For the remainder of the year, PASS will be using the Legislative Update to provide an in-depth analysis of the recent FAA reauthorization bill and the impact it will have on PASS members. As previously reported, the president signed into law legislation to reauthorize the FAA for five years on October 5, 2018. The legislation received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and Senate and, importantly to PASS, was free of any proposal to privatize the air traffic control system. The legislation included many provisions that were supported and advocated for by PASS. A full copy of the legislation can be found here.
This week’s analysis will examine the training and staffing provisions that affect PASS members. PASS members have been vigilant in bringing attention to staffing shortages across the country as well as gaps in training that have the potential to impact the safety of the system. In response to these efforts, there are several provisions that instruct the FAA, Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Department of Transportation Inspector General (IG) to develop solutions that include direct input from PASS.
When it comes to safety oversight, FAA aviation safety inspectors need training that reflects the growing demands of the rapidly advancing aviation industry. In addressing that, Section 231 of the legislation directs the agency to develop a safety workforce training strategy. Within the next 60 days, the FAA is directed to review and revise the current workforce training to develop a more responsive strategy. The new training must use a risk-based approach to safety oversight in order to develop an inspector workforce that has the resources to conduct organization designation authorization (ODA) program audits. Nine months after the agency revises the training strategy, the FAA must provide a report to Congress with specific strategies for meeting milestones as well as including metrics for the training plan.
Section 232 directs the GAO to issue a report on the workforce and training needs of the FAA Office of Aviation Safety (AVS). The GAO will conduct an analysis of current aviation safety inspector hiring, training and recurrent training requirements, including the skills and qualifications required of safety inspectors. Within the scope of the report is a review of performance incentive policies. As a result of PASS’s lobbying, the GAO will issue findings on ways the FAA can work with PASS-represented employees to coordinate and prepare for the future needs of the aviation industry in terms of training and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
Another provision that was included as a result of PASS advocacy is Section 302, which addresses FAA technical training for airway systems specialists and aviation safety inspectors. The FAA, in collaboration with PASS, is to develop an e-learning pilot program that allows FAA employees to receive instruction on the latest aviation technologies, programs and processes through an online, instructor-led training. This will allow employees to participate in the FAA’s learning curriculum outside of Oklahoma City and the traditional classroom setting, which can be time consuming and disruptive to daily life. After one year, the administrator will review and asses the pilot program in an effort to implement it or make updates or changes.
A top legislative priority for PASS has long been addressing the lack of a reliable staffing model for aviation safety inspectors. Section 303 takes steps to secure a staffing model that responds to the needs of the workforce across the country. The FAA is directed to update its safety critical staffing model to determine the number of aviation safety inspectors that are needed to fulfill the safety oversight mission of the agency. Upon completion of the update, the IG will conduct an audit of the staffing model to review the its methodology and whether it is capable of meeting the growing industry demands and appropriately predict the number of safety inspectors.
PASS knows the work is far from complete when it comes to addressing the staffing and training needs of the FAA workforce. PASS will continue to work with the FAA and Congress to ensure the agency is taking the appropriate actions in response to the new law.
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