II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 891 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of 

the Federal Aviation Administration to give preferential consideration 

to individuals who have successfully completed air traffic controller training when hiring air traffic control specialists, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 21, 2023 

Mr. LEE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to 

give preferential consideration to individuals who have 

successfully completed air traffic controller training when 

hiring air traffic control specialists, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Air Traffic Control 

5 Safe Operation and Readiness Act’’ or the ‘‘ATC SOAR 

6 Act’’. 


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•S 891 IS

1 SEC. 2. HIRING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SPECIALISTS. 

2 Section 44506(f)(1)(B) of title 49, United States 

3 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 

4 clause: 

5 ‘‘(iv) CONSIDERATION OF CAN6 DIDATES.—The Administrator shall con7 sider for the interview stage of the hiring 

8 process candidates in each applicant pool 

9 described in this subparagraph who— 

10 ‘‘(I) score at or above a passing 

11 score as determined by the Adminis12 trator on the Air Traffic Skills As13 sessment (AT–SA); and 

14 ‘‘(II) meet minimum qualifica15 tions established by the Adminis16 trator.’’. 

17 SEC. 3. ENSURING HIRING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SPE18 CIALISTS IS BASED ON ASSESSMENT OF JOB19 RELEVANT APTITUDES. 

20 (a) UPDATE OF THE AIR TRAFFIC SKILLS ASSESS21 MENT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enact22 ment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Avia23 tion Administration shall revise the Air Traffic Skills As24 sessment (in this section referred to as the ‘‘AT–SA’’) ad25 ministered to air traffic controller applicants described in 

26 clauses (ii) and (iii) of section 44506(f)(1)(B) of title 49, 


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•S 891 IS

1 United States Code, in accordance with the following re2 quirements: 

3 (1) The Administrator shall ensure that all 

4 questions on the AT–SA are supported by a peer-re5 viewed job analysis that ensures all questions test 

6 job-relevant aptitudes. 

7 (2) The Administrator shall ensure that the 

8 AT–SA does not incorporate any biographical ques9 tionnaire or assessment or other questions of a bio10 graphical nature (other than basic identifiers such 

11 as first and last name) for applicants for the posi12 tion of air traffic controller from the applicant pools 

13 described in clauses (ii) and (iii) of section 

14 44506(f)(1)(B) of title 49, United States Code. 

15 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS ELIMINATING USE

16 OF BIOGRAPHICAL ASSESSMENTS FOR ALL APPLI17 CANTS.—Section 44506(f) of title 49, United States Code, 

18 as amended by section 2, is further amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (1)(C)— 

20 (A) by striking clause (ii); and 

21 (B) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause 

22 (ii); and 

23 (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

24 following: 


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•S 891 IS

1 ‘‘(2) NO BIOGRAPHICAL ASSESSMENTS.—The 

2 Administrator shall not use any biographical assess3 ment when hiring under paragraph (1)(A) or para4 graph (1)(B).’’. 

5 SEC. 4. DOT INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT. 

6 Not later than 180 days after the date on which the 

7 Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 

8 completes the revision of the Air Traffic Skills Assessment 

9 (AT–SA) required under section 3(a), the Inspector Gen10 eral of the Department of Transportation shall submit a 

11 report to the Administrator, the Committee on Commerce, 

12 Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee 

13 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

14 Representatives, and, upon request, to any member of 

15 Congress, that assesses the assumptions and methodolo16 gies used to develop such revisions, the job-relevant apti17 tudes measured, and the scoring process for the revised 

18 assessment, together with, if appropriate, a description of 

19 any actions taken or recommended to be taken to address 

20 the results of the report. 

Æ 


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