ATC SOAR Act

Subjects: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:  <p><strong>Air Traffic Control Safe Operation and Readiness Act </strong><b>or the ATC SOAR Act</b></p> <p>This bill revises the hiring process for air traffic control specialists.</p> <p>Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to</p> <ul> <li>consider for the interview stage of the hiring process candidates who score at or above the passing score on the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (AT-SA) and meet minimum qualifications established by the FAA, </li> <li>revise the AT-SA to ensure that all questions are supported by a peer reviewed job analysis, and </li> <li>revise the AT-SA to ensure that it does not incorporate any biographical questionnaire or other questions of a biographical nature.</li> </ul>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 891 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Air Traffic Control Safe Operation 
and Readiness Act'' or the ``ATC SOAR Act''.

SEC. 2. HIRING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SPECIALISTS.

    Section 44506(f)(1)(B) of title 49, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new clause:
                            ``(iv) Consideration of candidates.--The 
                        Administrator shall consider for the interview 
                        stage of the hiring process candidates in each 
                        applicant pool described in this subparagraph 
                        who--
                                    ``(I) score at or above a passing 
                                score as determined by the 
                                Administrator on the Air Traffic Skills 
                                Assessment (AT-SA); and
                                    ``(II) meet minimum qualifications 
                                established by the Administrator.''.

SEC. 3. ENSURING HIRING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SPECIALISTS IS BASED ON 
              ASSESSMENT OF JOB-RELEVANT APTITUDES.

    (a) Update of the Air Traffic Skills Assessment.--Not later than 
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the Federal Aviation Administration shall revise the Air Traffic Skills 
Assessment (in this section referred to as the ``AT-SA'') administered 
to air traffic controller applicants described in clauses (ii) and 
(iii) of section 44506(f)(1)(B) of title 49, United States Code, in 
accordance with the following requirements:
            (1) The Administrator shall ensure that all questions on 
        the AT-SA are supported by a peer-reviewed job analysis that 
        ensures all questions test job-relevant aptitudes.
            (2) The Administrator shall ensure that the AT-SA does not 
        incorporate any biographical questionnaire or assessment or 
        other questions of a biographical nature (other than basic 
        identifiers such as first and last name) for applicants for the 
        position of air traffic controller from the applicant pools 
        described in clauses (ii) and (iii) of section 44506(f)(1)(B) 
        of title 49, United States Code.
    (b) Conforming Amendments Eliminating Use of Biographical 
Assessments for All Applicants.--Section 44506(f) of title 49, United 
States Code, as amended by section 2, is further amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(C)--
                    (A) by striking clause (ii); and
                    (B) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (ii); 
                and
            (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
            ``(2) No biographical assessments.--The Administrator shall 
        not use any biographical assessment when hiring under paragraph 
        (1)(A) or paragraph (1)(B).''.

SEC. 4. DOT INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT.

    Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Administrator 
of the Federal Aviation Administration completes the revision of the 
Air Traffic Skills Assessment (AT-SA) required under section 3(a), the 
Inspector General of the Department of Transportation shall submit a 
report to the Administrator, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, and, upon request, to 
any member of Congress, that assesses the assumptions and methodologies 
used to develop such revisions, the job-relevant aptitudes measured, 
and the scoring process for the revised assessment, together with, if 
appropriate, a description of any actions taken or recommended to be 
taken to address the results of the report.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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