[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3043 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3043

   To modernize training programs at aviation maintenance technician 
                    schools, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 12, 2019

  Mr. Inhofe (for himself, Mr. Moran, Ms. Duckworth, and Mrs. Capito) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To modernize training programs at aviation maintenance technician 
                    schools, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Promoting Aviation Regulations for 
Technical Training (PARTT) 147 Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. NEW REGULATIONS REQUIRED.

    (a) Interim Final Regulations.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration (in this Act referred to as the 
``Administrator'') shall issue interim final regulations to establish 
requirements for issuing aviation maintenance technician school 
certificates and associated ratings and the general operating rules for 
the holders of those certificates and ratings in accordance with the 
requirements of this Act.
    (b) Repeal of Current Regulations.--Upon the effective date of the 
interim final regulations required under subsection (a), part 147 of 
title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of 
enactment of this Act) and any regulations issued under section 624 of 
the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-254) shall have no 
force or effect on or after the effective date of such interim final 
regulations.

SEC. 3. AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN SCHOOL CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.

    No person may operate an aviation maintenance technician school 
without, or in violation of, an aviation maintenance technician school 
certificate and the operations specifications issued under the interim 
final regulations required under section 2(a).

SEC. 4. CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Application Requirements.--An application for a certificate to 
operate an aviation maintenance technician school shall include the 
following:
            (1) A description of the facilities, including the physical 
        address of the certificate holder's primary location for 
        operation of the school, any additional fixed locations where 
        training will be provided, and the equipment and materials to 
        be used at each location.
            (2) A description of the manner in which the school's 
        curriculum will ensure students are capable of attaining a 
        mechanic certificate and associated ratings under subpart D of 
        part 65 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 
        successor regulation).
            (3) A description of the manner in which the school will 
        ensure it provides the necessary qualified personnel to meet 
        the requirements of section 5(d).
    (b) Change Applications.--An application for an additional rating 
or amended certificate shall include only the information necessary to 
substantiate the reason for the requested additional rating or change.
    (c) Duration of Certificate.--An aviation maintenance technician 
school certificate issued under the interim final regulations required 
under section 2(a) shall be effective from the date of issue until the 
certificate is surrendered, suspended, or revoked.
    (d) Certificate Ratings.--An aviation maintenance technician school 
certificate issued under the interim final regulations required under 
section 2(a) shall specify which of the one or more following ratings 
apply to the aviation maintenance technician school:
            (1) Airframe.
            (2) Powerplant.
            (3) Airframe and Powerplant.

SEC. 5. OPERATIONS REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Facilities, Equipment, and Material Requirements.--Each 
aviation maintenance technician school shall provide and maintain the 
facilities, equipment, and materials that are appropriate to the one or 
more ratings held by the school and the number of students taught.
    (b) Training Provided at Another Location.--An aviation maintenance 
technician school may provide training at any additional location that 
meets the requirements of the interim final regulations required under 
section 2(a) and is listed in the certificate holder's operations 
specifications.
    (c) Curriculum Requirements.--Each aviation maintenance technician 
school shall establish and maintain curriculum designed to continually 
align with mechanic testing standards and ensure students are eligible 
for a mechanic certificate and associated ratings under subpart D of 
part 65 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 
regulation).
    (d) Instructor Requirements.--Each aviation maintenance technician 
school shall--
            (1) provide qualified personnel to teach in a manner that 
        ensures positive educational outcomes are achieved; and
            (2) ensure instructors hold a mechanic certificate with one 
        or more appropriate ratings (or, with respect to instructors 
        who are not certified mechanics, are otherwise specifically 
        qualified to teach their assigned content).

SEC. 6. QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM.

    (a) Accreditation.--Each aviation maintenance technician school 
shall--
            (1) be accredited as meeting the definition of an 
        institution of higher education provided for in section 101 of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); or
            (2) establish and maintain a quality control system that 
        meets the requirements specified in subsection (b) and is 
        approved by the Administrator.
    (b) FAA-Approved System Requirements.--The Administrator shall 
approve a quality control system that provides procedures for 
recordkeeping, assessment, issuing credit for experience, issuing of 
final course grades, ensuring sufficient number of instructors, 
granting of graduation documentation, and corrective action for 
addressing deficiencies.

SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Minimum Passage Rate.--An aviation maintenance technician 
school shall maintain a pass rate of at least 70 percent of students 
that take the written, oral, or practical (or any combination thereof) 
Federal Aviation Administration mechanic tests within 60 days of 
graduation for the most recent 3-year period.
    (b) FAA Inspection.--An aviation maintenance technician school 
shall allow the Administrator such access as the Administrator 
determines necessary to inspect the one or more locations of the school 
for purposes of determining the school's compliance with the interim 
final regulations required under section 2(a) and the aviation 
maintenance technician school certificate issued for the school.
    (c) Early Testing.--An aviation maintenance technician school may 
issue authenticated documentation demonstrating a student's 
satisfactory progress, completion of corresponding portions of the 
curriculum, and preparedness to take the aviation mechanic written 
general knowledge test, even if the student has not met the experience 
requirements of section 65.77 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations 
(or any successor regulation). Any such documentation shall specify the 
curriculum the student completed and the completion date.
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