Leaders of the House Transportation Committee have drafted a reauthorization bill for the FAA that addresses several union issues and other employee-related matters. The bill contains funding to enable the FAA to modernize the air traffic control system and make capacity-enhancing improvements at airports.
The measure requires that, if the FAA and one of its bargaining units do not reach agreement, the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service shall be used or the parties may agree to an alternative dispute resolution procedure. This requirement applies to the new dispute resolution process to the ongoing dispute between the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA. That dispute goes back several years, when after reaching impasse the FAA imposed its last offer as the binding contract, which is allowable under current law.
It also:
* increases the number of aviation safety inspectors;
* requires the FAA to inspect all certificated foreign repair stations twice each year;
* creates an independent Aviation Safety Whistleblower Investigation Office within the FAA charged with receiving safety complaints and information submitted by both FAA employees and employees of certificated entities, investigating them, and then recommending appropriate corrective actions to the FAA;
* establishes a two-year "post-service cooling off period for FAA inspectors or persons responsible for FAA inspector oversight before they can act as agents or representatives before the Agency of a certificate holder that they oversaw during their service with the FAA; and
* requires the FAA to rotate principle supervisory inspectors between airline oversight offices every five years.