the extent to which such 
                biographical assumptions are relied upon to assess air 
                traffic controller applicants;
                    (D) the effectiveness of the pre-employment test, 
                mental health screening, and any other applicable pre-
                employment assessment to determine whether an applicant 
                possesses the skills necessary to perform the duties of 
                a controller; and
                    (E) ways to improve the pre-employment test and 
                other applicable pre-employment assessments as the 
                Inspector General determines appropriate.
            (2) Start date.--The Inspector General shall initiate the 
        review under paragraph (1) by not later than 90 days after the 
        date of enactment of this Act.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date the Inspector 
General initiates the review under subsection (a), the Inspector 
General shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
on such review.
                                                       Calendar No. 319

116th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                S. 1148

                          [Report No. 116-169]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of 
the Federal Aviation Administration to give preferential consideration 
 to individuals who have successfully completed air traffic controller 
   training and veterans when hiring air traffic control specialists.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            December 5, 2019

                        Reported with amendment