A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/687483
to address the staffing issue, and we have had numerous Senate offices ask to take the lead on the issue. More to follow on this. H.R. 5292: H.R. 5292 would improve the hiring of air traffic controllers by streamlining the pro cess and ensuring a path for Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) students and military Veterans. Click here to view the text of this bill, titled "Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016." This legislation was introduced on May 19 and has been referred to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation for consideration . The Senate passed almost identical language in its version of the FAA Reauthorization bill, which passed the chamber in April. NATCA supports H.R. 5292 and will continue to urge members of the U.S. House of Representatives to sign on as co - sponsors. Sta ffing Crisis Background : Air traffic controller staffing at the FAA has been a concern for years, but it has now reached a crisis level. The NAS has reached a 27 - year low for staffing of Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs). Meanwhile, the FAA has mis sed its hiring goals in each of the last seven years. With one quarter of the workforce eligible to retire and not enough controllers in the pipeline to replace them, the staffing crisis poses an immediate challenge to our workforce and is currently NATCA' s priority. THUD APPROPRIATIONS BILLS ADVANCE : The Senate voted 89 - 8 to pass its Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill on May 19. The bill (S. 2844) provides $56.5 billion in funding for THUD programs for Fiscal Year ( FY) 2017 and was combined with the military construction and veterans affairs spending measure (Mil - Con VA). The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of THUD May 24, just in time for NATCAvists to head to the H ill and thank members of the Ap propriations Committee for their inclusion of robust funding for the FAA Operations and F & E accounts in the THUD bill. The THUD legislation is now ready to be considered on the House floor for a vote. THUD Funding Levels : The Senate THUD spending bill, if enacted, would provide $16.4 billion for the FAA, which is $131.6 million above the FY2016 enacted level. Specifically, the Senate version would provide the FAA Operations account $9.9 billion ($54 million over the President's request), the F&E account $2.8 billion, and the Research, Engineering, and Development account $167.5 million. This is great news for NATCA, especially considering that other THUD programs received cuts. In the House, the THUD Subcommittee passed its version of this legislation on Wednesday, May 18, which would provide $16.3 billion for the FAA. Specifically, the House version would provide the marks NATCA advocated for -- $9.994 billion in the FAA Operations account, and $2.838 billion in the F&E account. Background : As a reminder , there are 12 spending bills for both chambers to get through in order to fund the government before Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) starts on October 1. If that doesn't happen, a continuing resolution (CR) will need to be enacted to keep the government open. NAT CA GA staff monitors the THUD appropriations bill, which is the spending measure that provides funding to the FAA. NATCA GA staff has been continuously meeting with members of both the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as committee s taff, to make sure they know the importance of sufficient funding for the FAA to NATCA members. Status of Appropriations Bills : Despite the ongoing budget debate, appropriators in both the House and Senate are pushing forward and some are surprised that t he Senate has been moving at a faster pace than the House. So far, the House has passed the Mil - Con VA spending bill, and the Senate has passed THUD, Mil - Con VA, and the Energy - Water bill. Passage of the Energy - Water bill marked the earliest Senate action on an appropriations measure in about 40 years. In the House,