I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8532 
To establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 6, 2020 
Mr. CARSON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, and Mr. LARSEN of Wash-
ington) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To establish the National Center for the Advancement of 
Aviation. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Center for 
the Advancement of Aviation Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. FEDERAL CHARTER FOR THE NATIONAL CENTER 
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AVIATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of Subtitle I of title 
49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 118. NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF 
AVIATION. 
‘‘(a) FEDERAL CHARTER AND STATUS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The National Center for 
the Advancement of Aviation (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘Center’) is a Federally chartered 
entity. The Center is a private entity, not a depart-
ment, agency, or instrumentality of the United 
States Government. Except as provided in subsection 
(f)(1), an officer or employee of the Center is not an 
officer or employee of the Federal Government. 
‘‘(2) PERPETUAL EXISTENCE.—Except as oth-
erwise provided, the Center has perpetual existence. 
‘‘(b) GOVERNING BODY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board of Directors (in 
this section referred to as the ‘Board’) is the gov-
erning body of the Center. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORITY AND POWERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall adopt 
a constitution, bylaws, regulations, policies, and 
procedures to carry out the purpose of the Cen-
ter and may take any other action that it con-
siders necessary (in accordance with the duties 
and powers of the Center) for the management 
and operation of the Center. The Board is re-
sponsible for the general policies and manage-
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ment of the Center and for the control of all 
funds of the Center. 
‘‘(B) POWERS
OF
BOARD.—The Board 
shall have the power to do the following: 
‘‘(i) Adopt and alter a corporate seal. 
‘‘(ii) Establish and maintain offices to 
conduct its activities. 
‘‘(iii) Enter into contracts. 
‘‘(iv) Acquire, own, lease, encumber, 
and transfer property as necessary and ap-
propriate to carry out the purposes of the 
Center. 
‘‘(v) Publish documents and other 
publications in a publicly accessible man-
ner. 
‘‘(vi) Incur and pay obligations. 
‘‘(vii) Make or issue grants and in-
clude any conditions on such grants in fur-
therance of the purpose and duties of the 
Center. 
‘‘(viii) Perform any other act nec-
essary and proper to carry out the pur-
poses of the Center as described in its con-
stitution and bylaws or duties outlined in 
this section. 
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‘‘(3) MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall have 
11 Directors as follows: 
‘‘(i) EX-OFFICIO
MEMBERSHIP.—The 
following individuals, or their designees, 
shall serve as ex-officio members of the 
Board: 
‘‘(I) The Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration. 
‘‘(II) The Director of the William 
J. Hughes Technical Center within 
the Federal Aviation Administration. 
‘‘(III) The Director of the Mike 
Monroney Aeronautical Center within 
the Federal Aviation Administration. 
‘‘(ii) APPOINTMENTS.— 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—From among 
those members of the public who are 
highly respected and have knowledge 
and experience in the fields of avia-
tion, finance, or academia— 
‘‘(aa) 
the 
Secretary 
of 
Transportation shall appoint 5 
members to the Board; 
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‘‘(bb) the Secretary of De-
fense shall appoint 1 member to 
the Board; and 
‘‘(cc) the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall appoint 1 
member to the Board. 
‘‘(II) TERMS.—The members ap-
pointed under subclause (I) shall serve 
for a term of 3 years and may be re-
appointed. To ensure subsequent ap-
pointments to the Board are stag-
gered, of the 7 members first ap-
pointed under subclause (I), 2 shall be 
appointed for a term of 1 year, 2 shall 
be appointed for a term of 2 years, 
and 3 shall be appointed for a term of 
3 years. 
‘‘(III) 
CONSIDERATION.—When 
considering whom to appoint to the 
Board, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation and Secretary of Defense shall 
ensure the overall composition of the 
Board remains balanced between and 
within the fields of aviation, finance, 
and academia. 
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‘‘(iii) 
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR.—The 
Executive Director of the Center shall be a 
member of the Board pursuant to para-
graph (5)(D). 
‘‘(B) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the 
Board shall be filled in the same manner as the 
initial appointment. 
‘‘(4) CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.—The Board 
shall choose a Chairman of the Board from among 
the members of the Board. 
