[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1570-S1571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 89. Mr. SCHUMER (for Ms. Cantwell) proposed an amendment to the 
bill H.R. 346, to establish a task force on improvements for notices to 
air missions, and for other purposes; as follows:

        Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``NOTAM Improvement Act of 
     2023''.

     SEC. 2. FAA TASK FORCE ON NOTAM IMPROVEMENT.

       (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
     Aviation Administration shall establish a task force to be 
     known as the FAA Task Force on NOTAM Improvement (in this 
     section referred to as the ``Task Force'').
       (b) Composition.--The Task Force shall consist of members 
     appointed by the Administrator, including at least one member 
     of each of the following:
       (1) Air carrier representatives.
       (2) Airport representatives.
       (3) Labor union representatives of airline pilots.
       (4) Labor union representatives of aircraft dispatchers.
       (5) The labor union certified under section 7111 of title 
     5, United States Code, to represent FAA air traffic control 
     specialists assigned to the United States NOTAMs Office.
       (6) The labor union certified under section 7111 of title 
     5, United States Code, to represent FAA aeronautical 
     information specialists.
       (7) General and business aviation representatives.
       (8) Aviation safety experts with knowledge of NOTAMs.
       (9) Human factors experts.
       (10) Computer system architecture and cybersecurity 
     experts.
       (c) Duties.--The duties of the Task Force shall include--
       (1) reviewing existing methods for publishing NOTAMs and 
     flight operations information to pilots;
       (2) reviewing regulations, policies, systems, and 
     international standards relating to NOTAMs, including their 
     content and presentation to pilots;
       (3) evaluating and determining best practices to organize, 
     prioritize, and present flight operations information in a 
     manner that optimizes pilot review and retention of relevant 
     information; and
       (4) providing recommendations for--
       (A) improving the publication and delivery of NOTAM 
     information in a manner that prioritizes or highlights the 
     most important information, and optimizes pilot review and 
     retention of relevant information;
       (B) ways to ensure that NOTAMs are complete, accurate, 
     timely, relevant to safe flight operations, and contain 
     pertinent information;
       (C) any best practices that the FAA should consider to 
     improve the accuracy and understandability of NOTAMs and the 
     display of flight operations information;
       (D) ways to work with air carriers, other airspace users, 
     and aviation service providers to implement solutions that 
     are aligned with the recommendations under this paragraph; 
     and
       (E) ways to ensure the stability, resiliency, and 
     cybersecurity of the NOTAM computer system.
       (d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
     establishment of the Task Force, the Task Force shall submit 
     to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
     detailing--
       (1) the results of the reviews and evaluations of the Task 
     Force under paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (c);
       (2) the best practices identified and recommendations 
     provided by the Task Force under subsection (c)(4);

[[Page S1571]]

       (3) any recommendations of the Task Force for additional 
     regulatory or policy actions to improve the publication of 
     NOTAMs; and
       (4) the degree to which implementing the recommendations of 
     the Task Force described under paragraph (2) will address 
     National Transportation Safety Board Safety Recommendation A-
     18-024.
       (e) Applicable Law.--Chapter 10 of title 5, United States 
     Code, shall not apply to the Task Force.
       (f) Sunset.--The Task Force shall terminate on the later 
     of--
       (1) the date on which the Task Force submits the report 
     required under subsection (d); or
       (2) the date that is 18 months after the date on which the 
     Task Force is established under subsection (a).
       (g) Authority.--The Administrator shall have the authority 
     to carry out the recommendations of the Task Force detailed 
     in the report required under subsection (d).
       (h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
     construed to require the FAA to duplicate any prior, ongoing, 
     or planned efforts related to the improvement of NOTAMs, 
     including any efforts related to implementing any previously 
     enacted requirements.
       (i) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) FAA.--The term ``FAA'' means the Federal Aviation 
     Administration.
       (2) NOTAM.--The term ``NOTAM'' means a notice containing 
     information (which is not known sufficiently in advance to 
     publicize by other means) concerning the establishment, 
     condition, or change in any component (including a facility, 
     service, or procedure thereof) or hazard in the National 
     Airspace System, the timely knowledge of which is essential 
     to personnel concerned with flight operations.

     SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

       Not later than September 30, 2024, the Administrator of the 
     Federal Aviation Administration shall make the following 
     improvements:
       (1) Complete implementation of a Federal NOTAM System (in 
     this section referred to as a ``FNS'').
       (2) Implement a back-up system to the FNS.
       (3) Brief the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
     Senate on a plan to enhance the capability to deliver 
     information through the FNS that is machine-readable, 
     filterable, and in the format used by the International Civil 
     Aviation Organization (ICAO) to promote further global 
     harmonization among neighboring Air Navigation Service 
     Providers (ANSPs) and provide users of the National Airspace 
     System with one consistent format for domestic and 
     international operations.

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