FAA Research and Development Act of 2023

Subjects: Transportation and Public Works


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3559 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3559

      To provide for Federal Aviation Administration research and 
                  development, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2023

  Mr. Lucas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the 
  Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To provide for Federal Aviation Administration research and 
                  development, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``FAA Research and 
Development Act of 2023''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Authorization of appropriations.
          TITLE I --FAA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

Sec. 101. Assistant Administrator for Research and Development.
Sec. 102. Report on implementation; funding for safety research and 
                            development.
           TITLE II --FAA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Sec. 201. Aviation fuel research, development, and usage.
Sec. 202. Continuous lower energy, emission, and noise (CLEEN).
Sec. 203. Hydrogen aviation research and development.
Sec. 204. Air traffic surveillance over oceans and other remote 
                            locations.
Sec. 205. Utilization of space-based assets to improve air traffic 
                            control and aviation safety.
Sec. 206. Aviation weather technology review.
Sec. 207. Air traffic surface operations safety.
Sec. 208. Airport and airfield pavement technology research program.
Sec. 209. Technology review of artificial intelligence and machine 
                            learning technologies.
Sec. 210. Research plan for commercial supersonic research.
Sec. 211. Electromagnetic spectrum research and development.
Sec. 212. Aviation structures, materials, and advanced manufacturing 
                            research and development.
Sec. 213. Research plan on the remote tower program.
Sec. 214. Air traffic control training.
Sec. 215. Report on aviation cybersecurity directives.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
            (2) Appropriate committees of congress.--The terms 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the Committee on 
        Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 
        and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
        the Senate.
            (3) FAA.--The term ``FAA'' means the Federal Aviation 
        Administration.
            (4) NASA.--The term ``NASA'' means the National Aeronautics 
        and Space Administration.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Subsection (a) of section 48102 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (14), by striking ``and'';
            (2) in paragraph (15) by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(16) $255,130,000; for fiscal year 2024;
            ``(17) $261,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
            ``(18) $267,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
            ``(19) $273,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
            ``(20) $279,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.''.

          TITLE I --FAA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

SEC. 101. ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    No funds are authorized to be appropriated for the Office of the 
Administrator for a fiscal year unless the Administrator has 
implemented section 711 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public 
Law 115-254; 49 U.S.C. 106 note).

SEC. 102. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION; FUNDING FOR SAFETY RESEARCH AND 
              DEVELOPMENT.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the allocation of 
funding pursuant to section 48102 of title 49, United States Code, to 
the Secretary of Transportation to conduct civil aviation research and 
development under sections 44504, 44505, 44507, 44509, and 44511 
through 44513 of such title, and to assess the implementation of 
section 48102(b)(2) of such title.

           TITLE II --FAA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

SEC. 201. AVIATION FUEL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND USAGE.

    (a) Roadmap.--The Secretary of Transportation shall coordinate with 
the Administrator of NASA, the Secretary of Energy, and the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and consult 
relevant stakeholders, including those in industry and academia, to 
prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
coordinated research and development roadmap to safely eliminate the 
use of leaded aviation fuel without adversely affecting the existing 
piston engine fleet. Such roadmap shall consider activities to promote 
the development, testing, and certification of safe and lead-free fuel 
for use in general aviation aircraft, including requisite airport 
refueling infrastructure.
    (b) Partnership With Private Industry.--The Administrator shall 
coordinate with industry regarding research programs for mass 
production and distribution of unleaded aviation gasoline for market 
viability, and define criteria to explore incentive programs to reduce 
lead emissions for communities in need.

SEC. 202. CONTINUOUS LOWER ENERGY, EMISSION, AND NOISE (CLEEN).

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall broaden the CLEEN program 
to include hydrogen and other alternative aviation fuel for 
development, maturation, and testing of certifiable continuous, lower 
energy, emission, and noise (CLEEN) aircraft, engine technologies, and 
fuels for civil airplanes.
    (b) Scope.--Subsection (a) of section 47511 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``jet''; and
            (2) by striking ``subsonic''.

SEC. 203. HYDROGEN AVIATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Administrator of NASA and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, 
shall lead the development of a research and development strategy on 
the safe use of hydrogen as part of a sustainable future for aviation. 
Such strategy shall consider the following:
            (1) The feasibility, opportunities, challenges, and 
        pathways toward the potential uses of hydrogen in aviation.
            (2) The use of hydrogen in combination with other research 
        and development efforts for alternatives to traditional 
        aviation fuel.
    (b) Transmittal.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of the Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress the research and development 
strategy required under subsection (a).
    (c) Research and Development.--Based on the results of the research 
and development strategy under subsection (a), the Administrator, in 
coordination with the Administrator of NASA, may, using amounts made 
available under section 48102(a) of title 49, United States Code, 
conduct research and development activities into the following:
            (1) The qualification of hydrogen aviation fuel.
            (2) The safe transition to such fuel for aircraft.
            (3) The advancement of certification efforts for such fuel.

