NATCA Bookshelf

Administrative Furlough A discretionary ("save money" or "non-emergency") furlough. It involves the placing of an employee in a temporary non-duty, non-pay status because of lack of work or funds, or for other non-disciplinary reasons. It is a planned event designed to absorb reductions necessitated by downsizing, reduced funding, lack of work, or any other event that requires the agency to save money. This kind of furlough is "non-emergency" in that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has sufficient time to reduce spending and therefore give adequate notification of its specific furlough plan and how many furlough days or hours will be required for each affected employee. See also Shutdown Furlough. Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) The FAA is funded primarily by the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (Trust Fund or AATF), which receives revenues from a series of excise taxes paid by users of the NAS — and by the General Fund. The Airport and Airway Revenue Act of 1970 created the Trust Fund to provide a dedicated source of funding for the aviation system independent of the General Fund. Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act of 2015 (H.R. 1964) Legislation introduced by Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL-14) that would direct the FAA to revise certain hiring practices for air traffic controllers. NATCA worked very closely with Rep. Hultgren on drafting this legislation, and we support it because it would improve the hiring process and help to fix the current staffing crisis. Air Traffic Organization (ATO) The operational arm of the FAA. The ATO is responsible for providing safe and efficient air navigation services to 30.2 million square miles of airspace. This represents more than 17 percent of the world's airspace and includes all of the United States and large portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. Airport Improvement Program (AIP) The Airport Improvement Program provides grants to public agencies — and, in some cases, to private owners and entities — for the planning and development of public-use airports that are included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). AIP is authorized as part of the FAA's authorizing legislation and it is appropriated as Grants-in-Aid to Airports. Anti-Official Time Amendment (Gingrey Amendment) If it had been enacted, this amendment (previously sponsored by former Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia) would have eliminated official time for federal employees, including those at the FAA. The amendment would have eliminated the ability of air traffic controllers to work collaboratively with the FAA in informal meetings and workgroups to resolve issues in a cooperative fashion. While Rep. Gingrey is no longer in office, we continue to see similar versions of this amendment introduced in Congress. Recently, Georgia Rep. Jody Hice introduced an amendment to eliminate official time at the Veterans Administration, which was defeated. Appropriations Bill A legislative bill that authorizes the government and its administrative agencies to spend money. It is a bill that sets money aside for specific spending. Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act of 2016, H.R. 4441 (AIRR Act) The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee's long-term reauthorization bill, also known as the AIRR Act, was introduced by Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Shuster. This legislation includes an air traffic control reform proposal that would establish an independent, not-for-profit corporation outside of the federal government to serve as the future provider of air traffic control services within the NAS. Biographical Questionnaire (BQ) Newly implemented questionnaire that is currently part of the FAA's hiring process for certain controller candidates. The BQ, which has been revised at least once since its original inception in February 2014, is meant to evaluate a candidate's personality, background, and leadership aptitude in order to predict future success as an air traffic controller. NATCA worked with the FAA to ensure that the revised BQ was validated on the current workforce of fully certified GLOSSARY 60 NiW Today n i w . n a t c a . n e t

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