NATCA Bookshelf

N A T I O N A L A I R T R A F F I C C O N T R O L L E R S A S S O C I A T I O N | W W W . N AT C A . O R G N i W To d a y 55 55 55 55 REFERENCES Glossary Subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas., and the ranking member is Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Ten. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) On Nov. 15, 2021, the landmark IIJA was signed into law, addressing many physical infrastructure deficiencies. This was a big legislative win for NATCA members and the NAS. The IIJA provides $5 billion in dedicated funding, which supplements the annual appropriations process to help bring ATC facilities up to standard, as well as modernize our nation's airports so they can compete globally. Although this funding does not resolve every issue in every facility across the country, it is a major step in the right direction to upgrade working conditions for NATCA members. Markup This is a formal process of reviewing and revising a bill by a committee via debate and amendments prior to voting on whether the committee will accept or reject the final bill. This is a key step in advancing any legislation for a possible floor vote. National Legislative Committee (NLC) NATCA's National Legislative Committee is responsible for organizing and implementing the Union's grassroots legislative efforts, and identifying and addressing the legislative education needs of NATCA's members. Additionally, the NLC works as part of NATCA's legislative team to develop training sessions, recruit volunteers, and disseminate information about legislative activities. National Training Initiative (NTI) The NTI is an initiative between FAA and NATCA dedicated to a more efficient training progression for developmental controllers, which began in July 2019, was paused during the pandemic, and was restarted in April 2022. In December 2024, the FAA and NATCA signed an MOU that increased on- the-job-training (OJT) premium pay for providing instruction in the simulation environment. NextGen It is the overarching modernization project that is shifting the FAA from its current ground-based radar system to more sophisticated, satellite-based, and digital technologies, along with new procedures that are combining to make air travel more efficient, predictable, and environmentally friendly. In short, NextGen is making the necessary upgrades to modernize the NAS. Official Time At the FAA, official time gives employee representatives a voice to resolve disputes, negotiate changes in working conditions, and implement new procedures and technologies such as NextGen systems. In the past, members of Congress have introduced legislation and amendments that would eliminate official time, but NATCA has been successful in defeating these attempts by educating a bipartisan coalition of members about the many time-saving and cost-saving benefits of official time within the FAA. Importantly, however, NATCA members DO NOT use official time for any prohibited activities such as conduct internal union business, recruiting new union members, collect union dues, conducting union election, electioneering for union offices, nor engaging in political activity. Omnibus It is a term that is used to refer to a spending bill that combines most or all appropriations spending bills into one larger bill that can be passed with only one floor vote in each chamber of Congress. There are 12 separate regular appropriations bills that need to be passed each year to fund the federal government and avoid a partial or complete government shutdown. Unlike a CR, which is merely an extension of previous funding levels, an omnibus bill typically encompasses several appropriation bills. Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) Under Title 49, the FAA may delegate to a qualified private person a matter related to issuing certificates, or related to the examination, testing, and inspection necessary to issue a certificate on behalf of the FAA Administrator. The Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program is how the FAA grants designee authority to organizations or companies. ODA holders are typically authorized to conduct the types of functions which they would normally seek from the FAA. For example, aircraft manufacturers may be authorized to approve design changes in their products and repair stations may be authorized to approve repair and alteration data. Regular FAA oversight of an ODA is accomplished by a team of FAA engineers and inspectors to ensure the ODA

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