SEC. 204. AIR TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE OVER OCEANS AND OTHER REMOTE 
              LOCATIONS.

    (a) Air Traffic Surveillance Over Oceans.--The Administrator, in 
consultation with the Administrator of NASA and the heads of other 
relevant Federal agencies, shall carry out research, development, 
demonstration, and testing on civilian air traffic surveillance over 
oceans and other remote locations.
    (b) Requirements.--In carrying out the research, development, 
demonstration, and testing under subsection (a), the Administrator 
shall--
            (1) consider the need for international interoperability of 
        technologies, data, operations, and air traffic control 
        systems;
            (2) examine the status of using air traffic surveillance 
        technologies, including space-based Automatic Dependent 
        Surveillance-Broadcast, to facilitate the implementation of 
        minimal separation standards over United States-controlled 
        oceanic airspace;
            (3) identify mitigating approaches to reducing any 
        operational challenges, associated costs, or workload impacts; 
        and
            (4) use testing, data collection, evaluation, and analysis 
        on the use of air traffic surveillance technologies, including 
        space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, to 
        support the activities described in paragraphs (1) through (3).
    (c) Pilot Program.--The Administrator may carry out a pilot program 
to test and evaluate air traffic surveillance equipment over United 
States-controlled oceanic airspace and other remote locations.
    (d) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the activities carried 
out under this section.

SEC. 205. UTILIZATION OF SPACE-BASED ASSETS TO IMPROVE AIR TRAFFIC 
              CONTROL AND AVIATION SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--Using amounts available under section 48102(a) of 
title 49, United States Code, the Administrator, in coordination with 
the Administrator of the NASA, and in consultation with industry 
stakeholders, shall carry out research, development, demonstration, and 
testing of air traffic Space-Based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Broadcast (ADS-B) data.
    (b) Research Activities.--In carrying out the research, 
development, demonstration, and testing under subsection (a) the 
Administrator shall focus on the following:
            (1) Monitoring and automatically reporting air turbulence 
        events.
            (2) Providing space-based multilateration surveillance.
            (3) Identifying global positioning system (GPS) and global 
        navigation satellite system (GNSS) disruptions affecting air 
        traffic services and assessing the impact of such events on the 
        safety of air traffic and the National Airspace System.
            (4) Evaluating the feasibility of implementing and using 
        aviation safety technologies and systems using space-based 
        Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the research and 
development program under subsection (a) and the information obtained 
pursuant to the activities researched pursuant to subsection (b).

SEC. 206. AVIATION WEATHER TECHNOLOGY REVIEW.

    (a) Review.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
shall conduct a review of current and planned research, modeling, and 
technology capabilities that have the potential to more accurately 
detect and predict weather impacts to aviation, inform how advanced 
predictive models can enhance aviation operations, and increase 
national airspace system safety and efficiency.
    (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report containing the results of 
the review conducted under subsection (a).

SEC. 207. AIR TRAFFIC SURFACE OPERATIONS SAFETY.

    (a) Research.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Administrator of NASA and the heads of other appropriate Federal 
agencies, shall continue to carry out research on technologies and 
operations to enhance air traffic surface operations safety.
    (b) Requirements.--The research program under subsection (a) shall 
examine the following:
            (1) The safety of current air traffic control operations.
            (2) Emerging in-cockpit technologies to enhance ground 
        situational awareness.
            (3) Emerging technologies to enhance air traffic control 
        situational awareness.
            (4) Air traffic surface operations safety for diverse 
        advanced air mobility operations.
            (5) Safety and operational data needed to inform current 
        and future safety programs on advanced air mobility vehicles.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the research carried out 
under this section, including regarding the transition into operational 
use of such research.

SEC. 208. AIRPORT AND AIRFIELD PAVEMENT TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    Section 744 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-
254; 49 U.S.C. 44505 note) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'';
            (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ``durable airfield 
        pavements.'' and inserting ``resilient and sustainable airfield 
        pavements; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(5) develop sustainability and resiliency guidelines to 
        improve long-term pavement performance and reduce carbon 
        emissions.''.

SEC. 209. TECHNOLOGY REVIEW OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE 
              LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) Review.--The Administrator shall conduct a review of current 
and planned artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies 
to improve airport efficiency and safety.
    (b) Summaries.--The review conducted under subsection (a) shall 
include examination of the application of artificial intelligence and 
machine learning technologies to the following:
            (1) Jet bridges.
            (2) Airport service vehicles on airport movement areas.
            (3) Aircraft taxi.
            (4) FAA air traffic control operations.
            (5) Airport security.
            (6) Any other areas the Administrator determines necessary 
        to help improve airport efficiency and safety.
    (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report containing the results of 
the review conducted under subsection (a).

