NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023

Subjects: Transportation and Public Works, Administrative law and regulatory procedures, Advisory bodies, Aviation and airports, Congressional oversight, Department of Transportation, Executive agency funding and structure, Government studies and investigations, Transportation employees, Transportation safety and security

Summary:  <p><strong>NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023</strong></p> <p>This act directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish the FAA Task Force on NOTAM (notice to air missions required by international or domestic law) Improvement and requires the FAA to implement a federal NOTAM system. A NOTAM is a notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations but not known far enough in advance to be publicized by other means. It states the abnormal status of a component of the National Airspace System. </p> <p>Specifically, the task force must (1) review existing methods for publishing NOTAMs and flight operations information for pilots; (2) review regulations, policies, systems, and international standards relating to NOTAMs, including their content and presentation to pilots; (3) evaluate and determine best practices to organize, prioritize, and present flight operations information in a manner that optimizes pilot review and retention of relevant information; (4) provide recommendations to improve the publication and delivery of NOTAM information; and (5) report to Congress on its reviews and evaluations.</p> <p>By September 30, 2024, the FAA must (1) complete implementation of a federal NOTAM system and implement a back-up system, and (2) brief Congress on a plan to enhance information delivery through this federal system to promote further global harmonization and provide users of the National Airspace System a consistent format for domestic and international operations.</p>

<html><body><pre>[118th Congress Public Law 4]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 137 STAT. 7]]

Public Law 118-4
118th Congress

                                 An Act


 
 To establish a task force on improvements for notices to air missions, 
      and for other purposes. &lt;&lt;NOTE: June 3, 2023 -  [H.R. 346]&gt;&gt; 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, &lt;&lt;NOTE: NOTAM 
Improvement Act of 2023.&gt;&gt; 
SECTION 1. &lt;&lt;NOTE: 49 USC 40101 note.&gt;&gt;  SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FAA TASK FORCE ON NOTAM IMPROVEMENT.

    (a) &lt;&lt;NOTE: Deadline.&gt;&gt;  Establishment.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration shall establish a task force to be known 
as the FAA Task Force on NOTAM Improvement (in this section referred to 
as the ``Task Force'').

    (b) Composition.--The Task Force shall consist of members appointed 
by the Administrator, including at least one member of each of the 
following:
            (1) Air carrier representatives.
            (2) Airport representatives.
            (3) Labor union representatives of airline pilots.
            (4) Labor union representatives of aircraft dispatchers.
            (5) The labor union certified under section 7111 of title 5, 
        United States Code, to represent FAA air traffic control 
        specialists assigned to the United States NOTAMs Office.
            (6) The labor union certified under section 7111 of title 5, 
        United States Code, to represent FAA aeronautical information 
        specialists.
            (7) General and business aviation representatives.
            (8) Aviation safety experts with knowledge of NOTAMs.
            (9) Human factors experts.
            (10) Computer system architecture and cybersecurity experts.

    (c) Duties.--The duties of the Task Force shall include--
            (1) reviewing existing methods for publishing NOTAMs and 
        flight operations information to pilots;
            (2) reviewing regulations, policies, systems, and 
        international standards relating to NOTAMs, including their 
        content and presentation to pilots;
            (3) evaluating and determining best practices to organize, 
        prioritize, and present flight operations information in a 
        manner that optimizes pilot review and retention of relevant 
        information; and
            (4) providing recommendations for--

[[Page 137 STAT. 8]]

                    (A) improving the publication and delivery of NOTAM 
                information in a manner that prioritizes or highlights 
                the most important information, and optimizes pilot 
                review and retention of relevant information;
                    (B) ways to ensure that NOTAMs are complete, 
                accurate, timely, relevant to safe flight operations, 
                and contain pertinent information;
                    (C) any best practices that the FAA should consider 
                to improve the accuracy and understandability of NOTAMs 
                and the display of flight operations information;
                    (D) ways to work with air carriers, other airspace 
                users, and aviation service providers to implement 
                solutions that are aligned with the recommendations 
                under this paragraph; and
                    (E) ways to ensure the stability, resiliency, and 
                cybersecurity of the NOTAM computer system.

    (d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
establishment of the Task Force, the Task Force shall submit to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report detailing--
            (1) the results of the reviews and evaluations of the Task 
        Force under paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (c);
            (2) the best practices identified and recommendations 
        provided by the Task Force under subsection (c)(4);
            (3) &lt;&lt;NOTE: Recommenda- tions.&gt;&gt;  any recommendations of the 
        Task Force for additional regulatory or policy actions to 
        improve the publication of NOTAMs; and
            (4) the degree to which implementing the recommendations of 
        the Task Force described under paragraph (2) will address 
        National Transportation Safety Board Safety Recommendation A-18-
        024.

    (e) Applicable Law.--Chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code, 
shall not apply to the Task Force.
    (f) Sunset.--The Task Force shall terminate on the later of--
            (1) the date on which the Task Force submits the report 
        required under subsection (d); or
            (2) the date that is 18 months after the date on which the 
        Task Force is established under subsection (a).

    (g) Authority.--The Administrator shall have the authority to carry 
out the recommendations of the Task Force detailed in the report 
required under subsection (d).
    (h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to require the FAA to duplicate any prior, ongoing, or planned efforts 
related to the improvement of NOTAMs, including any efforts related to 
implementing any previously enacted requirements.
    (i) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) FAA.--The term ``FAA'' means the Federal Aviation 
        Administration.
            (2) NOTAM.--The term ``NOTAM'' means a notice containing 
        information (which is not known sufficiently in advance to 
        publicize by other means) concerning the establishment, 
        condition, or change in any component (including a facility, 
        service, or procedure thereof) or hazard in the National 
        Airspace System, the timely knowledge of which is essential to 
        personnel concerned with flight operations.

[[Page 137 STAT. 9]]

SEC. 3. &lt;&lt;NOTE: 49 USC 44701 note.&gt;&gt;  ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

     &lt;&lt;NOTE: Deadline.&gt;&gt; Not later than September 30, 2024, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall make the 
following improvements:
            (1) Complete implementation of a Federal NOTAM System (in 
        this section referred to as a ``FNS'').
            (2) Implement a back-up system to the FNS.
            (3) &lt;&lt;NOTE: Briefings.&gt;&gt;  Brief the Committee on 
        Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate on a plan to enhance the capability 
        to deliver information through the FNS that is machine-readable, 
        filterable, and in the format used by the International Civil 
        Aviation Organization (ICAO) to promote further global 
        harmonization among neighboring Air Navigation Service Providers 
        (ANSPs) and provide users of the National Airspace System with 
        one consistent format for domestic and international operations.

    Approved June 3, 2023.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 346:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 169 (2023):
            Jan. 25, considered and passed House.
            May 9, considered and passed Senate, amended.
            May 22, House concurred in Senate amendment.

                                  &lt;all&gt;
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