‘‘(5) ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.— 
‘‘(A) MEETINGS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall 
meet at the call of the Chair but not less 
than 2 times each year and may, as appro-
priate, conduct business by telephone or 
other electronic means. 
‘‘(ii) OPEN.— 
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—Except as 
provided in clause (II), a meeting of 
the Board shall be open to the public. 
‘‘(II) EXCEPTION.—A meeting, 
or any portion of a meeting, may be 
closed if the Board, in public session, 
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votes to close the meeting because the 
matters to be discussed— 
‘‘(aa) relate solely to the in-
ternal personnel rules and prac-
tices of the Center; 
‘‘(bb) may result in disclo-
sure of commercial or financial 
information obtained from a per-
son that is privileged or confiden-
tial; 
‘‘(cc) may disclose informa-
tion of a personal nature where 
disclosure would constitute a 
clearly unwarranted invasion of 
personal privacy; or 
‘‘(dd) are matters that are 
specifically exempted from disclo-
sure by Federal or State law. 
‘‘(iii) PUBLIC
ANNOUNCEMENT.—At 
least 1 week before a meeting, and as soon 
as practicable thereafter if there are any 
changes, the Board shall make a public an-
nouncement of the meeting that de-
scribes— 
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‘‘(I) the time, place, and subject 
matter of the meeting; 
‘‘(II) whether the meeting is to 
be open or closed to the public; and 
‘‘(III) the name and appropriate 
contact information of a person who 
can respond to requests for informa-
tion about the meeting. 
‘‘(iv) RECORD.—The Board shall keep 
a transcript of minutes from each Board 
meeting. Such transcript shall be made 
available to the public in an accessible for-
mat, except for portions of the meeting 
that are closed pursuant to subparagraph 
(A)(ii)(II). 
‘‘(B) QUORUM.—A majority of members of 
the Board shall constitute a quorum. 
‘‘(C) RESTRICTION.—No member of the 
Board shall participate in any proceeding, ap-
plication, ruling or other determination, con-
tract claim, scholarship award, controversy, or 
other matter in which the member, the mem-
ber’s employer or prospective employer, or the 
member’s spouse, partner, or minor child has a 
direct financial interest. Any person who vio-
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lates this subparagraph shall be subject to ap-
plicable Federal and State laws and may be 
fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned for 
not more than 2 years, or both. 
‘‘(D) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Board 
shall appoint and fix the pay of an Executive 
Director of the Center (in this section referred 
to as the ‘Executive Director’) who shall also 
become a member of the Board. The Executive 
Director serves at the pleasure of the Board, 
under such terms and conditions as the Board 
shall establish and is subject to removal by the 
Board at its discretion. The Executive Director 
shall be responsible for the daily management 
and operation of the Center and for carrying 
out the purposes and duties of the Center. The 
Board shall designate to the Executive Director 
the authority to appoint additional personnel as 
the Board considers appropriate and necessary 
to carry out the purposes and duties of the 
Center. 
‘‘(c) PURPOSE OF THE CENTER.—The purpose of the 
Center is to provide a forum to facilitate collaboration and 
cooperation between aviation and aerospace private sector 
stakeholders, including general, business, and commercial 
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aviation, education, labor, manufacturing, the Armed 
Forces, and other governmental, non-governmental, and 
international organizations, for the purpose of supporting 
and promoting civil and military aviation and aerospace 
in order to address the demands and challenges associated 
with ensuring a safe and vibrant national aviation system 
as identified by the Board. In furtherance of that purpose, 
the constitution and bylaws of the Center shall direct the 
Center to focus on the following: 
‘‘(1) The development and sustainability of a 
well-qualified, well-trained civil and military aviation 
and aerospace workforce. 
‘‘(2) The conduct of research and development 
of new aviation and aerospace training materials and 
products. 
‘‘(3) The coordination of the dissemination of 
grants for the development of aviation and aerospace 
oriented high school STEM education curriculum. 
‘‘(4) The facilitation of collaboration between 
institutions of higher education or other research in-
stitutions engaged in aviation, aerospace or related 
research or technical development, including those 
institutions designated as Centers of Excellence or 
Test Centers of the Federal Aviation Administration 
and aviation and aerospace stakeholders. 