SEC. 210. RESEARCH PLAN FOR COMMERCIAL SUPERSONIC RESEARCH.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Administrator of NASA 
and industry, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
comprehensive research plan to build on research and development and 
identify any further research and development needed to support 
establishment of Federal and international policies, regulations, 
standards, and recommended practices relating to the certification and 
safe and efficient operation of civil supersonic aircraft and 
supersonic overland flight.

SEC. 211. ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall conduct research, 
engineering, and development related to the effective and efficient use 
and management of radio frequency spectrum in the civil aviation 
domain, including for aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, and advanced 
air mobility. Such research, engineering, and development shall, at a 
minimum, address the following:
            (1) How reallocation or repurposing of radio frequency 
        spectrum adjacent to spectrum allocated for communication, 
        navigation, and surveillance may impact the safety of civil 
        aviation.
            (2) The effectiveness of measures to identify risks, 
        protect, and mitigate against spectrum interference in 
        frequency bands used in civil and commercial aviation 
        operations to ensure public safety.
            (3) The implications, including risks, of new or emerging 
        technologies or other factors on the environment for radio 
        frequency spectrum interference.
            (4) How various new or emerging technologies may enable 
        improvements in the prevention of, mitigation of, or resilience 
        to interference.
    (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report containing the results of 
the research, engineering, and development conducted under subsection 
(a).

SEC. 212. AVIATION STRUCTURES, MATERIALS, AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING 
              RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--Using the amounts available under section 48102(a) 
of title 49, United States Code, the Administrator, in coordination 
with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, shall carry out a research and development program for 
advancing aviation structures, materials, and manufacturing for the 
safe use in and on aircraft.
    (b) Inclusion.--The program under subsection (a) shall, to the 
extent practicable, include research and development relating to the 
following:
            (1) Metallic and non-metallic based additive materials and 
        processes, composites, and other advanced materials.
            (2) Process development for the development of design and 
        manufacturing standards for aviation structures, materials, and 
        additive manufacturing.
            (3) Improving certification efficiency of aviation 
        structures, materials, and additively manufactured aviation 
        products and components.
            (4) Evaluating long-term material and structural behavior 
        and associated maintenance, including support for fatigue life 
        determination, structural changes related to fatigue, thermal, 
        corrosive environments, and expected maintenance of such 
        materials, including recommended repair techniques.
            (5) Partnering with commercial entities to mature and 
        certify, as appropriate, metal additive manufacturing, 
        including large-scale additive manufacturing, aviation 
        structures, and advanced materials capabilities, including the 
        development and qualification of new material chemistries, to 
        be used in the manufacture of aircraft.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the findings of the 
research under subsection (a).

SEC. 213. RESEARCH PLAN ON THE REMOTE TOWER PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a comprehensive plan for research, 
development, testing, and evaluation needed to mature remote tower 
technology and provide a strategic roadmap to support standards 
development, validation, and operational certification of such 
technology.
    (b) Considerations.--As part of the plan required under subsection 
(a), the Administrator should consider the use of remote tower 
technologies for advanced air mobility operations.

SEC. 214. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TRAINING.

    (a) Research.--Using amounts made available under section 48102(a) 
of title 49, United States Code, the Administrator shall carry out a 
research program to evaluate opportunities to modernize, enhance, and 
streamline training time to become a Certified Professional Controller.
    (b) Requirements.--The research under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) assess the use of advanced technologies, such as 
        artificial intelligence, machine learning, adaptive computer-
        based simulation, virtual reality, or augmented reality, to 
        enhance controller knowledge retention, improve performance, 
        and improve the effectiveness of training time; and
            (2) develop a timeline to deploy proven advanced 
        technologies and associated processes for accreditation in 
        training programs and training facilities within the national 
        airspace system.
    (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the findings of the 
research under subsection (a).

SEC. 215. REPORT ON AVIATION CYBERSECURITY DIRECTIVES.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
Congress a report on the status of the FAA's implementation of section 
2111 of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 (Public Law 
114-190; 49 U.S.C. 44903 note; relating to the development of a 
comprehensive and strategic aviation cybersecurity framework and 
establishment of a research and development plan to mitigate 
cybersecurity risks in the National Airspace System). The report, at 
minimum, shall include the following:
            (1) A description of the FAA's progress in developing, 
        implementing, and updating such framework.
            (2) A description of prioritized research and development 
        activities for the most needed improvements with target dates 
        to safeguard the National Airspace System.
            (3) An explanation for any delays or challenges in so 
        implementing such section.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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