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‘‘(5) The engagement in other workforce devel-
opment activities consistent with addressing the de-
mands and challenges facing the aviation and aero-
space industry. 
‘‘(d) DUTIES OF CENTER.—In order to accomplish 
the purpose described in subsection (c), the Center shall 
perform the following duties: 
‘‘(1) Support the development of aviation and 
aerospace education curricula, including syllabuses 
and lesson plans, for use by high schools, institu-
tions of higher education, secondary education insti-
tutions, or technical training and vocational schools 
that are designed to prepare students to enter the 
aviation or aerospace workforce by becoming aircraft 
pilots, aerospace engineers, unmanned aircraft sys-
tem operators, aviation maintenance technicians, or 
other aviation maintenance professionals, or to re-
fresh the knowledge of pilots or any of the aforemen-
tioned individuals working in the aviation or aero-
space sector. 
‘‘(2) Support the professional development of 
educators using the curriculum described in para-
graph (1) and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of sub-
section (e)(1) by organizing symposiums designed to 
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assist educators who are teaching or who wish to 
teach the aviation curriculum. 
‘‘(3) Promote aviation and aerospace employ-
ment opportunities generally, including building 
awareness of youth oriented aviation and aerospace 
programs (such as the Civil Air Patrol, Young Ea-
gles program, and Reserve Officers Training Corps) 
and establishing scholarships, apprenticeships, or 
mentorship programs for individuals, including indi-
viduals in economically disadvantaged areas or indi-
viduals who are underrepresented in the aviation in-
dustry and who wish to pursue a career in an 
aviation- or aerospace-related field. 
‘‘(4) Support of Armed Forces personnel seek-
ing to transition to a career in civil aviation or an 
aerospace related field through outreach, training, 
apprenticeships, or other means. 
‘‘(5) Serve as a central repository for publicly 
available economic data, safety data, and research 
efforts related to the aviation and aerospace sectors 
in order to make available to the public information 
that highlights the economic impact of aviation and 
aerospace and information that would improve the 
safety of aviation and aerospace. The Center shall 
periodically, as appropriate, publicize an analysis of 
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such data in an accessible format. In particular, the 
Center shall coordinate with existing FAA Centers 
of Excellence to do the following: 
‘‘(A) Ensure research and development ef-
forts conducted at Centers of Excellence of the 
Federal Aviation Administration are tracked, 
collected, and amplified across the aviation and 
aerospace community. 
‘‘(B) Provide a repository of pertinent rec-
ommendations or other action items from all 
Centers of Excellence for public review. 
‘‘(C) Serve as a collaborative forum for 
Centers of Excellence institution researchers, 
stakeholders, and other interested parties for 
the purpose of discussing research efforts. 
‘‘(6) Serve as a forum, through symposiums, 
conferences, and other means as appropriate, for 
cross-disciplinary collaboration among aviation and 
aerospace stakeholders to consider the near-term 
and long-term future of aviation and aerospace gen-
erally with respect to new training materials and 
products. 
‘‘(e) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to accomplish the 
purpose under subsection (c) and duties under sub-
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section (d), the Center shall have the authority and 
ability to issue grants to organizations that have ex-
perience in, and knowledge of, creating, developing, 
and delivering or updating— 
‘‘(A) high school aviation curricula, includ-
ing syllabuses and lesson plans, that are de-
signed to prepare students to become aircraft 
pilots, aerospace engineers, unmanned aircraft 
system operators, aviation maintenance techni-
cians, or other aviation maintenance profes-
sionals, or to refresh the knowledge of out-of- 
practice pilots or any of the aforementioned in-
dividuals; or 
‘‘(B) aviation curricula, including sylla-
buses and lesson plans, used at institutions of 
higher education, secondary education institu-
tions, or by technical training and vocational 
schools, that are designed to prepare students 
to become aircraft pilots, aerospace engineers, 
unmanned aircraft system operators, or aviation 
maintenance technicians, or to refresh the 
knowledge of out-of-practice pilots or any of the 
aforementioned individuals. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—No organization that re-
ceives a grant under this subsection shall sell or 
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